Module Title: Analog Electronics 1

(TEE 1202).

PN Junction Diode-Lecture 03

Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC)

School of Technology: Electronics Technology.

Year 01 –Semester 2

Conducted by: Dayantha Lankanath / Deshan Diyadawa.

Email: [email protected]/[email protected]
Lecture Overview.

❑Ideal vs. Practical.

❑Resistance of the Diode.
❑Diode Equivalent Circuits (Piecewise-Linear Equivalent Circuit).
 Ideal Diode Characteristics vs. Practical Characteristics.

Ideal semiconductor diode: (a) forwardbiased

(FB); (b) reverse-biased (RB).

❖An analogy often used to describe the behavior of a

semiconductor diode is a mechanical switch.
❖Ideally, if the semiconductor diode is to behave like a
Ideal Si diode versus actual Si diode characteristics. closed switch in the FB region, the resistance of the
diode should be 0 Ω,in the RB region its resistance
should be ∞Ω to represent the open-circuit equivalent.
Such levels of resistance in the FB & RB regions
result in the characteristics.
Resistance of the Diode.
❖As the operating point of a diode moves from one region to another the resistance of the diode will
also change due to the nonlinear shape of the characteristic curve.
DC or Static Resistance.
The application of a dc voltage to a circuit having a diode will
result in an operating point on the characteristic curve that will
not change with time. The resistance of the diode at the operating
point can be found simply by finding the corresponding levels of
VD and ID as shown in Figure.

❖ The resistance levels in the reverse-bias region will naturally

be quite high. Determining the dc resistance of a diode at a
❖ In general the higher the current through a diode, the lower is particular operating point
the dc resistance level.
❖ Typically, the dc resistance of a diode in the active (most
utilized) will range from about 10 Ω to 80 Ω.
Resistance of the Diode.
Example: Determine the dc resistance levels for the diode

Solution:
 Resistance of the Diode.
AC or Dynamic Resistance.
If a sinusoidal input is applied, the varying input will move the
instantaneous operating point up and down a region of the characteristics
and thus defines a specific change in current and voltage.

With no applied varying signal, the point of operation would be the Q -

point which is determined by the applied dc levels. The designation
Q-point is derived from the word “quiescent” , which means “still or
unvarying.”

Tangent to the curve through the Q -point will define a

particular change in voltage and current that can be used to
determine the ac (dynamic) resistance.

The lower the Q-point of operation

(smaller current or lower
voltage), the higher is the ac
resistance. Determining the ac
resistance at a
Q-point. Defining the dynamic or ac resistance.
Resistance of the Diode.
AC or Dynamic Resistance.
Example:
Resistance of the Diode.
AC or Dynamic Resistance.
Example:
 Resistance of the Diode.
AC or Dynamic Resistance.
The dynamic resistance can also be found simply by substituting the
quiescent value of the diode current into a equation.

r B is known as the “body resistance” which is the resistance of the

semiconductor material itself. This can range from typically 0.1 Ω for
high-power devices to 2 Ω for some low-power, general-purpose diodes.

For the previous example the ac resistance at 25 mA was calculated to

be 2 Ω using graphical method . And now using the equation:

The difference of about 1 Ω could be treated as the contribution of

body resistance
 Resistance of the Diode.
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. The average ac resistance is, by
definition, the resistance determined by a straight line drawn
between the two intersections established by the maximum and
minimum values of input voltage.

Determining the average ac resistance between

indicated limits
Resistance of the Diode-Summary.
Diode Equivalent Circuits .
❖An equivalent circuit is a combination of elements properly chosen to best represent the actual
terminal characteristics of a device or system in a particular operating region.

Piecewise-Linear Equivalent Circuit.

Equivalent circuit for a diode can be obtained by approximating the
characteristics of the device by straight-line segments. The resulting equivalent Equivalence
circuit is called a piecewise-linear equivalent circuit. the average
ac resistance
Straight-line segments do not at “on”
Components of the piecewise-linear equivalent circuit. result in an exact duplication state.
of the actual characteristics,
especially in the knee region.
Resulting segments are
approximately close to the
actual curve.

Barrier potential of Si = 0.7 V. The Equivalence Indicates that

battery simply specifies that the the average there’s only one
voltage across the device must be ac resistance direction of Defining the piecewise-linear equivalent
greater than the threshold battery at “on” conduction circuit using straight-line segments to
voltage before conduction state. through the device approximate the characteristic curve.
Diode Equivalent Circuits .
Piecewise-Linear Equivalent Circuit.
❖ The approximate level of rav can usually be determined from a specified operating point on the specification
sheet.
❖ Vk in the equivalent circuit is not an independent voltage source.

❖ If the characteristics or specification sheet for a diode

is not available the resistance rav can be approximated by the
ac resistance rd .

For instance, for a silicon semiconductor diode, if IF = 10 mA (a forward conduction current for the diode) at
VD = 0.8 V (for Si a shift of 0.7 V is required before the characteristics rise, thus;
Diode Equivalent Circuits .
Simplified Equivalent Circuit.
❖ For most applications, the resistance rav is sufficiently small to be ignored in comparison to the other
elements of the network.

❖ Model implies that a forward-biased Si diode in an electronic system under dc conditions has a drop of
0.7 V across it in the conduction state at any level of diode current.

Simplified equivalent circuit for the silicon semiconductor diode.

Diode Equivalent Circuits .
Ideal Equivalent Circuit.
❖ In the previous model rav was removed from the equivalent circuit, in this model analysis a step has been
taken further to establish that a 0.7-V level can often be ignored in comparison to the applied voltage level.

❖ Thus the equivalent circuit will be reduced to that of an ideal diode.

Ideal diode and its characteristics.

Diode Equivalent Circuits-Summary.
Transition and Diffusion Capacitance .

Refer “Transition and Diffusion Capacitance ”pages 30-

31 : Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory 11ed by
Robert L. Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky.

(Watch the lecture video for explanation).