How diodes, LEDs and solar panels work

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  • čas přidán 13. 02. 2019
  • The first 200 people to sign up at brilliant.org/stevemould/ will get 20% off an annual subscription that gives you access to the full archive of Daily Problems and every single course.
    It looks like I may have been a little off on the explanation. Specifically attributing the movement of charge carriers exclusively to the electric field that build up. Read more about that here:
    www.quora.com/How-do-solar-ce...
    Animations by Dom Burgess. His brilliant channel, Every Think, is here:
    / @domburgess
    Part 1 demonstration video is here: • Why all solar panels a...
    Photovoltaic cells and LEDs are both made of diodes. Diodes are designed to allow electricity to flow in one direction only but the way we make them (out of semiconductors) means that can absorb and emit light.
    Thanks to these amazing patrons on Patreon for supporting my channel:
    Glenn Watson
    Joël van der Loo
    Patreon: / stevemould
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    Facebook: / stevemouldscience
    Buy nerdy maths things: mathsgear.co.uk
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 1,3K

  • @ElectroBOOM
    @ElectroBOOM Před 5 lety +3471

    Very well explained sir! Now I can skip this subject in peace and refer to this video

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  Před 5 lety +945

      The electroBOOM seal of approval. That makes me happy!

    • @rosen4940
      @rosen4940 Před 5 lety +42

      Hey electro i am a big fan. You make super entertainment videos!

    • @Simon8162
      @Simon8162 Před 5 lety +102

      Now you know how a FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER works

    • @lightningmcqueen1577
      @lightningmcqueen1577 Před 5 lety +3

      Hey electro boom

    • @shamimsk4738
      @shamimsk4738 Před 5 lety +13

      I like you channel can you explain transistor

  • @bertusvanheerden
    @bertusvanheerden Před 5 lety +1505

    As a grad student in physics, probably the most easy to understand explanation of this I've seen.

    • @XxPlayMakerxX131
      @XxPlayMakerxX131 Před 5 lety +32

      Bertus van Heerden
      We take this stuff in high school
      It amazes me how well he explained it

    • @ayhamsaffar8407
      @ayhamsaffar8407 Před 5 lety +5

      Do you know why there is a resultant electric field @8:38 then?

    • @VoidHalo
      @VoidHalo Před 5 lety +23

      There's an electric field because the P side has an abundance of positive charge carriers (holes) and the N side has an abundance of negative charge carriers (electrons). This excess of charge in each side causes the electric field to form between the two sides and creates a voltage potential between the two sides. That voltage is about 0.7 volts in silicon diodes, or 0.3 volts in germanium diodes. Which means electrons need at least 0.7v (in silicon) in order to cross the depletion region. Think of it like a hill where you need to give a ball enough energy to roll all the way up.

    • @31redorange08
      @31redorange08 Před 5 lety

      But did you finally understand it?

    • @MrEDMeaner
      @MrEDMeaner Před 5 lety +1

      As someone who knows nothing about this subject I would say the same!

  • @gigglysamentz2021
    @gigglysamentz2021 Před 5 lety +694

    At 16 I took an entire class in physics+IT cuz was told I would learn how diodes work. End of the year I complained that we never did, and the teacher answered it was impossible without learning loads of complicated stuff first.
    It took Steve Mould 10 min to explain it.

    • @VoidHalo
      @VoidHalo Před 5 lety +87

      To really undertand them from an academic perspective you do indeed need a good background in quantum mechanics and math. They don't even get into them until the 2nd or 3rd year of college. But if you're just a hobbyist who's screwing aroun, yeah it doesn't take much. But don't think for a second that they're simple devices. Just look up the Schockley diode equation for a taste. Believe me, Steve didn't come close to fully explaining diodes.

    • @wojtek4p4
      @wojtek4p4 Před 5 lety +78

      ​@@VoidHalo But he was told (presumably by a teacher, since he's complained to a teacher afterwards) that they'll have diodes explained to them - it's just false advertising. Nobody expects a 16 year old to understand the "academic perspective" on diodes, but the same way you can understand a piston engine without understanding the Otto cycle (like I do, I've just googled the name) or machine learning without all the calculus behind it.
      And while I hate to quote people I think "If you can't explain it simply you don't understand it well enough" is appropriate - I think the teacher only knew formal definitions and couldn't (or didn't want to) explain the intuitions.

    • @jasond.healerlynch5255
      @jasond.healerlynch5255 Před 5 lety +5

      There's no replacing a persistent yet patient teacher, animation helps though

    • @Artaxerxes.
      @Artaxerxes. Před 5 lety +11

      Naw mate. You've got to learn Quantum Free Electron theory to truly understand. Steve has explained an "incomplete" theory. Yeah Steve can probably explain QFET and Fermi Dirac statistics as well but just pointing out that your teacher was right about a few things

    • @XxPlayMakerxX131
      @XxPlayMakerxX131 Před 5 lety +1

      Artaxerxes
      Do you have any books or links
      Anything that could explain those
      I’m currently learning physics on my own
      Any sources would be helpful for the topics that you have mentioned

  • @colunizator
    @colunizator Před 5 lety +244

    as an electrical engineer, i should say this is the best explanation and animation i've seen.
    Thank you

    • @TwenOalley
      @TwenOalley Před 4 lety

      Does the p side of the diode ever "run out" of electrons if the photons keep "pushing' them away and through the n type side presumably eventually to a battery. Or are there just so many electrons that it doesn't matter.

    • @sdlion7287
      @sdlion7287 Před 4 lety

      ​@@TwenOalley if I remember correctly you can say that the electrons from the N material that go into the P material, go out at the conductor. So there's "a new hole" for each electron that go out.
      Or rather, the amount of holes won't change, they're the hops that electrons can use to move around through the material, thus they determine (along with the free electrons on the N material) the current capacity of the diode. More voltage (pressure) and the diode breaks.
      From a simplistic point of view.

    • @sdlion7287
      @sdlion7287 Před 4 lety

      It's really interesting the implications of all that it's explained on the video. From this an electronics class will go through every (common) type of diode there is (though my class didn't cover solar panels).
      The depletion zone will always exists, even on a conducting diode. On a conducting silicon diode it will go as high of 0.7v. Imagine having 1 ampere passing through the diode! It will act as a resistance of 0.7 ohm! And that would be 0.7 Watts of energy dissipating on such a small junction!! (now you can kind of understand why LED's need big heat sinks and old lamps don't [heat can dissipate on a bigger area, not just a small junction])
      So there's tricks to control and benefit (with drawbacks) those characteristics. Diodes with smaller depletion zones but that "leaks" more current on reverse polarization, diodes that are easier to break their depletion zone on reverse and won't "break" permanently so easily so you can use that voltage as a fixed reference, etc.
      And the it goes into transistors and all their types! It was a very interesting class.

    • @ericl8743
      @ericl8743 Před 3 lety

      @@TwenOalley yes, it's possible

    • @3dw3dw
      @3dw3dw Před 2 lety

      @@TwenOalley if the diode is not connected electrically there will be depletion to the point where the pressure equalizes.
      When it is connected as a solar electrical generator it will draw electrons out of the anode if connected to a battery directly, and pack them into the cathode thus charging the battery until the pressure again reaches equilibrium as the anode is depleted and the cathode becomes stuffed. So you could relate the intensity of the light with photon pressure balancing with an opposing electrical pressure within the battery.
      I have visualized this using 2 water tanks and a centrifugal pump. One water tank is 100 feet higher than the other. Once the water level in the piping going to the higher of the 2 tanks reaches a height equivalent to the maximum head pressure rating of the pump at it's given rpm the water will stop flowing upward and the pump while still turning will be converted from a pump to a heater by virtue of a phenomenon related to fluid shear. Same thing with the solar panel, it gets to a point if it's rated maximum output voltage is less than the rated maximum voltage of the storage media, it stops charging and just creates waste heat. Part of the reason we use an inverter between the generator and the storage.

  • @Brockohliflower
    @Brockohliflower Před 5 lety +306

    I feel as if my entire life would have gone down a different path if you'd been the one teaching me physics at school because this was a fantastic video.

  • @guilhemedemassenaladario
    @guilhemedemassenaladario Před 5 lety +532

    So now is easier to understand transistors. Can you make a video about PNP and NPN transistors? would be awesome!

    • @diatribeeverything
      @diatribeeverything Před 5 lety +21

      I second this!!

    • @glenbaker5311
      @glenbaker5311 Před 5 lety +5

      No,that would be useful

    • @stulora3172
      @stulora3172 Před 5 lety +5

      seconding

    • @musicforlife4571
      @musicforlife4571 Před 5 lety +29

      Yep! Agreed! I use transistors and diodes but this is the first time someone has managed to explain WHY they work, would love to see an explanation for the transistors but I think I can now guess :)

    • @mohammadalnahari6531
      @mohammadalnahari6531 Před 5 lety +2

      That would be great 👍🏻

  • @rahulpujari14507
    @rahulpujari14507 Před 4 měsíci +2

    I am a high school student from India, this is the best explanation ever on Diodes better than my text books. First time ever commenting on a Veritasium video in 4 years, I think this video is going to sky rocket your channel soon sir. Thank you.

  • @hahahurfunnyno
    @hahahurfunnyno Před 5 lety +64

    I comment on 0.000001% of the vids that I watch. This guy is the best teacher I have ever encountered.

    • @smartypants1588
      @smartypants1588 Před 4 lety +4

      Erixon You’re right, this guy is an amazing teacher. But your arithmetic is scary: Do you really watch a million videos for every comment you write? I’m retired, but even I don’t have that kind of free time.

    • @the_original_Bilb_Ono
      @the_original_Bilb_Ono Před 3 lety +1

      I wouldn't trust someone who is so inexperienced and a novice at commenting, I'd rather hear from someone who is a professional commenting expert, like Justin Y.

    • @diamondknyfe3900
      @diamondknyfe3900 Před 3 lety

      Maybe he isn't gonna say that on a video for his entire life

    • @lawliet2263
      @lawliet2263 Před 2 lety

      @@smartypants1588 smarty pants trying to be a smart ass

  • @TheSam1902
    @TheSam1902 Před 5 lety +245

    I can attest that I got taught exactly that in a less intuitive and easy to understand manner in university. Then I said it was bullshit because the lecturer tried to tell us about "holes" without really explaining them...

    • @YouKnowMeFromSchool
      @YouKnowMeFromSchool Před 5 lety +30

      Same! University lecturers often do not have a teaching qualification, only expertise in their field. BOTH are required.

    • @Peter_1986
      @Peter_1986 Před 5 lety +44

      A lot of university professors are obsessed with being extremely formal all the time, and that alone makes it harder to follow them.
      One textbook that says "screw that" to all of that is "Introduction To Classical Mechanics" by David Morin.
      That book is written almost like a kindergarten book, with very casual language and even with limericks thrown in here and there just to ease the mood a bit, and it is _only just_ formal enough to still be acceptable teaching material with correct definitions and proofs etc.
      And you know what?
      _That works perfectly fine!_
      So that book proves once and for all that all those irritating formalities are completely unnecessary - _it is possible_ to teach science courses without a ton of formalities and stiff language everywhere.

    • @someonespotatohmm9513
      @someonespotatohmm9513 Před 5 lety +27

      @@Peter_1986 It might make it harder to follow but with these kind of subjects there are asterisks attached to everything. The formality is kind of required to avoid confusion should you go further into depth.

    • @ppsarrakis
      @ppsarrakis Před 5 lety +3

      @@someonespotatohmm9513 exactly,you are supposed to do further study/research to understand stuff...

    • @someonespotatohmm9513
      @someonespotatohmm9513 Před 5 lety +1

      @@ppsarrakis Yes let me teach you all these things.
      2 weeks later when you need to do something with what was thought: You remember what you needed to know 2 weeks ago? well forget about that it was wrong, good luck figuring out what was wrong (as no asterisks where given) and looking up what is actually going on.
      I see nothing wrong with this... (This stuff still happens somewhat with asterisks but at least there is a starting point and you have some idea about what is going on)

  • @michaelvendick2785
    @michaelvendick2785 Před 5 lety +347

    Wow, this dude is really good at explaining shit. I actually understood all that. My brain now has a few more wrinkles, thanks bruh

    • @ifarded630
      @ifarded630 Před 5 lety +7

      B R U H

    • @skie6282
      @skie6282 Před 3 lety +10

      The smooth brains have lost another one :(

    • @jakeqwaninne8502
      @jakeqwaninne8502 Před 3 lety +3

      now that your brain is getting better you can stop using bruh,,, also, the value of your car audio should never exceed the blue book value of the car, and put a real muffler back on it, and take off the stupid 3' tall wing, lol

    • @jakeqwaninne8502
      @jakeqwaninne8502 Před 3 lety

      and please pull up those pants, we don't need to see your underwear

    • @michaelvendick2785
      @michaelvendick2785 Před 3 lety +7

      @@jakeqwaninne8502 I'm 52 Jake, I was using Bruh just to be silly. Love how you judge someone on the use of a word tho, thats so cool of you

  • @rocketdogticker
    @rocketdogticker Před 5 lety +249

    This is how teachers picture themselves teaching.

    • @deadheadliving
      @deadheadliving Před 2 lety +7

      Exactly I couldn't have said it better...this video makes me haye all my teachers who pretended to be one and just read off everything from the text book...

    • @rocketdogticker
      @rocketdogticker Před 2 lety +7

      @@deadheadliving yeah I'm always jealous of the people who had that one teacher that made a difference in their life. The only thing I can remember about my public school teachers is there is one of them that ate paste.

    • @mapalojohnchanda4107
      @mapalojohnchanda4107 Před 2 lety

      Yeah but it's not always the case😂😂🤭

    • @naman4067
      @naman4067 Před 2 lety +2

      I respect good teachers

  • @gigglysamentz2021
    @gigglysamentz2021 Před 5 lety +52

    My chemistry lecturer hated anthropomorphising atoms. But in the same module he said we should use the simplest model that explains experimental observations. I think it's a good model!

    • @thewiseturtle
      @thewiseturtle Před 5 lety +3

      Your chemistry lecturer maybe wasn't aware that he is atoms. :P

  • @alphaomega95
    @alphaomega95 Před 3 lety +14

    After going through my undergrad in physics and never actually understanding semiconductors and diodes, this video has finally let me understand them.
    As for the whole use of anthropomorphism in your explanation, the way I see it, science communication is often a problem of translation from complicated science language to plain English, and anthropomorphism is one of the simplest ways to bridge that. As long as you provide the context that it's a translation tool, then I don't see what the problem with it is.

  • @ChrisWCorp
    @ChrisWCorp Před 5 lety +199

    My cat loves when I anthropomorphize things.

    • @JayJay64100
      @JayJay64100 Před 5 lety +14

      Hol' up

    • @Ratchet4647
      @Ratchet4647 Před 5 lety +6

      This is hilarious and I don't know what the term for what you just did is!
      What is it!?!

    • @rozaepareza
      @rozaepareza Před 5 lety +3

      @@Ratchet4647 I don't know but it reminds me of the "Self-Demonstrating Article" article on TV Tropes.

    • @Nic7320
      @Nic7320 Před 5 lety +2

      So does your chair.

    • @airgliderz
      @airgliderz Před 4 lety

      Only after you open the box with schriedingers cat in it, only then you know if the cat loves anthropmorphize. Wjil in the box it both likes and dislikes it at the same time...

  • @jacobmarciniec
    @jacobmarciniec Před 5 lety +13

    This explanation makes me wish CZcams had a love button.

  • @fatihkaraken2897
    @fatihkaraken2897 Před 11 měsíci +1

    I am an electronics engineer and I think it can not be explained any better. Well done. ;)

  • @kikivoorburg
    @kikivoorburg Před 5 lety +93

    Been waiting for this explanation!

  • @felixr6600
    @felixr6600 Před 4 lety +30

    Omg this answered so many of my questions I had in school chemistry right now. The topic and video are both very awesome and interesting as well. Keep it up I'm really enjoying your videos ^-^

  • @danielbloom8540
    @danielbloom8540 Před 5 lety +12

    as a student studying electrical engineering this is super helpful, Thanks!

  • @chrisengland5523
    @chrisengland5523 Před rokem +1

    Probably the best explanation of the physics of semiconductor diodes I've ever seen.

  • @yohaijohn
    @yohaijohn Před 5 lety +11

    Wow! Amazing.
    Im a teacher and im always glad to bring those kind of stuff into class.

    • @MrBaldypete1
      @MrBaldypete1 Před 5 lety +1

      I remember when I was in school (a long time ago now!) and I always seemed to gravitate towards learning from people who were passionate about the subject they were teaching. People who would explain not only what was going on but, usually from their own perspective, why it was interesting. I may not have always agreed that it was interesting but I found their passion for the lesson made me remember the information presented to me. For example, I had a maths teacher who would tell us "just do the sum!" and I didn't pick it up. When I moved class because she was a shit teacher and we did NOT like each other, I was taught the same lesson by a different teacher who explained it, how it could be used and gave a real life example and seemed excited to be explaining it. I learned how to deal with differential equations.
      If you find your subject interesting/exciting, use that enthusiasm to teach the kids mate. It goes a long way! And keep up the good work. Teachers need more recognition!

  • @tachzusamm
    @tachzusamm Před 4 lety +3

    This has been the best explanation of how diodes work I stumbled accross in decades. Good job, sir.

  • @-Rahad
    @-Rahad Před rokem +1

    This has to be the best explanation of diode in my opinion.

  • @ettoregalli72
    @ettoregalli72 Před 3 lety

    Not only your explanation is the best I've ever heard, but also I find your english very clear to me, a no native speaker.

  • @matejzatko2085
    @matejzatko2085 Před 5 lety +6

    The best explanation I've heard so far 👍

  • @moazelsawaf2000
    @moazelsawaf2000 Před 5 lety +5

    Thanks a lot sir ❤
    you are such a great person and your channel is very useful ❤

  • @LEDewey_MD
    @LEDewey_MD Před 3 lety

    This video blew me away in how perfectly it explains how LEDs and Solar panel cells work, and that they are actually the same thing,. Highly recommend this video!

  • @chetlewis6905
    @chetlewis6905 Před 5 lety

    I have watched a couple of videos of how diode work but you were the first to make me understand I think representing the holes as a partial really helps

  • @leozendo3500
    @leozendo3500 Před 5 lety +24

    This is so far the best animated video explaining PN junction. The second best one was a 3d video with a skateboard analogy that is many years old.

  • @XxPlayMakerxX131
    @XxPlayMakerxX131 Před 5 lety +4

    Wow, you could have not said it in a simpler
    Your explanation is on point.

  • @lawrencerubanka7087
    @lawrencerubanka7087 Před 3 lety

    I've been working with semiconductors for 40 years. Yours is the best explanation of the electron/hole and p/n concepts I've ever heard. Lots of fun, thanks!

  • @krisplanker9640
    @krisplanker9640 Před 3 lety +1

    Videos like this, intentionally or otherwise, make school and textbooks look so archaic.

  • @PoohStickProductions
    @PoohStickProductions Před 5 lety +9

    That solar panel part kinda blew my mind.

  • @wierdalien1
    @wierdalien1 Před 5 lety +55

    I feel like youve been wanting to do that rant for a while

  • @coolkidnyc
    @coolkidnyc Před 4 lety

    this guy explained in 12 mins what i "tried" to learn in 3 semesters. well done mate

  • @OhhYasssh
    @OhhYasssh Před 4 lety

    this is the smoothest explanation ever! like ever! made it not only foreshadow the working of transistor but overall explanation of diodes and those animations are just smooth and easy to understand too

  • @fahdal-sebaey3322
    @fahdal-sebaey3322 Před 5 lety +5

    Thanks for the amazing content, as always. I very much respect the simplicity of things when you explain them. I believe that this how science should be taught; intuitively and in simple yet descriptive words. Keep them coming!

  • @kurtronaldesteban8190
    @kurtronaldesteban8190 Před 5 lety +5

    I graduated electronics engineering but this made everything clearer about diodes. Nice!

  • @hithereimjack2252
    @hithereimjack2252 Před 3 lety +1

    Read an essay on how diodes work and found it incredibly fascinating even if it was slightly difficult to understand. I think they did a great job writing the paper and the illustrations were as good as one could make them. I realized before clicking on this video however that a lot of what I read from that essay did not stick. I think after watching this that the info will stick because of your intuitive teaching style and I appreciate that very much. Thank you.

  • @jaytee2395
    @jaytee2395 Před 5 lety

    Just watched one of your videos for the first time. It has taken years of looking at many others. In saying that, im several videos in, and you have now become a reference in my onward learning. thank you Steve!

  • @MidgieNerd
    @MidgieNerd Před 5 lety +3

    After literally 10 hours, i finally came across this video. Thank God, now I might not fail physics :D

  • @Lewini
    @Lewini Před 5 lety +10

    This would've been such a useful resource in my semiconductors course

  • @cfink6041
    @cfink6041 Před 5 lety +2

    Thank you for the introduction to Brilliant as well as the discount. It's just what I needed for my own journey into neural networking and machine learning. Thanks also for your excellent channel. I can appreciate how much effort goes into a single video to have everything that's needed for concise and efficient presentation as a discreet subject without the introduction to tangents. I feel satisfied and complete without a sense of need afterwards. That is a very difficult thing to achieve.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  Před 5 lety +1

      Thank you. That's basically what I'm aiming for. So it's really to to hear that I'm achieving that for some people.

  • @OwenBerg
    @OwenBerg Před 5 lety

    Again, excellent video. You have a natural ability to explain things without over complicating. Had this sort of resource been around during my BTEC, we'd have mastered semiconductor operation in one session rather than having to return to it again and again.
    And again.

  • @mattomanx77
    @mattomanx77 Před 5 lety +26

    Very interesting! So what determines how 'efficient' these diodes are?

    • @VincentGroenewold
      @VincentGroenewold Před 5 lety +6

      The materials I think, that’s probably what the entire industry behind it is about. What materials make efficient and cheap enough mass produced diodes.

    • @VoidHalo
      @VoidHalo Před 5 lety +11

      Material has a lot to do with it. A silicon diode drops about 0.6 to 0.7v, where a germanium will drop 0.25 to 0.3v or there's a special kind of diode called a schottkey diode where the junction is formed between silicon and a metal which drops as little as 0.2v. This is important, because Ohm's law states that power=voltage x current. So if you have 1 amp of current through a diode, the silicon diode will draw 0.7 watts of power (0.7v x 1A) where te schottkey diode will draw 0.2 watts. This power is just dissipated as heat, so any power drawn by a diode is wasted power. So the less power consumed, the more efficient it is. I hope that helps.

    • @abramthiessen8749
      @abramthiessen8749 Před 5 lety +7

      There is also quantum efficiency in LEDs, Photodetectors and Solar Cells which is the fraction of photons to electron-hole pairs generated or LEDs/LASERs the fraction of pair recombinations that actually result in emitted photons.
      This efficiency does have to do with resistive losses and absorption by the material in areas other than the depletion region. Also Reflection at the surface.

    • @byaafacehead
      @byaafacehead Před 5 lety +2

      Another factor for lighting is simply many bandgaps are wavelengths (or for our eyes, colors) that we don't directly want, so they will have a phosphor coating to absorb and re-emit at a more pleasant color. Obviously this eats into efficiency.. if I remember correctly, a green LED was sort of elusive so many white lights just had to use blue light with a coating... Although don't quote me on that haha

    • @luongmaihunggia
      @luongmaihunggia Před 5 lety

      Tests.

  • @nahco3994
    @nahco3994 Před 5 lety +70

    Fluorine likes to do horrible things to its surroundings even when it's in its 'happy' state, so making it 'angry' is not really a smart thing to do.

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 Před 5 lety +2

      Unless its teflon

    • @nahco3994
      @nahco3994 Před 5 lety +16

      @@wierdalien1 Well, yes and no. There's some incredibly stable organic fluorine compunds, like tetrafuoromethane, or teflon (PTFE) that you mentioned. That would be fluorine in its 'happy' state. And even those compounds usually fuck up the environment and/or people either during their creation, their disposal, or when handled incorrectly.
      As for 'angry' fluorine... take a look at chlorine trifluoride. Or maybe not. Running away would be smarter. Or better yet: Be somewhere else than that stuff in the first place.

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 Před 5 lety +12

      ​I love the way you anthropomorphize atoms, NaHCO3

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 Před 5 lety

      @@nahco3994 well yeah creation of PTFE requires straight flourine

    • @jay-tbl
      @jay-tbl Před 5 lety +4

      What do you mean, floorine is what the floor is made of, what else am i supposed to walk on?

  • @kevinocta9716
    @kevinocta9716 Před 5 lety

    Man I'm not even halfway through this videos and I'm so happy! THIS is the kind of thing I've always wanted to know about semiconductors and n and p type semiconductors but i have NEVER actually seen it explained properly like this!! THANKS!!!

  • @senorpoodles1755
    @senorpoodles1755 Před 4 lety +1

    The graphics in this video are INCREDIBLE. I FINALLY understand diodes. Thank you!

  • @nienke7713
    @nienke7713 Před 5 lety +11

    Does a solar diode then also work best from infrared light, or do the visible light photons work just as well?

    • @zn4rf
      @zn4rf Před 5 lety +3

      have a read: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927024805002345
      Or: Depends on the material your "solar diode" is made of.

    • @nahfid2003
      @nahfid2003 Před 3 lety

      @@zn4rf this is not free?

  • @GeorgePlaten
    @GeorgePlaten Před 5 lety +41

    Great explanation, as usual. I'm sorry I have to say this :( The shaky-cam effect was cool at first, but then it triggered my vertigo. Sorry! Thanks for sharing this great insight!

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  Před 5 lety +30

      This is useful feedback thank you.

    • @tmanook
      @tmanook Před 5 lety

      Desire to puke rising and only half way through. Excellent video though. Would have loved having this when I was in college. Makes things much easier to understand.

    • @oddzc
      @oddzc Před 5 lety

      Agreed!

    • @catladyrai
      @catladyrai Před 5 lety

      Omg. I was just looking in the comments because I was feeling weird from the shaky videos. I felt dizzy. Didn't know it could be slight vertigo.

  • @mumiemonstret
    @mumiemonstret Před 5 lety

    I love your presentation style and voice. It's soothing yet engaged, a rare combination on CZcams.

  • @VictorQuesada-bl1xk
    @VictorQuesada-bl1xk Před 2 měsíci

    Excellent work, thank you for making it so straightforward.

  • @lordbarron3352
    @lordbarron3352 Před 5 lety +10

    61 people disliked because they are NEGATIVE. Hopefully they decide to reverse polarity and leave a like :D

  • @atechnews3221
    @atechnews3221 Před 5 lety +4

    Never gonna look at my TV the same again.

  • @VoidHalo
    @VoidHalo Před 5 lety +1

    You actually can't just push an N type and P type crystal together to create a PN junction diode. The boundary between the crystals prevents the depletion later from forming. The P and N type layers need to be formed within the same crystal so N type charge carriers can diffuse over to the P side and vice versa, to form the depletion layer in the PN junction. This is why you can't make a transistor by putting 2 PN diodes back to back in a circuit. Even though a transistor is just 2 PN junctions back to back, it has to be in the same crystal.
    Other than that small issue, I thought the rest of this was spot on and well presented. I always love watching your videos, especially about electronics because that's my passion. Cheers.

  • @WaitingForRevolution
    @WaitingForRevolution Před 5 lety

    So glad you released a part 2 explaining it all in a more technical but very easy to understand manner. Keep it up! 👍🤘

  • @MrMishra814
    @MrMishra814 Před 5 lety +7

    Minor correction. The pn junction isn't made by pushing two materials together

    • @nicklachen5060
      @nicklachen5060 Před 5 lety +1

      This isn't really a correction, just pointing out a potential incorrect statement.

    • @atmel9077
      @atmel9077 Před 5 lety +8

      This video is simplified, semiconductor manufacturing is another story.

    • @PixlRainbow
      @PixlRainbow Před 5 lety +1

      It *can* be made by just pushing p and n type materials together, even though often industrially it is just two halves of the same piece of material doped differently.

  • @AgglomeratiProduzioni
    @AgglomeratiProduzioni Před 5 lety +50

    "Diodes, LEDs and solar panels" --> So diodes, diodes and diodes?

    • @trinidad17
      @trinidad17 Před 5 lety +6

      All are diodes, but the first "diodes" you mention are usually called "signal diodes" because of their application.

    • @VoidHalo
      @VoidHalo Před 4 lety +1

      Actually, rectifying diode or maybe PN junction diode would be better to distinguish regular diodes from the rest. But signal diode is just fine for low power ones which are (obviously) meant for signals. I'm pretty sure a solar cell also uses a PN junction, but the reverse breakdown voltage is so small and the reverse recovery time so long that they would make a terrible rectifier. Zener diodes and avalanche diodes also don't rectify very well either for the same reason.
      So it seems rectification isn't the sole defining feature of a diode. But at the same time, not all diodes use PN junctions either. Like PIN diodes, which have undoped, or intrinsic semiconductor between P type on one side and N type on the other.
      Or schottky diodes, which only have a P or N type layer on a metal layer, as in the famous cat's whisker or point contact diode used in foxhole radios.
      So in terms of what exactly defines a diode, I have no clue. but I aim to find out now that I've realized this. Hope you guys will, too. Cheers.

    • @inventorofmachines
      @inventorofmachines Před 4 lety

      Fries, Chips and Mashed Potatoes

  • @gabedarrett1301
    @gabedarrett1301 Před 3 lety

    I've been looking for an easy and in-depth explanation for months. You've done it! You have a talent for explaining things well. Subscribed

  • @jonnym4923
    @jonnym4923 Před 4 lety

    I've been wondering how these things work for so long and this was an amazing explanation. I finally feel like I have a high level understanding of how leds and solar panels work. Thanks!

  • @scottwilling5315
    @scottwilling5315 Před rokem +4

    This is one of the clearest, least intimidating explanations I have seen and I'll be showing it to my first-level electrician students shortly. The only quibble I have is the implication that one takes P-type and N-type material and butts them together. AFAIK, if you literally had two separate pieces of material and attempted to join them together you would never achieve a useful junction. As I understand it, you start with a chunk of silicon and selectively dope different areas of the same piece. Am I upside down on this, or making too much of the distinction for a beginning audience?

    • @suddeneevee9441
      @suddeneevee9441 Před rokem

      A introduction can either be too simple or too detailed. I think this video makes a good first introduction to diodes.
      And if someone wants some more exact details, then they should look for such additional info. Such as solar panels having multiple layers of semiconductors, to account for different wavelengths.

    • @scottwilling5315
      @scottwilling5315 Před rokem +1

      @@suddeneevee9441 Thanks for your post. I've no problem with any of that, but IMO the concept of selective doping vs. joining separate pieces of doped silicon together doesn't represent a huge leap in the complexity of the concept or its presentation. It would certainly take fewer words than this comment has. 😉

  • @OceanBagel
    @OceanBagel Před 5 lety +5

    Ok, so what's the deal with zener diodes?

    • @upsidedownairline9388
      @upsidedownairline9388 Před 5 lety +7

      It has to do with the way diodes break down. In any diode, you still get a very weak reverse current even if the diode is "blocking" because some of the charges are able to cross the depletion zone. Once you approach the breakdown voltage, some of those moving electrons have enough energy to knock electrons that wouldn't normally be free-flowing out of the covalent bonds, and the reverse current sharply rises. This is known as "Impact Ionization" or the "Avalanche Effect". Note that this, in itself, isn't actually damaging to the diode - what damages the diode is the massive current flow and the heat that results from it.
      Now, a Zener diode has essentially the same construction as a regular diode, but the material is more "heavily" doped. This means that there are more charges in the same volume, and as a result the depletion zone is much thinner. The voltage across it is still the same, though, so the electric field across the depletion zone is much stronger. When you connect a diode in reverse, the electric field across the depletion zone gets stronger, and in the case of a zener diode, strong enough to rip electrons out of the covalent bonds and allow a high current to flow. This is known as the Zener Effect.
      According to Wikipedia, only zener diodes up to 5.6V actually use this effect, though. Zener diodes for higher voltages supposedly rely simply on the avalanche effect - kind of makes sense, because at that point you're essentially just manufacturing a normal diode. The breakdown voltage is engineered through how heavily doped the material is.
      It gets a little more interesting, though. Impact ionization is just a matter of raw energy, but the zener effect is actually a quantum tunneling effect. The upshot of that is that low-voltage zener diodes supposedly generate a lot less heat than zener diodes that rely on the avalanche effect.

  •  Před 5 lety

    That is the best explanation of diodes, electrons, holes, depletion zone and LED I've ever seen. Well done sir!

  • @fortuneflux
    @fortuneflux Před 5 lety

    Thank you for the comprehensive yet compact video.
    If only this video was available in 20 years ago. I spent / wasted 3 years on electrical engineering and digital circuits in university and never fully got my head around this.

  • @sirplatinius4513
    @sirplatinius4513 Před 5 lety +51

    0/10, nothing poured out of a beaker.

    • @andymcl92
      @andymcl92 Před 5 lety +5

      @@JamecBond And the distance between the top of the LEDs and the rim of the beaker is the energy gap. Jiggle it around (thermal energy) and some will leap out! :)

  • @AnimilesYT
    @AnimilesYT Před 5 lety +4

    When you were talking about anthropomorphising atoms, the first thing I thought of was 'catoms'. catgirl-atoms.
    Someone, please draw this xD

  • @francislee7770
    @francislee7770 Před 3 lety

    What a great teacher. I like his channel because he takes complicated ideas and deconstructs them to simple explanations. So much respect

  • @AirsoftAbominations
    @AirsoftAbominations Před 3 lety

    Guys a tolerable, less smug smarter every day, actually good at explaining and doesn't just use long words for the hell of it

  • @3v1Bunny
    @3v1Bunny Před 5 lety +18

    theoretically .. an amoled phone could charge itself when you lay it screen up in the sun ;)

    • @honestlymars
      @honestlymars Před 5 lety +3

      Why has no-one commented on this, even just in banal admiration of the sentiment? We need naturally solar-powered AMOLED phones!

    • @shayanmoosavi9139
      @shayanmoosavi9139 Před 5 lety +3

      I don't think it's optimized for that. The charging rate would be slower than depletion rate.
      But it would be cool if it was optimized for that :)

  • @eekpie
    @eekpie Před 5 lety +3

    Is Ali D related to Ali G ?

    • @saad1653
      @saad1653 Před 5 lety

      Yeah, they're both Ali A's brothers

  • @ir-dan8524
    @ir-dan8524 Před 5 lety

    Love this format!

  • @exponentialvoid
    @exponentialvoid Před 5 lety

    Very accessible way of teaching this. Thanks for taking the time to make these quality animations.

  • @Talaxianer
    @Talaxianer Před 5 lety +3

    Press F to continue…

  • @AdamZehavi
    @AdamZehavi Před 5 lety

    Brilliantly simplified explanation!

  • @kartoffelwaffel
    @kartoffelwaffel Před rokem

    Fantasic! Well explained and in simple terms, you have a knack for it! Excellent video, thanks!

  • @lewismassie
    @lewismassie Před 5 lety

    A someone who studies chemistry and who has known this from a bunch of different sources over a few years, this is exactly what I expected, with no key loss of information, and efficiently simplified.

  • @lucklessluke
    @lucklessluke Před 5 lety

    Fantastic way to explain diodes. Love it!

  • @rajj1567
    @rajj1567 Před rokem

    This video was amazing, truly grateful for such amazing content, thank you

  • @mitchese1
    @mitchese1 Před 5 lety +1

    This is the best explanation I've seen of diodes, P-type and N-type gaps. Thanks!

  • @aaronmurgatroyd5810
    @aaronmurgatroyd5810 Před 2 lety

    Great video mate, excellent detailed description of how Diodes work!

  • @GearDownForWhat
    @GearDownForWhat Před 5 lety

    You explain things is such intuitive ways.

  • @ToddGallant
    @ToddGallant Před 5 lety

    Very elegantly explained. As a kid, I had an electronics kit that included both a solar cell and an LED. I never new they had anything in common. Now 40 years later, I understand.

  • @XS1GOLIATH1
    @XS1GOLIATH1 Před 4 lety

    I understood diode and led with your video after years. Very simplified and professional. Keep the good work man.

  • @reemaalhamdan1
    @reemaalhamdan1 Před 5 lety

    Very well explained and great animation !!

  • @xrfreedom
    @xrfreedom Před 2 lety

    I had this explained to me 4 times during my BSEE and MSEE courses, and this video is the best explanation I've ever seen!

  • @iveharzing
    @iveharzing Před 5 lety

    I honestly understand solar panels way better from this video than from lectures at university, thank you Steve Mould for this video!

  • @ALightInTheAutumnRain
    @ALightInTheAutumnRain Před 5 lety

    Great explanation and visualization! I couldn't completely wrap my head around this in computer science at uni but everything became clear in this video. Awesome! :)

  • @rickbailey7183
    @rickbailey7183 Před 5 lety

    Excellent expository video and animation! The more we understand things, the more uses we can find for them.

  • @bananamanasaur
    @bananamanasaur Před 5 lety

    So well explained. Added to favourites.

  • @MartinBodin
    @MartinBodin Před 5 lety

    Thank you for this very nice video! You’re explaining something really complex in such a smooth way that it makes it simple. These animations are really well done ☺

  • @ayhamsaffar8407
    @ayhamsaffar8407 Před 5 lety

    This was explained at the Oxford uni materials science open day, but i could only follow your explanation. Really appreciate your videos

  • @nottieru
    @nottieru Před 3 lety

    This is pure gold. Thank you.

  • @heaslyben
    @heaslyben Před 5 lety

    What an interesting and clear explanation! Thanks again!

  • @dermihai
    @dermihai Před 5 lety

    What I love is that you take you time, not like other channels, rushing trough special relativity in 2 minutes. Well done.

  • @andyjohnson4907
    @andyjohnson4907 Před 5 lety

    Such a lovely explanation.

  • @smartcat001
    @smartcat001 Před 5 lety

    Thank you. The explanation on boron / phosphorus doping is very clear.

  • @CanYouHackett97
    @CanYouHackett97 Před 5 lety

    I just took a circuits class in college that essentially was all about diodes and transistors and this video did a far better job at educating me about diodes than that class did. I think I might've understood better having taken that class before, but I definitely better understand diodes now than I did before watching this video. Excellent video.

  • @Pa1_Thakur
    @Pa1_Thakur Před 4 měsíci

    its amazing how something this simple can be so useful.

  • @PADARM
    @PADARM Před 5 lety +1

    Best explanation so far

  • @deox4225
    @deox4225 Před 5 lety

    Great animations! Loved the video