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How a PN Junction Diode Works - summary of the basics or a
tutorial of how a PN junction or diode works showing how does
the current flow in only one direction, and how diodes can be
used on their own and in transistors The PN junction is one of
the most important structures in today's electronics scene. It
forms the basis of today's semiconductor technology, and was the
first semiconductor device to be used. The first semiconductor
diode to be used was the Cat's Whisker wireless detector used in
early wireless sets. It consisted of a wire placed onto a
material that was effectively a semiconductor. The point where
the wire met the semiconductor then formed a small PN junction
and this detected the radio signals. The diode or PN junction
was the first form of semiconductor device to be investigated in
the early 1940s when the first real research was undertaken into
semiconductor technology. It was found that small point contact
diodes were able