what is knee voltage

Knee voltage is a term used to describe the minimum voltage at which a diode begins to conduct heavily and current begins to increase rapidly in a forward-biased state. It is also known as the cut-in voltage or threshold voltage. The knee voltage is the point on the current-voltage graph of a diode where the curve starts to bend sharply, indicating a rapid increase in current. For silicon diodes, the knee voltage is typically around 0.7V, while for germanium diodes, it is around 0.3V. The knee voltage is important because it determines the minimum voltage required to turn on the diode and allow current to flow through it.