diode

noun

di·​ode ˈdī-ˌōd 

: an electronic device that has two electrodes or terminals and is used especially as a rectifier

Examples of diode in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In typical radio-frequency devices, such as transistors, solid-state diodes, and microwave vacuum tubes, the power tends to fall as the inverse of the frequency squared. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024

State-of-the-art aluminum nitride diodes are tested at Nagoya University. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2024

Shapiro is a legal philosopher at Yale University, but as a child, his mathematician father—who worked at Bell Labs—sparked an interest in computing by bringing home various components, like microchips, resistors, diodes, LEDs, and breadboards. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 27 May 2023

The original method of creating dual-pixel autofocus sensors involved placing two photodiodes under a shared lens, which allowed the sensor to detect when incoming light on both diodes was in phase, and therefore, in focus. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Jan. 2024

The researchers suggest this could lead to new ways of creating atomic-scale superconducting diodes. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2023

Longview intends to use lasers powered by diodes from the semiconductor industry, a technology that can be 20 percent efficient and fire several times a second. —Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

On the other is Jenny Holzer’s dazzling 2007 tower For SAAM, spelling out seven hours of nonstop aphorisms in white LED diodes. —Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023

Laser diodes can be fabricated in the epitaxial layers aligned to underlying silicon waveguides using standard lithographic and wafer-scale processing. —Roel Baets, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

di- + -ode

Note: The term was originated by the British physicist William Henry Eccles (1875-1966) in the journal The Electrician, vol. 82, no.16 (April 18, 1919), p. 475.

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing diode

• light-emitting diode
• zener diode

Kids Definition

diode

noun

di·​ode ˈdī-ˌōd 

: an electronic device with two electrodes that is used especially for changing alternating current into direct current