BMEN 3120 Diode Circuits

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

Lab 3

Ami Shah
9/22/2015

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INTRODUCTION

Unlike the previous labs where we worked with resistors, capacitors, and voltage
sources, in this lab we are working with another important element of circuits known as
diodes. We will be able to see the difference between the different types of diodes and
the functions of each. Furthermore, we were able to conclude how the different
placement of diodes could give different values for the voltages. The two major types of
diodes that will be seen in detail include the PN- junction diode and the zener diode.

THEORY

Semiconductors are solids whose conductivity is measured through a metal and an

insulator. Many modern electrical devices are made of semiconductors and they could
be either intrinsic that are present on the periodic table or they can be extrinsic meaning
they have to be doped for electron flow.

A diode is a formed with a junction of n and p type semiconducting materials. The lead
to the anode is the p type material while the lead to the n type material is the cathode.

Figure 1. Representation of a diode.

A semiconductor diode forms by doping the p impurity on one side and the n impurity
on the other side of the crystal. This is how a PN junction is formed.

Figure 2. Parts of a semiconductor diode.

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Initially free charges from both sides combine on the p side and form negatively
charged ions, while the n is the opposite. The middle has no free charge carriers so it’s
called the depletion region. When there is no voltage applied across the diode, the
depletion region and the concentration of holes remain the same. When voltage is
applied there could be a forward or a reverse bias. When the positive terminal of the DC
battery is connected to the anode and the negative terminal to the cathode it is called
forward bias (Figure 3a). This causes electrons in n type and holes in the p type material
to recombine ions near the boundary. The free majority charge carriers cross the
junction and reduce the width and an increase in current. If the forward bias voltage
increased in magnitude the width continues to decrease like figure 4.

(a) Forward bias configuration (b) Reverse bias configuration

Figure 3. PN junction diode in forward and reverse bias configurations.

If the negative side of the battery is connected to the anode and the positive side to the
cathode (Figure 3b) then it is a reverse biased diode. This is when charge carriers move
away and widen the depletion width.
Overall, current can flow through the diode in forward bias condition while not in reverse
bias. The minimum voltage required for the diode to be active is forward bias and
depends on the material and how it’s made.

A Zener diode is a special diode that can function in both the forward and reverse
breakdown region without getting damaged. The forward characteristics of a Zener
diode are similar to a PN junction diode, but they are meant to be used for reverse
breakdown. The reverse condition is shown in figure 5. Also, if the reverse bias is more
than the breakdown voltage, a sudden rise in current takes place.

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Figure 4. Characteristic curve of an ideal and a real diode.

When the reverse bias is increased the potential through the depletion layer is greater.
This produces a force on the outer most shell and the electrons are then pulled away
from the parent nuclei and free electrons are produced. This in other words is known as
the Zener effect and because of the large number of free carriers there is also an increase
in reverse saturation current.

Figure 5. Zener diode - reverse bias configuration.

METHODS
1. Use the Elvis board to construct a circuit using power supply, voltmeter,
ammeter, diode, and resistor.
2. Change the voltage to 0 to 12 V to measure the voltage and current across the
diode
3. Now follow the same steps, but construct a reverse- bias circuit
4. To convert from AC to DC build a half wave reciter using 1kΩ, 5Vpp, and zero
offset with the function generator

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5. For each of the different configurations (frequency and capacitor changes)

record the voltage in and out
6. Now build a full wave with 1kΩ, 5Vpp, and zero offset and do the same thing
as step 5
7. Finally build a diode clipper circuit with 90kΩ, 10kΩ, 10Vpp, 5V offset, and
10kHz to measure the output voltage
8. Display the input and output waveforms using an oscilloscope to find the
voltage values of different diodes

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
Function generator: 100Hz, 5 Vpp, 0 offset, 10 Vpp, 5V offset, 10 kHz
Resistors: 1kΩ, 91kΩ, 10kΩ – 1 of each
Capacitor: .47µF, 4.7µF – 1 of each
Diode IN4007 - 4
Elvis board - 1
Breadboard - 1
Oscilloscope - 1
Voltmeter - 1
Ammeter – 1
Wires- as required

This lab was straightforward for the most part, but the most difficult part was trying to
get the full wave bridge rectifier circuit built. This was a little difficult because it
required us to know how to connect the four diodes and the surroundings in the same
way as the circuit. Also because we had to make sure the wires were correctly
connected in order to find the current. From this experiment I learned the difference
between a normal diode and a Zener diode’s functionality. I learned that a Zener diode
is able to function in both the forward and backward direction while a normal diode
can only function forwards. Furthermore, I also learned how the difference in
functionalities between the two types of diodes.

RESULTS & ANALYSIS

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S.No Supply voltage (V) Diode voltage (Vd) Diode current (Id)
1 0 .344 V 2E-5 A
2 0.2 .342 V 1E-4 A
3 0.4 .381 V 1E-4 A
4 0.6 .471 V 1E-4 A
5 0.8 .508 V 2E-4 A
6 1 .532 V 4E-4 A
7 2 .587 V 1.3 mA
8 4 .630 V 3.3 mA
9 6 .652 V 5.3 mA
10 8 .667 V 7.3 mA
11 10 .678 V 9.4 mA
12 12 .687 V 11.3 mA
Table 1

I-V Relationship
0.012

0.01

0.008
Current (A)

0.006

0.004

0.002

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
Voltage (V)

S.No Supply voltage (V) Diode voltage (Vd) Diode current (Id)

1 0 .349 V 1E-4 A
2 2 2V 1E-4 A
3 5 4.9 V 5E-4 A
4 8 8.01 V 5E-4 A
5 10 10.005 V 5E-4 A
6 12 12.003 V 5E-4 A
Table 2

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I-V Relationship
0.0006

0.0005

0.0004
Current (A)

0.0003

0.0002

0.0001

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Voltage (V)

These results show the comparison between the voltage and current when the diode
curve is either in a forward bias or a reverse bias. It shows that a forward bias has a
steady increasing voltage and a reverse bias doesn’t because it is connected between the
positive terminal and the cathode making the current close to zero.

Exercise 2

Vin Vout
Config. Frequency Capacitor
Max Min RMS Max Min RMS
No.

1 1 kHz none 2.37 -2.52 1.745 1.81 -5.65 846.69

mV mV
2 1 kHz 0.47 μF 2.36 -2.53 1.719 1.75 426.14 1.054
mV
3 1 kHz 4.7 μF 2.09 -2.53 1.688 1.44 1.19 1.309
4 10 kHz 4.7 μF 1.95 -2.52 1.683 1.29 1.26 1.259
5
6
7

Table 3

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Ex 2 config. 1

Ex 2 config 2

Ex 2 config 3

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Ex 2 config 4

Each of these configurations changed because of the alterations in frequency and

capacitors. It was noticed that as the voltage and capacitance continued to increase, there
was a decrease in the voltage output.

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Vin Vout
Config. Frequency Capacitor
Max Min RMS Max Min RMS
No.

1 1 kHz none 2.43 -2.46 1.735 1.29 -175.8 788

µV mV
2 1 kHz 0.47 μF 2.38 -2.40 1.711 1.20 636 930.7
mV mV
3 1 kHz 4.7 μF 2.30 -2.30 1.703 1.05 965.5 1.001
mV
Table 4

Ex 3 config 1

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Ex 3 config 2

Ex 3 config 3

In this exercise our purpose was to see the relationship between the frequency and
capacitance in a full wave bridge rectifier circuit. This showed that as the capacitance in

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the circuit is increased, the max voltage would decrease. It was very similar to what was
seen in the exercise before.
Quantity Value (V) State how you obtained this value and
from which configuration
PN junction diode: 560.28 Took the difference of height of the
forward bias voltage mV diode curve
PN junction diode: Does not exist because the connection is
reverse breakdown from positive to positive
voltage
Zener diode: 698.5 mV Took the difference of height of the
forward bias voltage diode curve
Zener diode: 6.63084 Took the difference of height of the
reverse breakdown V diode curve
voltage
Table 5

Ex 4 [1, 2]

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Ex 4 [3]

Ex 4 [4]

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Ex 4 [5]

This exercise showed the differences between a PN junction node and a Zener diode
when they are either going forwards or backwards. It helped determine which values can
and can’t be determined when building a circuit. In particular, the PN junction reverse
breakdown couldn’t be determined.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Diodes are used in many electronic applications. One of the first diodes were used for
radio demodulation of AM broadcasts. This alternated positive and negative peaks of a
radio carrier wave, whose amplitude is proportional to the original signal. In this the
diode converts from AC to DC signal and measures the positive peaks of the wave. It
works by allowing the passage in only one direction through the diode. This was also
very important because it allowed for the functionality of diodes to be understood.
CONCLUSION
This was an important lab in that it helped show the difference between the two major
types of diodes. The PN junction diode that only goes in the forward- bias direction while
the Zener node is able to function in both directions. Furthermore, this lab helped build
the different types of diode circuits and see the differences in sine waves when the
capacitance is changed. Also, this helped show the peak to peak voltage and the current
produced through each of the conditions.

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REFERENCES
 Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
 Lab 3: Diode Circuits
 Electric Circuits, 9/E, James W. Nilsson, Susan Riedel

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