What is a diode and how does it work?
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It’s a one-way valve for electricity.
It operates as a semi-conductor, but aligned so that one direction is easier for electricity to traverse (conduct) than the other.
Imagine a “slope” or a large stair, it’s easier to run downhill or jump down than it is to run uphill or jump back up. A diode is a “step” for electrons… they can flow one way really easily, but because of the materials used they can’t flow the other way without a lot of opposition (though, technically, enough power would make them go the wrong way, and diodes can breakdown in that same manner if over-volted).
Because it’s a semiconductor that can be formed by the same doping process as transistors and other semiconductor products, it can be made by the same methods, and used on the same tiny circuits as other semiconductors, has no moving parts, and usually they last pretty much forever.
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