EEE 205 / ECE 202

Electronic Devices and Circuits I

Spring 2012

Lecture 2: PN Junction Diode

 Carrier Transport: Drift
Drift and Diffusion
The net flow of electrons and holes generate currents.
The process by which these charged particles move is called
Carrier Transport.
In this chapter we will consider the two basic transport
mechanisms in a semiconductor crystal:
- Drift – the movement of charge due to electric fields.
- Diffusion – the flow of charge due to density gradients.

Carrier Drift
An electric field applied to a semiconductor will produce a force on
electrons and holes so that they will experience a net acceleration
and net movement.
This net movement of charge due to an electric field is called drift.
The net drift of charge gives rise to a drift current.

2
 Carrier Transport: Drift
• The flow of ”holes” within a solid–state material is, in all respects, equivalent to a
flow of positive charge carriers.
• They are identical to the concept of a flux of bubbles, which are a flow of
negative (absence of) matter, but do not exist unless the space is the ’filled’ solid or
liquid molecular environment.
• Because of their mobility, the ”holes” in the valence band are just like electrons in
the conduction band, except they fall in the opposite direction of that of the
electrons when subject to the drift force of an electric field.

3
 Carrier Transport: Diffusion
Diffusion is the process whereby particles flow from a region of high
concentration toward a region of low concentration (charge density gradients).
If the particles have charge, the net flow of charge would result in a diffusion
current.

4
 Reflections
 Define intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductor.
 How do we get a p-type semiconductor?

 How do we get an n-type semiconductor?

 p-type semiconductor has positively charged

holes. Is then the p-type semiconductor is
positively charged or neutral? Why?

 Does a p-type semiconductor has electrons?

 What are their sources?

5
 p-n Junction Diode: Structure and Symbol
p-n junction diode: A two terminal one way device.

p-type n-type

Metal
Contacts

p-type n-type

anode cathode

Circuit Symbol
(Arrow head indicates the normal
direction of current flow)
6
 p-n Junction at Thermal Equilibrium
Before junction is formed:
- Uniform distribution of holes in p-type semiconductor
- Uniform distribution of electrons in n-type semiconductor.

After junction is formed:

excess holes diffuse
to the n-type region

p>>n n>>p

excess electrons diffuse

to the p-type region

7
 p-n Junction at Thermal Equilibrium
The Diffusion Current and the Space Charge Region
- Excess holes diffuse to the n-
region and excess electrons diffuse
to the p-region giving rise to
diffusion current, ID.
- The excess holes diffused
recombine with the excess
electrons in the n-region, thus
uncovering bound positively OR
Space charge region
charged donor atoms in the n-
region near the junction.

- The excess electrons diffused to the p-region recombine with the excess
holes thus uncovering bound negatively charged acceptor atoms in the p-
region near the junction
- The charged region created at the junction is called the depletion region
(depleted of free carriers) or the space charge region.

8
 p-n Junction at Thermal Equilibrium
The Drift Current and the Barrier / Built-in / Contact
The Barrier Voltage: The depletion region
Potential
or the space charge region creates an
electric field and establishes a potential
barrier know as barrier voltage or the
built-in voltage, V0.
- It is also called the contact potential
as the voltage is developed due to
contact between p and n materials.
- The developed electric field opposes
further diffusion of electrons and holes
and hence the name barrier voltage.
- Drift Current: Further, the developed
electric field will sweep minority carriers
across the junction, i.e., holes from n to
p and electrons from p to n, giving rise
to minority carrier drift current, IS.

9
 p-n Junction at Thermal Equilibrium
Diffusion and Drift Current Equilibrium
Total diffusion current
-The process of diffusion
continues until the depletion
region expands to a width such Hole Electron
that the electric field in the diffusion diffusion
depletion region is large enough
so that the diffusion current due to
majority carriers is exactly
balanced by the drift current due
to minority carrier.
E
- The net flow of current through Electron Hole
the junction is zero. So for a p-n drift drift
junction at thermal equilibrium,

Total diffusion current = Total drift current Total drift current

ID  IS

10
 p-n Junction : Steady State Condition
Reverse-Bias Condition (VD < 0V)
I D
Is

- - + +
p>>n - - + + n>>p
- - + +

VD

• The number of uncovered positive ions in theVdepletion

D region of n-type will
increase due to large number of free electrons drawn to the positive potential
• Similarly, the number of uncovered negative ions will increase in p-type resulting
in widening of depletion region
• The wider space charge region increases the barrier height by the reverse
voltage, VB = V0 + VD.
• The increased barrier height reduced the diffusion of majority carriers – resulting
in a much reduced diffusion current ID.
11
 p-n Junction : Steady State Condition
Reverse-Bias Condition (VD < I0V)
D
Is

- - + +
p>>n - - + + n>>p
- - + +

VD

• The drift current IS due to minority carriersVDdoes not change as the

number of minority carriers entering the depletion region remains same
• IS depends only on the minority carrier concentration and is independent
of the voltage applied.
• IS is called the reverse saturation current as it keeps flowing under
reverse biased condition
• Therefore, the diode current under reverse-biased condition,
I = ID – Is ≈ - IS
12
 p-n Junction : Steady State Condition
Forward-Bias Condition (VD > 0V)
ID I= ID-Is
Is

- +
p>>n - + n>>p
- +

I VD

VD
- In the forward-biased condition positive potential on the p-side and negative
potential on n-side.
- The forward voltage will pressure the electrons in n-type and holes in p-type to
neutralize some of the uncovered ions near the boundary and reduce the width of
the depletion region
- The reduced depletion region will reduce the barrier voltage V0 by the forward
voltage VD. The new barrier height, VB = V0 – VD.
13
 p-n Junction : Steady State Condition
Forward-Bias Condition (VD > 0V)
ID I= ID-Is
Is

- +
p>>n - + n>>p
- +

I VD

- Due to reduced barrier height,Vmore D

electrons and holes can now diffuse
across the junction, thus greatly increasing the diffusion current ID.
- But the drift current IS due to minority carriers remains unchanged, since the
minority carrier concentration is same.
- Thus in the forward-biased condition, the diode current is almost equal to the
diffusion current, I = ID – IS ≈ ID

14
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
Ideal Diode Characteristics

Forward-biased:
- On during forward bias
- Zero forward resistance (short-circuit)
- Zero forward voltage drop

Reversed-biased:
- Off during reverse bias
- Infinite resistance (open-circuit)
- Zero diode current

15
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
Ideal Diode Characteristics

The ideal diode: (a) diode circuit symbol; (b) i–v characteristic; (c)
equivalent circuit in the reverse direction; (d) equivalent circuit in the
forward direction.
16
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
I-V Characteristics of a Real Diode

 VD nVT 
Diode Equation: I D  I s  e  1
 
- ID is the total diode current
- Is reverse saturation current
- VD applied voltage across the diode
- n an ideality factor, value between 1&2.
- VT thermal voltage:
kT k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K
V q = 1.6x10-19 C
q

Note: From now on ID will stand for the total Diode

Current not the diffusion current.
17
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
I-V Characteristics
 VD nV 
With Zero Voltage: VD  0,  I D  I s  e

T
 
 1  I s e 0  1  0

 
Forward-Biased:
-Under forward-biased condition, VD > 0.
-When VD >> nVT, then
VD VD

e nVT
 1 and I D  I S e nVT

Reversed-Biased:
-Under reverse-biased condition, VD < 0.
-When VD << nVT, then
VD

e nVT
 1 and I D   I S
18
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
I-V Characteristics VD

ID  ISe nVT

 V D

I D  I s  e nVT
 1
 

Cut-in
voltage

I D  I S

When VD < VZK, the diode enters the breakdown region, the
reverse current increases sharply. VZK is known as the zener
knee voltage. 19
DC loadline
DC diode Model
Piecewise –Linear Model iD  0,v D  VD 0
( v D  VD 0 )
iD  , v D  VD 0
rD
DC diode Model
Constant voltage drop model
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
Diode Resistances
- DC or Static Resistance (rD)
- AC or Dynamic Resistance (rd)
- Average AC Resistance

DC Resistance

 The application of a dc voltage to a diode will result in an operating point

on the I-V curve that will not change with time.
 The resistance of the diode at the operating point is given by, VD
RD 
ID Q

 RD is called the DC or static resistance seen by the DC source at point Q.

 The lower the current through a diode, the higher is the dc resistance level.

23
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
DC Resistance Example
 Determine the dc resistances for a diode with I-V characteristics as shown in the
figure for,
(a) ID = 2 mA
(b) ID = 20 mA
(c) VD = -10 V

24
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
Diode Resistances
AC or Dynamic Resistance
AC or dynamic resistance at any point is given by the
slope of the tangent at that point. Mathematically,
dVD
rd 
dI D Q

 V D

Since the diode current ID is given by, I D  I s  e  1
nVT

 
Differentiating with respect to VD and taking the inverse we get,
dVD nVT
rd  
dI D ID
This is the resistance seen by an AC source if superimposed on the DC
source and operating at point Q.

25
 p-n Junction Diode Characteristics
Diode Resistances
Average AC Resistance
 The average ac resistance is, by
definition, the resistance deter-
mined by a straight line drawn
between the two intersections
established by the maximum and VD
minimum values of input voltage I D

VD
rav. 
I D pt. to pt.

26