solid state final terms

Question 1

Diode

Answer 1

semi-conductor device that allows current to flow in only one direction.

Question 2

Semi-conductor

Answer 2

a material with electrical characteristics of both a conductor and an insulator

Question 3

Doping

Answer 3

process of adding impurities to semi-conductor material to allow for electron flow

Question 4

N-type material

Answer 4

semi-conductor material created with an excess of electrons

Question 5

P-type material

Answer 5

semi-conductor material created with a deficiency of electrons

Question 6

Depletion Region

Answer 6

thin neutral area formed at the junction of P & N-type materials

Question 7

Forward bias

Answer 7

voltage applied with polarity that allows a diode to act as a conductor

Question 8

Reverse bias

Answer 8

voltage applied with opposite polarity that allows a diode to act as an insulator

Question 8

Forward break-over voltage

Answer 8

amount of forward bias voltage needed for a diode to act as a conductor

Question 9

Characteristic curve

Answer 9

curve on a graph that shows the relationship between voltage, current and polarity for an electrical device

Question 10

Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV)

Answer 10

amount of reverse bias voltage a diode can withstand before breaking down

Question 10

Forward operating current

Answer 10

current range in which a diode can safely operate

Question 11

Avalanche current

Answer 11

free flow of electrons through a diode once it breaks down

Question 12

DC power supply

Answer 12

a device that converts AC to regulated DC for use in electrical circuits.

Question 13

Rectifier

Answer 13

part of a DC power supply that converts AC into DC

Question 14

Voltage limiter

Answer 14

An electronic circuit that consists of diodes used to control voltage where large changes are expected.

Question 15

Pulsating DC

Answer 15

electricity that varies in amplitude but does not change polarity

Question 16

Filter

Answer 16

part of a DC power supply that smooths the pulsating DC output

Question 17

Ripple voltage

Answer 17

amount of varying voltage present in a DC power supply.

Question 18

Voltage regulator

Answer 18

electronic circuit that maintains a relatively constant value of output voltage over a wide range of operating situations

Question 19

Voltage divider

Answer 19

circuit that provides several different voltages for different loads.

Question 20

Voltage multiplier

Answer 20

electronic circuit designed to supply higher voltages than the AC source without using a transformer.

Question 21

Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

Answer 21

board of insulated material containing electrical connections used to create a circuit for mounting components onto

Question 22

Trace

Answer 22

conductive path found on a printed circuit board, also known as foil.

Question 23

Solder pad

Answer 23

a small, flat conductor to which components are soldered

Question 24

Silk-screen layer

Answer 24

layer of text applied to the outer surface of a PCB

Question 25

Conformal coating

Answer 25

a thin layer of material applied to the surface of a PCB that provides protection

Question 26

Heat sink

Answer 26

device that draws heat away from components, protecting them from heat damage

Question 27

Troubleshooting

Answer 27

systematic elimination of various parts of a system, circuit or process to locate a defective part

Question 28

Soldering

Answer 28

process of making a sound electrical and mechanical joint between metals using solder

Question 29

Solder

Answer 29

alloy used for soldering that consists of two or more metals

Question 30

Solder flux

Answer 30

substance used to minimize oxidation from soldering

Question 31

Cold solder joint

Answer 31

solder joint that results when the parts being soldered have not been properly heated to the melting temperature of the solder

Question 32

Eutectic alloy

Answer 32

alloy that has one specific melting temperature with no intermediate stage

Question 33

Solder mask

Answer 33

permanent protective coating that protects circuitry from unwanted solder

Question 34

Bus

Answer 34

large trace that extends around the edge of a PCB in order to make a common connection

Question 35

Transistor / Bipolar junction transistor (BJT)

Answer 35

a three-terminal semi-conductor device that switches or amplifies electrical signals

Question 35

Base

Answer 35

transistor terminal that controls current flow from the emitter to the collector

Question 35

Emitter

Answer 35

transistor terminal that emits current to the collector

Question 35

Collector

Answer 35

transistor terminal that collects current from the emitter

Question 36

Amplifier

Answer 36

an electronic device or circuit that increases the magnitude of an input signal

Question 37

Gain

Answer 37

ratio between the output signal and the input signal

Question 38

Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR)

Answer 38

a three-terminal semi-conductor device that utilizes 4-layers of semiconductor material to control current flow

Question 39

Gate

Answer 39

terminal of an SCR that serves as the control point

Question 40

Gate current

Answer 40

amount of current to the gate needed to turn on an SCR

Question 41

Holding current

Answer 41

amount of current flowing through the anode-cathode circuit needed to keep the SCR in the "ON" state