Types of Electronic Components: Active or Passive

An electronic/electrical component is any basic discrete device or physical entity in a system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. These can be of two types:

Active elements: These are devices or components that produce energy in the form of voltage or current. Examples include generators, batteries, and operational amplifiers.

Passive elements: These are devices or components that store or maintain energy in the form of voltage or current, but cannot generate it. Examples include capacitors, inductors, and resistors.

Another type of electrical component is electro-mechanical components. These components can carry out electrical operations by using moving parts or electrical connections. Examples include piezoelectric devices, crystals, and resonators.

To determine the type of element used:

• Active devices inject power into the circuit, while passive devices are incapable of supplying any energy.
• Active devices are capable of providing power gain, while passive devices are incapable of providing power gain.
• Active devices can control the current (energy) flow within the circuit, while passive devices cannot control it.
• An external power source is required to start the basic operation of an active device, while no extra power is required for a passive device.

Sometimes, some elements can be assumed as both active and passive. The classification depends on the context in which the component is used.

However, things can get complicated, especially when it comes to diodes. There are many conflicting or different arguments regarding whether a diode is an active or passive device:

In most cases (rectifier, Zener diode, etc.), a diode is undoubtedly a passive device. Only in some special cases, such as a tunnel diode, when its negative resistance region is used, can it be considered an active device. This is because:

• It is an active device since its impedance is positive or its v-i characteristics lie in the first and second quadrants.
• It is an active device since it requires an external power source to operate it in forward or reverse bias.
• It is an active device since it can be used as a waveform generator (half-wave rectifier).

If the i-v characteristics of the diode are in region I and III, then it is a passive device (always dissipating power). I think most diodes fall into this category. Therefore, the pn-junction device may be considered a passive device.