The 1N400x (or 1N4001 or 1N4000) series is a family of popular one-

ampere The ampere ( , ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to 1 c ...

general-purpose

silicon Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...

rectifier A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The process is known as ''rectification'', since it "straightens" t ...

diode A diode is a two-Terminal (electronics), terminal electronic component that conducts electric current primarily in One-way traffic, one direction (asymmetric electrical conductance, conductance). It has low (ideally zero) Electrical resistance ...

s commonly used in AC adapters for common household appliances. Its blocking voltage varies from 50 volts (1N4001) to 1000 volts (1N4007). This

JEDEC The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association is a consortium of the semiconductor industry headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, United States. It has over 300 members and is focused ...

device number series is available in the DO-41 axial package. Diodes with similar ratings are available in SMA and MELF surface mount packages (in other part number series). The 1N540x (or 1N5400) series is a similarly popular family of diodes rated 3 Amperes, which has a larger DO-201AD axial package to dissipate heat better.

History

The 1N400x series was originally introduced by

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...

's Semiconductor Products Division and registered at

in 1963 as silicon power rectifiers used primarily for military and industrial applications. It appeared in the Motorola ''Semiconductor Data Manual'' in 1965, as replacements for 1N2609 through 1N2617. The 1N540x series were announced in ''Electrical Design News'' in 1968, along with the now lesser-known 1.5 A 1N5391 series.

Overview

These devices are widely used and recommended for general-purpose power-frequency rectifier use. They are commonly used as rectifiers in AC adapters of electrical appliances to convert AC to DC, and are also used in other types of power converters, or as freewheeling diodes to protect circuits from inductive loads. These are fairly low-speed rectifier diodes, being inefficient for square waves of more than 15 kHz. They are not designed for switching applications; datasheets often do not specify any information on their turn-on and turn-off characteristics. Compared with signal diodes, rectifier diodes generally have higher current ratings, can have much higher reverse voltage ratings, but have higher

leakage current In electronics, leakage is the gradual transfer of electrical energy across a boundary normally viewed as insulating, such as the spontaneous discharge of a charged capacitor, magnetic coupling of a transformer with other components, or flow ...

and greater junction capacitance.Paul Horowitz, Winifred Hill, ''The Art of Electronics Second Edition'', Cambridge University Press, 1989 , page 330 The following table lists part numbers in the 1N400x, 1N540x, and other popular general-purpose silicon rectifier diode families.

References

External links

{{Commons category multi, 1N400x, Diodes, Diodes (SMD)

- Clifton Laboratories

- Clifton Laboratories Diodes

History

Overview

See also

References

Further reading

External links