EEE 41 Lecture 2

Diode circuit analysis

Simple explanation of operation Rectification Circuit models and analysis Diode equation Waveshaping with diodes Luis G. Sison
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering University of the Philippines - Diliman
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Historical notes

Vacuum tube diode

Filament heats up, emits electrons, attracted or repelled by plate depending on voltage bias.
ANODE
plate

CATHODE
filament
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Historical notes

Vacuum tube diode operation

Filament heated up by battery: emits electrons

Semiconductor diode
Junction of P-type and N-type semiconductor
ANODE

CATHODE

=
P N

Forward-bias: electrons attracted to anode causing current flow

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Reverse-bias: electrons repelled by anode stopping current flow

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Other types of semicon diode exist 1940: Russell Ohl discovers that impurities in silicon determine its electrical properties Simplified explanation follows
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Band indicates CATHODE

(from sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/semiconductordevices/semiconductordevices.html)
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Pure silicon

N-type silicon
Arsenic (As) has 5 valence electrons

4 valence electrons form covalent bonds with 4 adjacent silicon (Si) atoms in pure crystalline Si
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If the mobile electron leaves As, remaining As atom will have positive charge
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P-type silicon
Boron (B) has 3 valence electrons

Hole movement
Can hole move?
Electron from adjacent Si atom can fill in hole of B atom

Electron from adjacent Si atom can fill in empty B bond site creating hole If the empty B bond site is filled, remaining B atom will have negative charge
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Electron from nearby Si atom fills in empty B bond site

hole

Can think of hole as as positive charge that can move around EEE 41 Lec 2 8
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P- and N-type Si

Diode in static equilibrium

Well discuss how P- and N-type Si are fabricated in Lecture 26

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Interface region becomes depletion region (devoid of mobile charges)

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ON diode (forward-biased)
net current holes electrons

OFF diode (reverse-biased)

Charges are attracted towards terminals and do not cross the depletion region Depletion region widens no net current! holes electrons

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Diode terminal characteristics

20mA

Diode equation
iD
0.02 0.018 0.016

iD
Anode

10mA -100V -50V 1V

Forward

iD = I S e vD VT 1
VT = 26mV at room temp
I S = 0.1 fA I S = 1 fA

0.014

vD

2V

0.012

Cathode

Reverse

-1uA

0.01

-2uA

0.008

Q: Whats the I-V curve of a resistor? Voltage source? Current source? Short circuit? Open circuit?
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0.006

0.004

0.002

vD
0 0.1 0.2

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0.5

0.6

0.7

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A simple diode circuit

vI = 10 sin( 2 60t )

Diode model: 1st approx

Short and open
20mA 10mA -100V -50V 1V 2V

vO

ON: vD = 0, iD 0

1K

Half wave rectifier Q: Whats the output voltage? Whats the diode voltage/current?
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OFF: iD = 0, vD 0

-1uA

-2uA

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Circuit operation
10V
vI

Circuit analysis with diodes

Guess the state of the diode(s) Replace the diode(s) with corresponding linear model(s) Verify if state is consistent with model
?V

10V 10V ?V 10V

anode at 10V, cathode cnnctd to GND (0V) thru R: forward-bias, diode short EEE 41 Lec 2
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anode at -10V, cathode cnnctd to GND (0V) thru R: reverse-bias, diode open

if assumed OFF, check if voltage neg if assumed ON, check if current pos

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Diode model: 2nd approx

20mA

Diode model: 3rd approx

20mA

ON: vD = V , iD 0 =
1V 2V

ON: vD = V + RF iD , iD 0

10mA -100V -50V

V
=

10mA

RR

-100V

-50V 1V 2V

=
-1uA

OFF: iD = 0, vD V
Note: Assume higher cut-in voltages for larger currents (e.g. >1A), smaller for lower currents (e.g. <1mA)

-1uA

V
Cut-in voltage: ~0.7V Si diode ~0.3V Ge/Schottky diode ~2V LED

RF

-2uA

OFF: 1 iD = v D , vD 0 RR

V
-2uA

Q: Determine the output of the simple diode circuit using 2nd approx.
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Q: Determine the output of the simple diode circuit using 3rd approx.
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Circuit analysis w/ diodes

Problems w/ 3rd approx.
where to get RF and RR? Value depends on magnitude of voltages/currents in circuit.
10 sin( 2 60t )

Voltage clipper
1K

vO (t )
1N914: general purpose diode +5V

1st or 2nd approximation good enough most of the time Diode equation used for small-signal analysis (Lecture 9) Qualitatively and intuitively analyze circuit function and operation first before proceeding to quantitative analysis.
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Q: Whats the output voltage? Q: Design a circuit that keeps the voltage above 3V.
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