Adjustable shunt reference from 1.233 V to 10 V
It is a three-terminal shunt (two-terminal plus adjust) device, meaning it behaves like a Zener diode but with far tighter tolerance and temperature stability.
12 mA output, 65 µA cathode current — sizing the bias resistor
The shunt reference sinks up to 12 mA of output current while drawing only 65 µA of cathode current itself. That ratio means the external bias resistor from the supply to the reference's cathode can be sized for the total load plus the cathode current, and the reference will regulate as long as the current through it stays between the minimum cathode current (typically 65 µA) and the 12 mA maximum. Noise is specified at 20 µVrms over 10 Hz to 10 kHz, which is low enough for a 12-bit or 14-bit ADC reference without additional filtering in most applications.
The through-hole TO-92-3 package is a mature form factor, widely second-sourced across the LM4041 family, so supply continuity is good through independent distribution.