Module:4

Diode Applications

Dr. B. Bindu,
Associate Professor,
SENSE
 Outline
Rectifier circuits

Clipper and Clamper circuits

Photodiode and LED circuits

Ref: Neamen Book (Chapter 2- diode circuits)

Rectifier Circuits
 Block Diagram
for ac to dc Converter

The diode rectifier, filter, and voltage regulator are diode

circuits.
 Half-Wave Rectifier

Voltage Transfer
Characteristics
For vs ≤ Vγ the output voltage is zero

Also, since the output voltage appears only during the positive cycle of the input signal,
the circuit is called a half-wave rectifier.
 Signals of Half Wave Rectifier
Input Voltage Output Voltage

Diode Voltage

When the diode is cut off and nonconducting, no voltage drop occurs across the resistor R;
therefore, the entire input signal voltage appears across the diode.

Consequently, the diode must be capable of handling the peak current in the forward direction
and sustaining the largest peak inverse voltage (PIV) without breakdown.

The value of PIV is equal to the peak value of vs.

 Full-Wave Rectifier

Voltage transfer
characteristics

Input and output waveforms

 Full-Wave Rectifier
During the positive half of the input voltage cycle, both output voltages vS
arepositive; therefore, diode D 1 is forward biased and conducting and
D2 is reverse biased and cut off.

The current through D1 and the output resistance produce a positive

output voltage.

During the negative half cycle, D1 is cut off and D2 is forward biased, or
“on,” and the current through the output resistance again produces a
positive output voltage.

When vs > Vγ , D1 is on and the output voltage is vo = vs − Vγ . When vs

is negative, then for vs < −Vγ or −vs > Vγ , D2 is on and the output
voltage is vo = −vs − Vγ.

Since a rectified output voltage occurs during both the positive and
negative cycles of the input signal, this circuit is called a full-wave
rectifier.
 Full-Wave Bridge Rectifier

When vS is positive, D1 and D2 are turned on (a). When vS is negative, D3 and D4

are turned on (b).
In either case, current flows through R in the same direction, resulting in an
output voltage, vO, shown in (c).
Half Wave Rectifier with Filter
 Half Wave Rectifier: Analysis
Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) rating of a diode is important in its design stages.

It is the maximum voltage that the rectifying diode has to withstand, during the
reverse biased period.

When the diode is reverse biased, during the negative half cycle, there will be no
current flow through the load resistor RL.

Hence, there will be no voltage drop through the load resistance RL which causes
the entire input voltage to appear across the diode.

Thus VSMAX, the peak secondary voltage, appears across the diode.

Therefore, Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) of half wave rectifier = VS MAX

Calculation of Vdc
VAC
 Full Wave Rectifier
π
π 2VM
V DC =V M / π ∫ sinwt dwt=V M / π [ −coswt ] 0=
0 π

√ √
π π
VM
V RMS= V M / π ∫ sin wtdwt = V M / π ∫ ( ( 1− cos2 wt ) /2 ) dwt =
2
2
2

0 0 √2

RippleFactor=
V AC
=
√ V RMS -V DC
2 2
V RMS =√ V DC 2 +V AC 2
V DC V DC

V AC =√ V RMS -V
2
DC 2
RippleFactor= 0 . 48
 Output Voltage of Full-Wave
Rectifier with RC Filter

VM 1
The ripple on the ‘dc’ output V r= where f=
is
2 fRC 2TP
Ripple Factor = Vr/ Vm = 1/2fRC
 Voltage Regulator

VZ
I L=
RL
V PS −V Z
II=
Ri
I Z =I I −I L

The characteristics of the Zener diode determines VL.

Problems
Limiter (Clipper) Circuits
Single Diode Clipper
Parallel-Based Diode Clipper Circuit
Voltage Transfer Characteristics
of Limiter Circuit
Additional
Diode
Clipper
Circuits
Series-Based
Diode Clipper
Circuits
Parallel-Based Clipper Circuit
Using Zener Diodes
Clamper Circuits
Clamping Circuits

29
The clamped capacitor or dc restorer with a square-wave input and
no load.

30
Microelectronic Circuits, Sixth Edition Sedra/Smith Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
31
 PHOTODIODE CIRCUIT
A photodiode converts an optical signal into an electrical current, and a light-emitting
diode (LED) transforms an electrical current into an optical signal.

A reverse-bias voltage is applied to the photodiode

Photons striking the diode create excess electrons

and holes in the space-charge region.

The electric field quickly separates these excess

carriers and sweeps them out of the space-charge
region, thus creating a photocurrent in the reverse-
bias direction.

where η is the quantum efficiency, e is the electronic charge, is the

photon flux density, and A is the junction area.
 LED CIRCUIT
A light-emitting diode (LED) is the inverse of a photodiode; that is, a current is
converted into an optical signal.

If the diode is forward biased, electrons and holes are injected across the space-
charge region, where they become excess minority carriers.These excess minority
carriers diffuse into the neutral n- and p-regions, where they recombine with majority
carriers, and the recombination can result in the emission of a photon.
LEDs are fabricated from compound semiconductor materials, such as gallium
arsenide or gallium arsenide phosphide. These materials are direct-bandgap
semiconductors.
Each segment is an LED controlled by IC
logic gates.

In this circuit, the anodes of all LEDs are

connected to a 5 V source and the inputs
are controlled by logic gates.

If VI1 is “high,” for example, D1 is off and

there is no light output. When VI1 goes
“low,” D1 becomes forward biased and
produces a light output.
Back Up Slides
 Half-Wave Rectifier as Battery Charger

maximum reverse-bias diode voltage (PIV).

 Full-Wave Rectifier

2.5. Full-wave rectifier with center- 2.6. A full-wave bridge rectifier:

tapped transformer
The advantages of the bridge rectifier over the center-tapped transformer circuit

First, only half as many turns are required for the secondary winding in the bridge
rectifier.

Second, for the bridge circuit, the peak inverse voltage that any diode must sustain
without breakdown is only half that of the center-tapped transformer circuit.