Zener breakdown introduction

Question

What do you mean by the term Zener breakdown? Describe in brief.

Answer 1

In Zener breakdown, the electrostatic attraction among the negative electrons and a big positive voltage is so great that it pulls the electrons out of their covalent bonds and away from their parent atoms. That is, electrons are transferred from the valence to conduction band. In this condition the current can still be limited through the limited number of free electrons generated by the applied voltage so it is likely to cause the Zener breakdown without damaging the semi-conductor.