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Lecture 2

The document discusses semiconductor diodes and their characteristics. It begins by explaining how a PN junction forms between P-type and N-type semiconductor materials, creating a depletion region. A diode allows current to flow easily in one direction but restricts it in the other. The document then provides key details about a diode's I-V characteristics under forward and reverse bias, including its knee voltage and breakdown voltage. It also defines different types of resistance levels like DC, dynamic, and average AC resistance. Overall, the document provides a comprehensive overview of diode fundamentals and circuit behavior.

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Nasimul Hasan
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17 views

Lecture 2

The document discusses semiconductor diodes and their characteristics. It begins by explaining how a PN junction forms between P-type and N-type semiconductor materials, creating a depletion region. A diode allows current to flow easily in one direction but restricts it in the other. The document then provides key details about a diode's I-V characteristics under forward and reverse bias, including its knee voltage and breakdown voltage. It also defines different types of resistance levels like DC, dynamic, and average AC resistance. Overall, the document provides a comprehensive overview of diode fundamentals and circuit behavior.

Uploaded by

Nasimul Hasan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Course code: ICT 1201

Course Title: Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory


Semester: II (July-December’2022)

Course Teacher
Dr. Monir Morshed
Professor, Dept. of ICT
Email:[email protected]
Semiconductor Diode & Its
Applications
PN-Junction and Depletion Region
When a p-type materials are combined with n-type materials, a pn junction
forms and a semiconductor diode is created.

When the pn junction is formed, the n region loses a free electron as they
diffuse across the junction and combines with a hole, a positive charge is left in
the n region and a negative charge is created in the p region, forming a barrier
potential. This region of uncovered positive and negative ions is called the
depletion region due to the “depletion” of free carriers in the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SlfaocMfdA
The diode
A diode is a silicon or germanium semiconductor material in which half is
doped as a p region and half is doped as an n region with a pn junction and
depletion region in between.
Forward Bias (Vd>0)
• A forward-bias or “on” condition is established by applying the positive
potential to the p -type material and the negative potential to the n -type
material.
• Vbias must be greater than ‘barrier potential’.
Reverse Bias (Vd<0)
• An external potential of V volts is applied across the p – n junction such
that the positive terminal is connected to the n -type material and the
negative terminal is connected to the p -type material.
• Reverse bias is a condition that prevents current through junction.
• Depletion region get wider with this configuration,
Diode Equation
In general, characteristics of a semiconductor diode can be defined by the
following equation, referred to as Shockley’s equation, for the forward- and
reverse-bias regions:

Where, is the reverse current


is the applied forward bias voltage across the diode
n is an ideality factor
The voltage is called the thermal voltage and is determined by
(v)
Where, k is the Boltzmann's constant
is the absolute temperature in kelvins
q is the magnitude of electronic charge

Problem: At a temperature of 27°C (common temperature for components


in an enclosed operating system), determine the thermal voltage VT.
I-V Characteristics
• Forward bias is a condition that allows current through pn
junction.
• A DC voltage (VD) is applied to bias a diode.
• Positive side is connected to p-region and negative side is
connected with n-region.
• VD must be greater than ‘barrier potential’.
• Reverse bias is a condition that ID(mA)
prevents current through junction.
• A DC voltage (VD) is applied to bias a
diode.
• Positive side is connected to n-region -VD VD
and negative side is connected with
p-region.
• Depletion region get wider with this
configuration.
-ID(mA)
Knee Voltage
• The minimum amount of voltage required for conducting the diode is
known as “knee voltage” or “threshold voltage” or “ cut in voltage”.
• The forward voltage at which the current through pn-junction starts
increasing rapidly is known as knee voltage.
• Knee voltage of germanium diode is 0.3 volts.
• Knee voltage of silicon diode is 0.7 volts.
Reverse Breakdown
• As the reverse bias voltage increases, the electric field in the depletion
region increases. Eventually, it can become large enough to cause the
junction to break down so that a large reverse current flows.
Ideal Versus Practical
Resistance Levels
• Semiconductors act differently to DC and AC currents
• There are 3 types of resistances:
i. DC or Static Resistance
ii. AC or Dynamic Resistance
iii. Average AC resistance

DC or Static Resistance: The application of a dc


voltage to a circuit containing a semiconductor
diode will result in an operating point on the
characteristic curve that will not change with time.
The resistance of a diode at a particular operating
point is called the dc or static resistance diode. It
can be determined using equation

In general, lower the current through a diode the


higher the resistance level.
Resistance Levels
Example: Determine the dc resistance levels for the diode of the following figure at
i. ID 2 mA (low level)
ii. ID 20 mA (high level)
iii. VD 10 V (reverse-biased)
AC or Dynamic Resistance
• Static resistance is using dc input. If the input is sinusoidal the scenario will be
changed.
• The varying input will move instantaneous operating point UP and DOWN of a
region.
• Thus specific changes in current and voltage is obtained. It can be determined
using equation
Average AC Resistance
• If the input signal is sufficiently large to produce a broad swing, the resistance
associated with the device for this region is called the average ac resistance.
• It can be determined by a straight line drawn between the two intersection
established by the maximum and minimum values of input voltage.
Diode Equivalent Circuit
Ideal Equivalent Circuit:

Simplified Equivalent Circuit:


Diode Equivalent Circuit
Piecewise-Linear Equivalent Circuit:
Semiconductor Diode Notation

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