pn junction
p type n type
PN Junction: No electrical bias applied
• Diffusion effects –Holes and electrons move from an area of high
concentration to areas of low concentration.
• Holes & electrons annihilate each other to form an area depleted of free
charge. This is known as the depletion region and blocks any further flow
of charge carriers across the junction
Physics of the Depletion Region
• When n and p type material are placed in contact with each other, the
electrons diffuses into the p-type region in order to equalise the Fermi
levels.
• This loss of electrons from the n-type material leaves the surface layer
positively charged.
• Similarly the p-type material will have a negatively charged surface layer.
• Thus an electric field is established which opposes further diffusion of
electrons when the Fermi levels are equal (dynamic equilibrium is
established)
Energy level diagram of p and n type semiconductors before joining
X=-Xp
X=0
X=Xn
Energy level diagram of pn junction under thermal equilibrium
Space charge width
1. Na = 1016 /cm3 and Nd = 1015 /cm3
2. Na = 1017 /cm3 and Nd = 1015 /cm3
3. Na = 1019 /cm3 and Nd = 1015 /cm3
4. Na = 1016 /cm3 and Nd = 1015 /cm3
5. Na = 1016 /cm3 and Nd = 1014 /cm3
6. Na = 1016 /cm3 and Nd = 1013 /cm3
pn junction - Under reverse bias
B A A p-n junction, with an applied reverse-biased
voltage, showing the directions of the electric
field induced by VR and the space charge electric
field
Energy-band diagram of a pn junction under
reverse bias
pn junction - Energy band diagrams - Comparison
No bias Reverse bias Forward bias
pn junction - Energy band diagrams - Comparison
Junction Capacitance
Two types of junction capacitances are present.
1. Diffusion capacitance
2. Depletion or transition capacitance
Diffusion capacitance : With increasing forward bias current diffusion capacitance
increases as injected charge in both sides of the junction increases.
The cause of diffusion capacitance is the injected charge that stored outside the
transition region.
Injected
electrons Injected holes
Minority charge carrier distribution in a pn junction, showing
the cause of diffusion capacitance in forward bias
Junction Capacitance
Diffusion Capacitance
B
A
C
Minority carrier concentration changes with changing forward-bias voltage.
Junction Capacitance
Depletion or transition capacitance
Differential change in the space charge width
with a differential change in reverse bias
voltage for a uniformly doped pn junction
Pn junction - Charge carrier concentration
Notation
X=0 Type of carriers
n
P nno
(Majority carriers are hole (Majority carriers are Thermal
Minority carriers are electrons
Minority carriers are equilibrium
electrons)
holes) Type of
semiconductor
X=-xp X=xn
• Thermal equilibrium hole concentration In p side of the junction (pp0 )
• Thermal equilibrium electron concentration In p side of the junction (np0 ) No bias
• Thermal equilibrium hole concentration In n side of the junction (pn0 )
• Thermal equilibrium electron concentration In n side of the junction (nn0 )
• Total hole concentration In p side of the junction (pp )
• Total electron concentration In p side of the junction (np ) Forward or Reverse bias
• Total hole concentration In n side of the junction (pn )
• Total electron concentration In n side of the junction (nn )
• Minority carrier electron concentration in the p region at the space charge edge (np(-xp))
• Minority carrier hole concentration in the n region at the space charge edge (pn(xn))
Pn junction - Charge carrier concentration X=0
P n
Ppo =Na nno =Nd
npo = ni2 /Na pno= ni2 /Nd
If all the donor and acceptor atoms are completely ionized
and
This equation connects minority carrier concentration on p side with majority carrier
concentration on n side under thermal equilibrium under no bias
Ppo =Na pno= ni2 /Nd
similarly
This equation connects minority carrier concentration on n side with majority
carrier concentration on p side under thermal equilibrium under no bias
Charge carrier concentration
Contd…
Under forward bias:
Applied field across space charge region is in opposite direction to the induced field, hence
the barrier for majority carriers to cross the space charge region decreases. Hence majority
charge carriers cross the junction and enter the other side of the junction
Total minority carrier concentration on p side near the edge of the space charge
region in n region
This equation connects minority carrier concentration on p side under no bias to the minority
carrier concentration on p side under forward bias.
Similarly, Total minority carrier concentration on n side near the edge of the space charge
region in n region
Charge carrier concentration
Excess minority carrier concentrations at the space charge edges generated by the forward-bias
The excess carrier concentrations are then found to be, for ( x ≥ xn),
The excess carrier concentrations are then found to be, for ( x ≤ xp),
ni=1.5x1010 /cm3
1. Electron concentration on the p side of junction (np)
2. Hole concentration on the n side of junction (pn)
Solution
Ideal pn Junction Current voltage characteristics
Electron and hole current densities through the space charge region of a pn junction.
Total current density in the pn junction is then
Ideal pn Junction Current voltage characteristics
Hole current density for this forward-bias condition is in the +x direction, which is
from the p to the n region
Electron current density for this forward-bias condition is in the -x direction,
which is from the n to the p region
Total current density in the pn junction is then
Ideal pn Junction Current voltage characteristics
Total current density in the pn junction in the forward bias is then
where
Total current density in the pn junction in the reverse bias is
However, even for small reverse bias voltages (Va>kT), J=Js
Current- voltage graph
Junction Breakdown
The reverse-biased current will increase rapidly beyond certain voltage called the
Junction breakdown voltage.
Two physical mechanisms give rise to the reverse-biased breakdown in a pn
junction:
1. The Zener effect
2. The avalanche effect.
1. Zener breakdown occurs in highly doped
pn junctions through a tunneling mechanism.
In a highly doped junction, the conduction and
valence bands on opposite sides of the
junction are sufficiently close during reverse
bias that electrons may tunnel directly from
the valence band on the p side into the
conduction band on the n side.
Figure: Zener breakdown mechanism in a reverse-biased pn junction
Reverse-biased pn junction:
Comparison: Slight and heavy doping
Slight doping heavy doping
tunneling of charge carriers- Zener breakdown
Depletion width
Slightly doped
Heavily doped
Depletion width
Higher is the doping concentration, smaller is the depletion width
Junction Breakdown
2. The avalanche breakdown process occurs when electrons and/or holes, moving
across the space charge region, acquire sufficient energy from the electric field to create
electron–hole pairs by colliding with atomic electrons within the depletion region.
Avalanche breakdown process in a reverse- Electron and hole current components
biased pn junction through the space charge region during
avalanche multiplication
Estimate the concentrations of dopant atoms to design a pn junction diode to
produce particular electron and hole current densities at a given forward-bias voltage
Determine the change in the forward-bias voltage on a pn junction with a change in
temperature to maintain a constant diode current. Consider a silicon pn junction initially
biased at 0.60 V at T=300 K. Assume the temperature increases to T=310 K.
Quasi fermi levels
𝐸𝐹𝑛 > 𝐸𝐹𝑖
𝐸𝐹𝑝 < 𝐸𝐹𝑖
Fig: Quasi-Fermi levels through a
forward-biased pn junction.
where EFn and EFp are the quasi-Fermi energy
levels for electrons and holes, respectively
Quasi fermi levels
Quasi fermi levels
𝐸𝐹𝑛 < 𝐸𝐹𝑖
𝐸𝐹𝑝 > 𝐸𝐹𝑖
-Xp X=0 Xn
