Okay, I agree the n-type end of a zener diode is properly called the
anode when the zener is used as designed. Having said that, I think it
would also be proper to throw away the "reverse biased" wording because
we are not using it backwards from the way it was designed. For the
"properly-biased" zener diode (or the properly-utilized zener diode) the
n-type end is the anode.
For batteries we have the words discharging and recharging and neither
is construed as "backwards." I guess I was reacting to the idea that
the wording for a zener implies it is used backwards. It's not. It's
used as intended.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu