Invented | William Shockley |
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Pin configuration | Anode and Cathode |
Electronic symbol | |
The Shockley diode (named after physicist William Shockley) is a four-layer semiconductor diode, which was one of the first semiconductor devices invented. It is a PNPN diode with alternating layers of P-type and N-type material. It is equivalent to a thyristor with a disconnected gate. Shockley diodes were manufactured and marketed by Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in the late 1950s. The Shockley diode has a negative resistance characteristic.[1] It was largely superseded by the diac.