What is the main disadvantage of a half-wave rectifier?
Utilizes only one half-cycle
A half-wave rectifier passes only one half-cycle (positive OR negative) of the input AC waveform.
Main disadvantage: Utilizes only one half-cycle of the AC supply, meaning:
- Only 50% of the input power is potentially usable — poor efficiency.
- High ripple factor (γ = 1.21) — very pulsating DC output.
- Low rectification efficiency (~40.6%).
Note: The ripple frequency equals the supply frequency (true, but not the main disadvantage). Center-tap transformer is NOT required for half-wave rectifiers.
Similar Questions
Before breakdown, increasing reverse voltage causes reverse saturation current to __________.
The existence of cut-in voltage in a diode is mainly due to the presence of __________.
Consider an abrupt p-n junction under thermal equilibrium. If the acceptor doping concentration (NA) in the p-region is made significantly larger than the donor doping concentration (ND) in the n-region (i.e., NA ≫ ND), how is the depletion region physically distributed?
At room temperature, the region in a PN junction diode where there are no mobile electrons or holes is called __________________.
Under forward-bias conditions, what is the primary mechanism that creates forward current across a PN junction?
Important Questions from PN Junction
In a semiconductor diode, the cut-in voltage is the voltage:
The leakage current in a pn junction is of the order of:
Diode junction breakdowns above 5 V are caused by:
The width of the depletion layer in a P-N junction diode
ln a p-n junction diode the forward current
