PN Junction

When a P-type Semiconductor is joined together with an N-type Semiconductor a PN junction is

formed. And it is also known as a Semiconductor Diode.
.

N P

Cathode Anode

_
+
 PN Junction
We make an N-type semiconductor material by doping a
silicon atom with small amounts of Antimony and a P-type
semiconductor material by doping another silicon atom with
Boron.

This is all well and good, but these newly doped N-type and P-
type semiconductor materials do very little on their own as
they are electrically neutral.
 PN Junction
However, if we join (or fuse) these two semiconductor
materials together they behave in a very different way merging
together and producing what is generally known as a “PN
Junction“.
When the N-type semiconductor and P-
type semiconductor materials are first
joined together a very large density
gradient exists between both sides of
the PN junction.
The result is that some of the free
electrons from the donor impurity atoms
begin to migrate across this newly
formed junction to fill up the holes in
the P-type material producing negative
ions.
However, because the electrons have
moved across the PN junction from the N-
type silicon to the P-type silicon, they leave
behind positively charged donor ions ( ND )
on the negative side and now the holes
from the acceptor impurity migrate across
the junction in the opposite direction into
the region where there are large numbers
of free electrons.
As a result, the charge density of the P-type
along the junction is filled with negatively
charged acceptor ions ( NA ), and the charge
density of the N-type along the junction
becomes positive.

This charge transfer of electrons and holes

across the PN junction is known as diffusion.

The width of these P and N layers depends

on how heavily each side is doped with
acceptor density NA, and donor density ND,
respectively.
• This process continues back and forth until the number of
electrons which have crossed the junction have a large
enough electrical charge to repel or prevent any more
charge carriers from crossing over the junction.

• Eventually a state of equilibrium (electrically neutral

situation) will occur producing a “potential barrier” zone
around the area of the junction as the donor atoms repel
the holes and the acceptor atoms repel the electrons.
• Since no free charge carriers can rest in a
position where there is a potential barrier, the
regions on either sides of the junction now
become completely depleted of any more free
carriers in comparison to the N and P type
materials further away from the junction.
• This area around the PN Junction is now
called the Depletion Layer.
 Application of PN - Junction

• Rectification
• As a Switch
• Source Isolation
• As Voltage Reference
• Frequency Mixer
• AM Envelope Detector or Demodulator (Diode Detector)
• As a Light Source
• As a Temperature Sensor
• As a Light Sensor
• A Solar Cell or Photo-Voltaic Cell
• As a Clipper
• As a Clamper
 Ionized donors
Junction

P N
- - + +
- - + +
- - + +
- - + +
Space charge region
(OR)
Depletion region

Potential barrier height(V0)

Potential barrier width

(W)
 Depletion Region & Space Charge

The diffusing majority carriers from the two regions recombine near the
junction and disappear.

The uncompensated Acceptor and Donor ions set up an Electric field

which stops majority carrier Diffusion and causes minority carrier Drift.

The two kinds of majority carriers diffusing across the junction meet
each other near the junction and undergo recombination's, leaving
negative ions on the P-side and positive ions on the N-side of the
junction.

This distribution of Positive and Negative Charges is called Space

charge.
 Energy level diagram
Depletion region
E
PN - junction

eVB Conduction band

Ec

Ec
EFp
EFn
Ev Fermi level

Valence band
Ev
eVB

P N
Biasing in PN Diode
• Forward Biasing
• Reverse Biasing
When a diode is connected in a Forward Bias condition, a negative
voltage is applied to the N-type material and a positive voltage is applied
to the P-type material. If this external voltage becomes greater than
the value of the potential barrier, approx. 0.7 volts for silicon and 0.3
volts for germanium, the potential barriers opposition will be overcome
and current will start to flow.
When a diode is connected in a Reverse Bias condition, a positive voltage
is applied to the N-type material and a negative voltage is applied to the P-
type material.
The positive voltage applied to the N-type material attracts electrons
towards the positive electrode and away from the junction, while the holes
in the P-type end are also attracted away from the junction towards the
negative electrode.
Diode

E
PN Diode biasing
 V - I Characteristics of PN Junction

The diode can be operated in two different ways, as Forward and Reverse bias.

When positive terminal of the battery is connected to the P-type & negative
terminal is to the N-type of the PN-junction diode, known the diode is kept in
forward bias.

When negative terminal of the battery is connected to the P-type & positive
terminal is to the N-type of the PN-junction diode, known the diode is kept in
reverse bias.
 Forward Bias
Current IF

Forward Current

Knee Voltage
Reverse Bias

VF

Reverse
break down
current
 From the graph the following points are noted.

➢ The region between knee voltage & breakdown voltage is known as non-
ohmic region.
➢ Above the knee & breakdown voltage the current increases.

➢ Breakdown voltage is due to thermally broken covalent bonds.

➢ Diode is conducting in forward bias & non-conducting in reverse bias.
Metal Semiconductor Junction
• Formation of electronic devices requires putting together two or more
different-materials (semiconductors, metals, insulators).

• The interface between these materials becomes crucial because it affects

the electrical properties (transport) of the devices.

• This interface is called the junction.

• An ideal junction is one where there are no defects formed at the

interface.
 Metal–semiconductor junction
• Metal–semiconductor junctions are crucial to the operation of all semiconductor devices.

• Whenever a metal and a semiconductor are in intimate contact, there exists a potential
barrier between the two that prevents most charge carriers (electrons or holes) from
passing from one to the other.
• Only a small number of carriers have enough energy to get over the barrier and cross to
the other material. When a bias is applied to the junction.

• It can have one of two effects: it can make the barrier appear lower from the
semiconductor side, or it can make it appear higher. The bias does not change the barrier
height from the metal side.

• The Ohmic contact is a low resistance junction (non-rectifying) provides current

conduction from metal to semiconductor and vice versa.

• The current should increase/ decrease linearly with the applied voltage.

• With an immediate response for the any small voltage.

When a metal and semiconductor are brought into contact, there are two
types of junctions formed depending on the work function of the
semiconductor and its relation with the metal
1. Schottky junction - φm > φsemi
2. Ohmic junction - φm < φsemi
The distance from the Fermi level to the vacuum level is called the work function (φ)
Schottky diode
• Unlike a conventional pn-junction diode which is formed from a piece of P-type
material and a piece of N-type material.
• Schottky Diodes are constructed using a metal electrode bonded to an N-type
semiconductor.
• Since they are constructed using a metal compound on one side of their junction
and doped silicon on the other side, the Schottky diode therefore has no
depletion layer and are classed as unipolar devices unlike typical pn-junction
diodes which are bipolar devices
• The metal acts as the anode and n-type semiconductor acts as the cathode.
The Schottky junction can be biased by application of an external
potential. There are two types of bias

1. Forward bias - metal is connected to positive terminal and n-type

semiconductor connected to negative terminal

2. Reverse bias - metal is connected to negative terminal and n-type

semiconductor connected to positive terminal
What is a schottky diode?
• The schottky diode is named after German physicist Walter H.
Schottky
• In schottky diode, metals such as aluminum or platinum replace the
P-type semiconductor.
• Schottky diode can switch on and off much faster than the P-N
junction diode.
• Also, the schottky diode produces less unwanted noise than P-N
junction diode.
• These two characteristics of the schottky diode make it very useful
in high-speed switching power circuits.
Schottky diode
Difference with Ohmic and Schottky junction

• The non-rectifying metal-semiconductor junction (ohmic contact)

offers very low resistance to the electric current whereas the
rectifying metal-semiconductor junction offers high resistance to the
electric current as compared to the ohmic contact.
• The rectifying schottky barrier is formed when a metal is in contact
with the lightly doped semiconductor, whereas the non-rectifying
barrier is formed when a metal is in contact with the heavily doped
semiconductor.
• The ohmic contact has a linear current-voltage (I-V) curve whereas
the non-ohmic contact has a non-linear current-voltage (I-V) curve.
Current Ohmic Schotteky

Near Ohmic

PN Junction

Voltage
Law of mass action
• The law of mass action states that the product of number of
electrons in the conduction band and the number of holes in the
valence band is constant at a fixed temperature and is
independent of amount of donor and acceptor impurity added.

Mathematically it is represented as
np = ni2 = constant

Where ni is the intrinsic carrier concentration

n is number of electrons in conduction band
p is number of holes in valence band
Law of mass action for extrinsic semiconductor
• The law of mass action is applied for both intrinsic and
extrinsic semiconductors.
• For extrinsic semiconductor the law of mass action states
that the product of majority carriers and minority carriers is
constant at fixed temperature and is independent of
amount of donor and acceptor impurity added.
 Law of mass action for n-type semiconductor
• The law of mass action for n-type semiconductor is mathematically
written as

nn pn = ni2 = constant

• Where nn= number of electrons in n-type semiconductor

pn = number of holes in n-type semiconductor
•
The electrons are the majority carriers and holes are the minority carriers
in n-type semiconductor.

• In n-type semiconductor, as the number of electrons (majority) in the

conduction band increases the number of holes (minority) in the valence
band decreases.
• Therefore, the product of electrons (majority) and holes (minority)
remains constant at fixed temperature.
 Law of mass action for p-type semiconductor
• The law of mass action for p-type semiconductor is mathematically written as
pp np = ni2 = constant

Where pp = number of holes in p-type semiconductor

np = number of electrons in p-type semiconductor

• The holes are the majority carriers and electrons are the minority carriers in p-type
semiconductor.

• In p-type semiconductor, as the number of holes (majority) in the valence band

increases the number of electrons in the conduction band (minority)
decreases. Therefore, the product of holes (majority) and electrons (minority)
remains constant at fixed temperature.