Zener

Zener diodes are a specific type of diode engineered to operate in the reverse-breakdown mode, and their characteristics are defined based on this operational behavior. These diodes are valuable for applications such as voltage referencing and limiting. They can also act as current flow regulators similar to rectifier diodes, although their performance in this role is typically not as optimized as dedicated devices. Each device package within the Zener diode family is designed to fulfill precisely one instance of this functionality.