Theory – Semiconductor and electronic devices |1

PN JUNCTION / SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTION

A semiconductor diode is basically a PN junction with metallic contacts provided at the ends for the
applications of external voltage.

REPRESENTATION:

The direction of the arrow indicates the conventional direction of current.

FORMATION OF PN JUNCTION
• Diffusion process and diffusion current
• Depletion layer
• Drift and drift current

Given diagram shows a PN junction immediately after it is formed.

P region has mobile majority holes and immobile negatively charged impurity ions.
N region has mobile majority free electrons and immobile positively charged impurity ions.
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Due to concentration difference diffusion of holes starts from P to N side and diffusion of electrons
starts N to P side and a current flow across the PN junction called diffusion current.
Due to this a layer of only positive ions (in N side) and negative ions (in P side started to form which
generate an electric field (N to P side) which opposes diffusion process. During diffusion process
magnitude of electric field increases due to this diffusion gradually decreases.

The layer of immobile positive and negative ions, which have no free electrons and holes called as
depletion layer as shown in the above diagram. The typical width of depletion region is of the order
of 10-6 m.
N side of the junction as it looses electrons becomes positively charged and P side of the junction as
it accepts electrons becomes negatively charged, which makes the N side at higher potential over P
side of the junction. This potential difference tends to prevent the flow of majority charge carriers
(or the diffusion process) and called as Barrier Potential.

Due to internal electric field, an electron in P side (minority charge carrier) of the junction moves to
N side and a hole in N side (minority charge carrier) of the junction moves to P side. The motion of
charge carriers due to the internal electric field is called drift. Thus a drift current flows which is
opposite in direction to the diffusion current.
Initially diffusion current is large and drift current is small. As the diffusion process continues, the
space charge regions on either side of the junction extends, thus increasing the electric field
strength and hence drift current.
This process continues until the diffusion current equals the drift current.

At equilibrium condition under no biasing:

|Diffusion current| = |Drift current|
So total current is zero.

BEHAVIOUR OF P–N JUNCTION WITH AN EXTERNAL VOLTAGE APPLIED OR BIAS

The junction diode can be connected to an external battery in two ways, called forward biasing and
reverse biasing of the junction.

Forward Bias:
If we apply a voltage "V" such that P–side is at higher potential and N–side is at lower potential, then
the biasing is called Forward Biasing.
The applied voltage is opposite to the junction barrier potential. Due to this effective potential barrier
decreases, junction width also decreases, so more majority carriers will be allowed to flow across
the junction. It means the current flow is principally due to majority charge carriers and it is in
the order of mA.

Reverse Bias:
If we apply a voltage “V” such that P- side is at lower potential and N – side is at higher potential,
then the biasing is called Reverse Biasing.
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The applied voltage is in same direction as the junction barrier potential. Due to this effective
potential barrier increase, junction width also increases, so no majority charge carriers will be
allowed to flow across junction.
Only minority carriers will be drifted. It means the current flow is mainly due to minority charge
carriers and is very small (in the order of µA). This bias is called as reversed Bias.

PN JUNCTION in forward bias PN JUNCTION in reverse bias

I-V CHARACTERISCTICS OF PN JUNCTION DIODE

Explanation :
In forward bias, the current first increases very slowly, almost negligibly, till the voltage across the
diode crosses a certain value (called cut-in or threshold voltage or knee voltage). After this voltage,
the diode current increases significantly (exponentially), even for a very small increase in the diode
bias voltage.

For the diode in reverse bias, the current is very small (~μA) and almost remain constant
with change in bias voltage. It is called reverse saturation current. However, for special cases, at
very high reverse bias (break down voltage), the current increase rapidly.
The general purpose diode are not used beyond the reverse saturation current region.

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Experimental circuit arrangement for studying i-V characteristics of a P-N junction diode (a) in forward
bias, (b) in reverse bias (c) typical i-V characteristics of a silicon diode.
(Note that scales for the current are different for positive and negative current.

SECTION A (Questions for short answers)

A.1 Can the potential barrier across a PN junction be measured by simply connecting a sensitive
voltmeter across the PN junction?
Ans. We can not measure the potential barrier of PN junction by connecting a sensitive voltmeter
across its terminals because in the depletion region, there are no free electrons and holes and in
the absence of forward biasing, PN junction offers infinite resistance.

A.2 When a trivalent type impurity is doped in a semiconductor, a large number of holes are created.
This does not make the semiconductor charged. But when holes diffused from the P- side to the N-
side in a PN junction, the N- side gets positively charged. Explain.

Ans. A p-type semiconductor is formed by doping a group 13 element with group 14 element (Si or
Ge). As the group 13 element has only 3 electrons in its valence shell and the group 14 element has 4
electrons in its valence shell, when the group 13 element, say, Al, replaces one Si in the silicon
crystal, only 3 covalent bonds are formed by it. And the fourth covalent bond is left in need of one
electron. So, it creates a hole. Since the atom as a whole is electrically neutral, the p-type
semiconductor is also neutral.
In a p‒n junction, when the diffusion of holes takes place across the junction because of the
difference in the concentration of charge carriers from p to n sides, these holes neutralise some of
the electrons on the n side. So, the atom attached with that electron becomes one electron deficient
and hence positively charged. This makes the n side of the p‒n junction positively charged and
the p side of the p‒n junction negatively charged.
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SECTION : B (OBJECTIVE PROBLEMS)

B1. Which one is reverse-biased?

– 5V
(A) 10V (B) – 5V (C) (D)
10V
15V – 10V
10V

Ans. None of these.

B2. In the given figure, which of the diodes are forward biased?
+5V
+10V
(1) R (2)

+5V

(2) (4) – 12V

– 10 V R

– 5V

(5) R

– 10V

(A) 1, 2, 3 (B)2, 4, 5 (C) 1, 3, 4 (D) 2, 3, 4

Ans. (B)

B3. Two PN-junctions can be connected in series by three different methods as shown in the figure.
If the potential difference in the junctions is the same, then the correct connections will be

(A) In the circuit (1) and (2) (B) In the circuit (2) and (3)
(C) In the circuit (1) and (3) (D) Only in the circuit (1
Ans. (B)

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