By putting in four layers, instead of the three used in transistors, the Shockley Diode could do more than a transistor. For one, it acted like a rectifier, able to turn alternating current into ...

A conventional low-voltage silicon diode has a forward voltage drop of about 0.7V and a relatively low maximum reverse voltage, for example with the 1N4001 rectifier it’s 50V. For the higher ...