1N4001 and 1N5400 series diodes

The 1N4001 series (or 1N4000 series[1]) is a family of popular 1.0 amp general purpose silicon rectifier diodes commonly used in AC adapters for common household appliances. Blocking voltage varies from 50 to 1000 volts. This diode is made in an axial-lead DO-41 plastic package.[2]

The 1N5400 series is a similarly popular series for higher current applications, up to 3 A. These diodes come in the larger DO-201 axial package.[3]

These are fairly low-speed rectifier diodes, being inefficient for square waves of more than 15 kHz.[4] The series was second sourced by many manufacturers. The 1N4000 series were in the Motorola Silicon Rectifier Handbook in 1966, as replacements for 1N2609 through 1N2617.[5] The 1N5400 series were announced in Electrical Design News in 1968, along with the now lesser known 1.5-ampere 1N5391 series.[6]

These devices are widely used and recommended.[7][8][9]

The table below shows the maximum repetitive reverse blocking voltages of each of the members of the 1N4000 and 1N5400 series.

Diode part numbers for different currents and voltages[10][11][12]
Voltage 1 A part 3 A part
50 V 1N4001 1N5400
100 V 1N4002 1N5401
200 V 1N4003 1N5402
300 V — 1N5403
400 V 1N4004 1N5404
500 V — 1N5405
600 V 1N4005 1N5406
800 V 1N4006 1N5407
1000 V 1N4007 1N5408

In the version of these components manufactured for Fairchild Semiconductor by Suzhou, the silicon chip that rectifies the current weighs just 93 micrograms.[13][14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ Though some writers and datasheets refer to "1N4000 series", a 1N4000 is a 10-watt Zener diode unrelated to the 1N4001 series of 1 amp rectifiers.
  2. ^ Diodes: 1N4001 - 1N4007 datasheet
  3. ^ "Axial Discretes". Diotec Semiconductor AG. http://www.diotec.com/produkte/selectionguide/axial-discretes.pdf. 
  4. ^ Wireless World 88: 75, 1982 
  5. ^ Motorola Silicon Rectifier Handbook 1966.
  6. ^ Electrical Design News, Volume 13, 1968
  7. ^ Gordon McComb (2001). The robot builder's bonanza (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 41. ISBN 9780071362962. http://books.google.com/books?id=vYxRVw955-oC&pg=PA41. "Common diodes are the 1N914, for light-duty signal-switching applications, and the 1N4000 series (1N4001, 1N4002, 1N4003, and 1N4004)." 
  8. ^ "Home power, Issues 21-32". Electron Connection, Ltd.. 1991. p. 173. http://books.google.com/books?id=G2tQAAAAYAAJ&q=1N4000-series&dq=1N4000-series&hl=en&ei=s8yOTezqKciugQfmnb2wDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CGEQ6AEwCQ. "A good generic diode for 1 Amp or less is the 1N4000 series devices." 
  9. ^ Timothy J. Maloney (1992). Electricity: fundamental concepts and applications. Delmar Publishers. p. 404. ISBN 9780827346758. http://books.google.com/books?id=WkO_3P01a5MC&q=1N4004+popular&dq=1N4004+popular&hl=en&ei=qs2OTf_CCYzogQfutdy0DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEoQ6AEwAg. "A Type No. 1N4004 diode, a popular diode for rectifying ac to dc." 
  10. ^ 1N4001–1N4007 Datasheet
  11. ^ 1N5400–1N5408 Datasheet
  12. ^ Robert Diffenderfer (2005). Electronic devices: systems and applications. Thomson Delmar Learning. p. 54. ISBN 9781401835149. http://books.google.com/books?id=Bs6sz1TlfaIC&pg=PA54. 
  13. ^ 1N5401 Certificate of Compliance, 8 Apr 2011, http://www.fairchildsemi.com/coc/1N/1N5401.pdf 
  14. ^ 1N5408 Certificate of Compliance, 8 Apr 2011, http://www.fairchildsemi.com/coc/1N/1N5408.pdf 
  15. ^ 1N4001 Certificate of Compliance, 8 Apr 2011, http://www.fairchildsemi.com/coc/1N/1N4001.pdf 
  16. ^ 1N4007 Certificate of Compliance, 8 Apr 2011, http://www.fairchildsemi.com/coc/1N/1N4007.pdf