All types of tunneling diodes make use of quantum mechanical tunneling. [CDATA[// >. When forward voltage is increased further, diode current starts decreasing till it achieves its minimum value called valley current IV corresponding to valley voltage VV (point B). THE TUNNEL DIODE 1. Powered by  - Designed with the Hueman theme, Tunnel Diode: Basics, Operation, VI Characteristics. Tunnel Diode Characteristics. To Understand the Advantages. As seen from Fig. How to create Constant Current Source using Opamp? Tunnel diode is commonly used for the following purposes: Secondly, it reduces the reverse breakdown voltage to a very small value (approaching zero) with the result that the diode appears to be broken down fro any reverse voltage. Due to this, large number of majority carriers are available in the semiconductor layers. April 24, 2017 at 1:45 am. The figure given below represents the symbol of a Zener diode: Its symbol is somewhat similar to the symbol of a normal diode. It is the resistance offered by the diode within the negative resistance section of its characteristic (shown shaded in Fig. TUNNEL DIODE TEST CIRCUITS 1. 1. The negative resistance region is the most important and most widely used characteristic of the tunnel diode. In reverse biased condition, a small reverse current flows due to minority charge carriers.