PN Junction Diodes - Diode Currents http://www.ece.utep.edu/courses/ee3329/ee3...

PN Junction Diodes
A Brief The Depletion Varying Diode
Denitions
Description Region VA Currents

The Equation Derivations from the Ideal Let's Draw! Related Topics

Diode Currents:

Remember when drift current was rst introduced? What about

diusion current? No? Well then, let's refresh your memory! Drift
current is electrons and holes responding to an applied electric eld.
Holes move in the direction of the electric eld while electrons move
opposite the electric eld. This occurs as long as there are carriers
available. Diusion current is holes and electrons moving from areas of
high concentration, where they are the majority carrier, to areas of low
concentration, where they become minority carriers. This occurs until
they are uniformly distributed. Unlike drift, diusion takes place without
an electric eld being present. Back then you thought, "When will I use
this?" Well, here's your chance!

Now we're talking about pn junction diodes. The band diagram that
models a pn junction has band bending at the metallurgical junction.
Remember that band bending is caused by an applied electric eld and
that non-uniform doping can cause an electric eld. In a pn junction the
electric eld is produced when a p-type and an n-type semiconductor are
brought together; therefore it is present even when it is in equilibrium.
This means both drift current and diusion current are present in
equilibrium but the total current density J = 0, now how could that be?

Keep in mind that the p-side of the diode contains many holes and few
electrons and that the n-side has many electrons and few holes. When
we draw the band diagram for a pn junction, the p-side is always at a
higher level (potential), do you know why? (Hint: It has to do with the
Fermi level.) This means there is a potential hill the majority carriers
must climb to get to the other side, n-side electrons to get to the p-side
and p-side holes to get to the n-side. Do you recognize this activity? It's
diusion.

This potential hill has a totally dierent meaning to the electrons on the
p-side and holes on the n-side, otherwise known as the minority carriers.
They don't see a hill, they see a slide! Remember electrons ow against
the electric eld and holes ow with it, therefore carriers near the

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PN Junction Diodes - Diode Currents http://www.ece.utep.edu/courses/ee3329/ee3...

depletion region get caught in the electric eld and quickly drift to the
other side. Do you recognize this activity? We call it drift.

Applying a potential to the diode aects the current owing through the
diode. The potential hill varies with the applied voltage V A. As
discussed earlier, if VA = 0 the diode is in equilibrium, if VA > 0 it is
forward biased, and if VA < 0 it is reverse biased. Earlier we said that
drift current and diusion current are present even though J = 0 in
equilibrium. This is because for every electron that diuses from the
n-side to the p-side there is an electron that drifts from the p-side to the
n-side. The same goes for holes. The two currents balance each other
and the total current density J = 0.

When the diode is forward biased, VA > 0, the potential hill is still
present, but is is less steep. A smaller potential hill means electrons
from the n-side and holes from the p-side need less energy to climb the
hill, therefore diusion current increases. This current is positive,
electrons owing opposite the electric eld produce a positive current
and holes owing with the electric eld also produce a positive current.
Under forward biasing, the applied voltage needs only to be increased by
tenths of a volt to see a signicant change in current. As the voltage is
increased slightly, the current increases exponentially because of the
increasing number of carriers that have enough energy to cross the
junction. Remember, majority carrier concentrations are around the
magnitude of 1017/cm3, so if even one third cross the junction it is still a
lot.

When the diode is reverse biased, VA < 0, the potential hill gets steeper.
If the majority carriers had diiculty climbing the potential hill when the
diode is in equilibrium, what do you think happens when the hill is even
steeper? If you thought, "They won't be able to get to the other side!",
then you're right! By setting VA just a few tenths of a volt less than zero,
the potential hill gets steep enought that the majority carriers do not
have enough energy to climb it and make it to the other side. This
causes the diusion current to become negiligible. Now you're thinking
"But why does the ID vs. VA curve show a negative current when VA =

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0?" Well, we said that diusion current goes to zero, we haven't

mentioned what happens with drift current yet.

Do you think VA aects drift current? If you thought "No!", you're right!
As we mentioned before, the potential hill aects drift in a totally
dierent way than diusion. It doesn't matter how steep or at the
potential hill is, as long as there is an electric eld and available carriers
(ionized dopants don't count) drift will remain the same. The current
produced is negative, electrons are owing with the electric eld
producing a negative current and holes are owing against the electric
eld also producing a negative current. The reverse bias current is
expected to be small, unlike forward bias current, because it depends on
the minority carrier drift.

When the diode is forward biased drift current is present, but because
diusion current grows exponentially, it dominates. The total current
owing through the depletion region under forward biasing is made up
of mostly majority carrier diusion. When the diode is reverse biased
diusion is negligible, but drift remains constant. The total current
owing through the depletion region under reverse biasing is made up of
mostly of minority carrier drift.

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