📈 Diode I–V Characteristic
📖 The Physics
A diode is a one-way valve for electric current. Connected forward (in the direction of its arrow), it conducts — but only once the voltage passes the knee (~0.7 V for silicon, ~0.3 V for germanium).
Connected reverse, it blocks the current almost completely — until a very large reverse voltage forces a sudden breakdown.
Forward (V > V_knee): I = (V − V_knee) / R
Reverse: I ≈ 0 until breakdown at large negative V
Sweep the voltage and watch the operating point ride the curve: almost no current below the knee, then a steep rise. This one-way behaviour is exactly what makes rectifiers work.
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