Puolijohdelevy

Puolijohdelevy, also known as a half-wave rectifier, is a type of diode used in electronic circuits to convert alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). It operates by allowing current to flow in only one direction, effectively "rectifying" the AC signal. The term "half-wave" refers to the fact that only half of the AC cycle is used to produce the DC output.

The puolijohdelevy consists of a single diode connected in series with a load resistor. When the AC input voltage is positive, the diode conducts, allowing current to flow through the load resistor and producing a positive DC output. During the negative half of the AC cycle, the diode is reverse-biased and does not conduct, resulting in no current flow and no DC output.

The output of a puolijohdelevy is a pulsating DC signal, with the frequency of the pulsations being twice that of the input AC frequency. This pulsating DC can be smoothed using a filter circuit, such as a capacitor, to produce a more steady DC output.

Puolijohdelevy is commonly used in simple power supply circuits and low-power applications where the simplicity and low cost of the circuit are more important than the efficiency of the rectification process. However, it is less efficient than full-wave rectifiers, as it only utilizes half of the AC input cycle.