
The 1N4148 is a standard
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
switching signal
diode
A diode is a two-Terminal (electronics), terminal electronic component that conducts electric current primarily in One-way traffic, one direction (asymmetric electrical conductance, conductance). It has low (ideally zero) Electrical resistance ...
. It is one of the most popular and long-lived switching diodes because of its dependable specifications and low cost. Its name follows the
JEDEC
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association is a consortium of the semiconductor industry headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, United States. It has over 300 members and is focused ...
nomenclature. The 1N4148 is useful in switching applications up to about 100 MHz with a
reverse-recovery time of no more than 4 ns.
History
Texas Instruments announced the 1N914 diode in 1960. It was registered at
JEDEC
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association is a consortium of the semiconductor industry headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, United States. It has over 300 members and is focused ...
by
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...
no later than 1961, and was
second-sourced by 11 manufacturers that same year.
The 1N4148 was registered at
JEDEC
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association is a consortium of the semiconductor industry headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, United States. It has over 300 members and is focused ...
in 1968 as a silicon switching signal diode for military and industrial applications.
It was second-sourced by many manufacturers;
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...
listed their version of the device in an October 1966 data sheet.
The 1N914 and 1N4148 have an enduring popularity in low-current applications.
Overview

As the most common mass-produced switching diode, the 1N4148 replaced the older 1N914. They can be used interchangeably, and are cross-reference replacements for each other. They differed mainly in their
leakage current specification, however, today most manufacturers list common specifications. For example,
Vishay lists the same leakage current for both parts:
* 25 nA at -20 V, 25°C
* 5 μA at -75 V, 25°C
* 50 μA at -20 V, 150°C
Packages
The JEDEC registered part numbers 1N914 and 1N4148 were originally only available in an axial package, but over time similar parts became available in
surface-mount
Surface-mount technology (SMT), originally called planar mounting, is a method in which the electrical components are mounted directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB). An electrical component mounted in this manner is referred ...
packages too.
;
Through-hole package:
* 1N4148 in
DO-35 glass axial package.
;
Surface-mount
Surface-mount technology (SMT), originally called planar mounting, is a method in which the electrical components are mounted directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB). An electrical component mounted in this manner is referred ...
packages:
* LL4148 in
MiniMELF package.
* 1N4148W in
SOD-123 package.
* 1N4148WS in
SOD-323 package.
* 1N4148WT in
SOD-523 package.
Note: Some 1N4148 family surface-mount packages are marked with "T4" text.
Specifications

Absolute maximum ratings (stress ratings, consult datasheet for recommended ratings)
* V
RRM = 100 V (maximum repetitive reverse voltage)
* I
O = 200 mA (average rectified forward current)
* I
F = 300 mA (DC forward current)
* I
f = 400 mA (recurring peak forward current)
* I
FSM = 1 A at 1 s pulse width; 4 A at 1 μs pulse width (non-repetitive peak forward surge current)
Electrical and thermal characteristics
* V
F = 1 V at 10 mA (maximum forward voltage)
* V
R = 75 V at 5 μA; 100 V at 100 μA (minimum breakdown voltage and reverse leakage current)
* t
rr = 4 ns (maximum reverse-recovery time)
* P
D = 500 mW (maximum power dissipation)
See also
*
1N400x rectifier diodes
*
1N58xx Schottky diodes
*
Diode logic
Diode logic (or diode-resistor logic) constructs And (logic), AND and Or (logic), OR logic gates with diodes and Resistor, resistors.
An active device (vacuum tubes with control grids in History of computing hardware, early electronic computers ...
References
Further reading
; Historical databooks
''Transistor and Diode Data Book'' 1100 pages, 1970, Fairchild Semiconductor.
''Diode Data Book'' 210 pages, 1978, Fairchild Semiconductor.
''Rectifiers and Zener Diodes Data Book'' 508 pages, 1988, Motorola.
Rectifier ''Device Data Book'' 410 pages, 1995, Motorola.
''Transistor and Diode Data Book'' 1258 pages, 1973, Texas Instruments.
External links
{{Commons category multi, 1N4148, Diodes, Diodes (SMD)
Diodes