Lecture 8

Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 1

What we have learnt?
V
D

Forward Bias (V
A
> 0)
I
V
A
Junction Potential or
Barrier Potential
~ 0.7 V (Typical)
diffusion current dominates
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 2
What we have learnt? (contd)
Reverse Bias (V
A
< 0)
V
BD
Breakdown
Voltage
I
V
A
drift current dominates
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 3
What is next?
Ideal Diode I-V Characteristics
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 4
Ideal Diode I-V Characteristic
Assumption
No external source of carrier generation; for
example, no light
Depletion approximation and step junction are
applicable
No generation or recombination takes place in
depletion region
The bulk regions are uniformly doped
Minority carriers is always much less than the
number of majority carrier in the bulk region
Electric field for the minority carriers is zero in the
bulk
+
-
Charge density,
-x
n
x
p
-qN
A
-qN
D
+
-
Charge density,
-x
n
x
p
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 5
Ideal Diode Current
constant ) ( ) ( = + = x J x J J
p n
( ) 1
/
0 0

(
(

+ =
kT qV
n
p
p
p
n
n
A
e p
L
D
n
L
D
q J
( ) 1
/ 2

(
(

+ =
kT qV
D p
p
A n
n
i
A
e
N L
D
N L
D
qAn I
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 6
Ideal Diode Current
(
(

+ =
D p
p
A n
n
i
N L
D
N L
D
qAn I
2
0
( ) 1
/
0
=
kT qV
A
e I I
( ) 1
/ 2

(
(

+ =
kT qV
D p
p
A n
n
i
A
e
N L
D
N L
D
qAn I
I
V
A
I
0

Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 7
Practical Diode Characteristic
Typical Diode characteristics
Forward bias diode current I
D
> 0 with diode
voltage V
D
~ 0.7V
Reverse bias diode current I
D
~ 0
Breakdown diode current I
D
< 0 and the diode
voltage V
D
< V
BD

I
D
+ V
D
-

I
V
A
V
D

V
BD
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 8
Practical Diode Characteristic
v
BR

I
F
(mA)
V
F

v
d

Room Temp
Room Temp + 25
Higher Temp.
- v
d
decreases
- breakdown (v
BR
) earlier
- leakage current increases
(

+
|
|
.
|

\
|
~
D A
D A S CR
BR
N N
N N
q
K E
V
2
0
c
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 9
Diode Depletion Capacitance
Electrostatics of Depletion Region: Generalized
2 / 1
0
) (
) ( 2
(

=
D A D
A A bi s
n
N N N
N
q
V V K
x
c
2 / 1
0
) (
) ( 2
(

=
D A A
D A bi s
p
N N N
N
q
V V K
x
c
2 / 1
0
) ( 2
(

+
=
A D
D A A bi s
N N
N N
q
V V K
W
c
Depletion region width approximation
Depletion region width, W = x
n
+ x
p

-x
p
x
n
x
j
=0

n-bulk p-bulk
Depletion
region
V
A
=0V

V
A
>0V

-x
p
x
n
x
j
=0

n-bulk p-bulk
Depletion
region
V
A
=0V

V
A
<0V

Forward
V
A
>0V
Reverse
V
A
<0V
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 10
Diode Depletion Capacitance
( )
2 / 1
0
0
2
(

=
D A
D A
A bi
S
S
J
N N
N N
V V
q
K
A K
C
c
c
-x
p
x
n
x
j
=0

n-bulk p-bulk
Depletion
region
V
A
=0V

V
A
>0V

-x
p
x
n
x
j
=0

n-bulk p-bulk
Depletion
region
V
A
=0V

V
A
<0V

Forward
V
A
>0V
Reverse
V
A
<0V
C
J
decrease as V
A
become negative
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 11
Diode in Circuits
I
F

+V
F
-
R
+ V -
Forward Bias
I
R
0
R
- V +
- V +
Reversed Bias
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 12
Diode in Circuits
R
v(t)=Asinet
v(t)
I(t)
Lecture 8
Micro Electronic Circuit & Devices 13
Reading Assignment
Howe, R.T. and Sodini, C. G.
Microelectronics: An Integrated
Approach, Prentice Hall, NJ, 1997.
Chapter 3: Section 3.3-3.5 (all)