Some Signal Processing and Measurement Applications
G. B. Clayton · 1975
Semiconductor diodes show pronounced non-linearity at low forward voltages. In the case of a silicon diode no appreciable conduction takes place through the diode until the forward voltage across it exceeds 0.5 V. As a result of this non-linearity diodes give rise to appreciable errors when they are used to rectify small signals in a conventional rectification circuit.