Dhruv
Uploaded by
devanshu218216821Dhruv
Uploaded by
devanshu218216821“P.N.
JUNCTION DIODES”
A PHYSICS PROJECT REPORT
SUBMITTED BY
DHRUV BHARODIYA
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
SSCE-2024-25
IN
PHYSICS (042)
AT
J.B. DIAMONDS & KARP IMPEX
VIDYA SANKUL SCHOOL LASKANA,
KAMREJ ROAD, SURAT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special
thanks of
gratitude to our principal Mr.Gaurang
Patel
Sir who gave me the golden opportunity
To
do this wonderful project on the topic
P.N. Junction Diodes, which also helped
me in doing a lot of Research and I
came to know about so many new
things while making this project.
Secondly, I would also like to thank my
parents and friends who helped me a lot
in finalizing this project within the
limited time frame. I am making this
project not only for marks but also to
increase my knowledge. This project will
be remarkable for my career in the field
of Physics.
Introduction
A diode is a specialized electronic
component with two electrodes called the
anode and the cathode. Most diodes are
made with semiconductor materials such as
silicon, germanium, or selenium. If we were
to Make electrical connections at the Ends of
both the N-type and the P-type materials
and then connect them to a battery source,
an additional energy source Now exists to
overcome the potential barrier.
The effect of adding this additional energy
source results in the free electrons being
able to cross the depletion region from one
side to the other. The behavior of the PN
junction with regards to the Potential
barrier's width produces an asymmetrical
Conducting two terminal device, better
known as The PN Junction Diode.
N-Type Material
When extra valence electrons are introduced into
a material such as silicon an n-type material is
produced. The extra valence electrons are
introduced by putting impurities or dopant into
the silicon. The dopant used to create an n-type
material are Group V elements. The most
commonly used dopant from Group V are arsenic,
antimony and phosphorus.
The 2D diagram to the down shows the extra
electron that will be present when a Group V
dopant is introduced to a material such as silicon.
This extra electron is very mobile.
P-Type Material
P-type material is produced when the dopant that
is introduced is from Group III. Group III
elements have only 3 valence electrons and
therefore there is an electron missing. This
creates a hole (h+), or a positive charge that can
move around in the material. Commonly used
Group III dopant are aluminum, boron, and
gallium.
The 2D diagram to the down shows the hole that
will be present when a Group III dopant is
introduced to a material such as silicon. This
hole is quite mobile in the same way the extra
electron is mobile in a n-type material.
The PN Junction
Space Charge Region: Also called the
depletion region. This region includes the net
positively and negatively charged regions. The
space charge region does not have any free
carriers. The width of the space charge region is
denoted by W in pn junction formula’s.
Metallurgical Junction: The interface where
the p- and n-type materials meet
Na & Nd: Represent the amount of negative
and positive doping in number of carriers per
centimeter cubed. Usually in the range of 10 15 to
1020.
Steady State: When no external source is
connected to the pn junction, diffusion and drift
balance each other out for both the holes and
electrons
The Biased PN Junction
The pn junction is considered
biased when an external voltage
is applied. There are two types of
biasing:
1. Forward bias
2. Reverse bias
1. Forward Bias: In forward bias the
depletion region shrinks slightly in
width. With this shrinking the
energy required for charge carriers
to cross the depletion region
decreases exponentially. Therefore,
as the applied voltage increases,
current starts to flow across the
junction. The barrier potential of the
diode is the voltage at which
appreciable current starts to flow
through the diode. The barrier
potential varies for different
materials.
Vapplied > 0
2. Reverse Bias: Under reverse bias
the depletion region widens. This
causes the electric field produced by
the ions to cancel out the applied
reverse bias voltage. A small
leakage current, is (saturation
current) flows under reverse bias
conditions. This saturation current is
made up of electron-hole pairs being
produced in the depletion region.
Saturation current is sometimes
referred to as scale current because
of its relationship to junction
temperature.
Vapplied < 0
Properties of Diodes
• VD = Bias Voltage
• ID = Current through Diode. ID is
Negative for Reverse Bias and
Positive for Forward Bias
• IS = Saturation Current
• VBR = Breakdown Voltage
• Vf = Barrier Potential Voltage
Properties of Diodes
• The transconductance curve on the previous
slide is characterized by the following
equation:
ID = IS(eVD/hVT – 1)
• As described in the last slide, ID is the current
through the diode, IS is the saturation current
and VD is the applied biasing voltage.
• VT is the thermal equivalent voltage and is
approximately 26 mV at room temperature.
The equation to find VT at various
temperatures is:
kT
V T=
q
k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K T = temperature in
Kelvin
q = 1.6 x 10-19 C
• h is the emission coefficient for the diode. It
is determined by the way the diode is
constructed. It somewhat varies with diode
current. For a silicon diode h is around 2 for
low currents and goes down to about 1 at
higher currents
Types of Diodes and Their
Uses
1. PN Junction Diodes: Are used to allow
current to flow in one direction while
blocking current flow in the opposite
direction. The pn junction diode is the
typical diode that has been used in the
previous circuits.
2. Zener Diodes: Are specifically designed
to operate under reverse breakdown
conditions. These diodes have a very
accurate and specific reverse breakdown
voltage.
3. Light-Emitting Diodes: Light-emitting
diodes are designed with a very large band
gap so movement of carriers across their
depletion region emits photons of light
energy. Lower band gap LEDs (Light-
Emitting Diodes) emit infrared radiation,
while LEDs with higher band gap energy
emit visible light. Many stop lights are now
starting to use LEDs because they are
extremely bright and last longer than
regular bulbs for a relatively low cost.
The arrows in the LED representation
indicate emitted light.
4. Photodiodes: While LEDs emit light,
Photodiodes are sensitive to received light.
They are constructed so their pn junction
can be exposed to the outside through a
clear window or lens.
In Photoconductive mode the saturation
current increases in proportion to the
intensity of the received light. This type of
diode is used in CD players.
In Photovoltaic mode, when the pn junction
is exposed to a certain wavelength of light,
the diode generates voltage and can be
used as an energy source. This type of
diode is used in the production of solar
power.
10. BIBILIOGRAPHY
NCERT Textbook Class 12
NCERT Physics Lab Manual
Class 12
Google Website
The
End
