- Peak inverse voltage
The peak inverse voltage is the specified maximum voltage that a
diode rectifier will block.In semiconductor diodes
As a general term applied to semiconductor diodes, peak reverse voltage or peak inverse voltage is the maximum voltage that a diode can withstand in the reverse direction without breaking down or avalanching. If this voltage is exceeded the diode may be destroyed. Diodes must have a peak inverse voltage rating that is higher than the maximum voltage that will be applied to them in a given application.
In rectifier applications
For rectifier applications, peak inverse voltage (PIV) or peak reverse voltage (PRV) is the maximum value of reverse
voltage which occurs at the peak of the input cycle when thediode isreverse-biased . The portion of thesinusoid alwaveform which does not repeat or duplicate itself is known as the cycle. The part of the cycle above the horizontal axis is called the positive half-cycle, or alternation; the part of the cycle below the horizontal axis is called the negative alternation. With reference to theamplitude of the cycle, the peak inverse voltage is specified as the maximum negative value of the sine-wave within a cycle's negative alternation.
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