CHAPTER8Thepn JunctionDiode

Considertheprocessbywhichthepotentialbarrierofapn
junctionisloweredwhenaforwardbias voltageisapplied,so
holesandelectronscanflowacrossthejunctiongeneratinga
diodecurrent.
Derivetheboundaryconditionsforexcessholesinthenregion
andexcess electronsinthepregion,andanalyzethebehavior
oftheseexcesscarriersunderaforwardbias.
Derivetheidealcurrentvoltagerelationoftheforwardbiased
pn junctiondiode.
Describeandanalyzenonideal effectsinthepn junctiondiode
suchashigh levelinjection,andgenerationandrecombination
currents.
Developasmallsignalequivalentcircuitofthepn junction
diode.Thisequivalentcircuitisusedtorelatesmalltimevarying
currentsandvoltagesinthepn junction.
Discusslargesignaldiodeswitchingcharacteristics.
Describeaspecializedpn junctioncalledatunneldiode.
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InFigure8.1c,thetotalpotentialbarrierisreduced.Therewillbeadiffusionof
holesfromthepregionacrossthespacechargeregionwheretheywillflowinto
thenregion.Similarly,therewillbeadiffusionofelectronsfromthenregion
acrossthespacechargeregionwheretheywillflowintothepregion.
2

Theidealcurrentvoltagerelationshipofapn junctionisderivedonthebasis
offourassumptions.
1.Theabruptdepletionlayerapproximationapplies.Thespacecharge
regionshaveabruptboundaries,andthesemiconductorisneutraloutsideof
thedepletionregion.
2.TheMaxwellBoltzmannapproximationappliestocarrierstatistics.
3.Theconceptsoflowinjectionandcompleteionizationapply.
4a.Thetotalcurrentisaconstantthroughouttheentirepn structure.
4b.Theindividualelectronandholecurrentsarecontinuousfunctions
throughthepn structure.
4c.Theindividualelectronandholecurrentsareconstantthroughoutthe
depletionregion.

Thebuiltinpotentialbarrierprevents
thislargedensityofelectronsfrom
flowingintothepregion.
3

TheelectricfieldEapp inducedbytheappliedvoltageisintheopposite
directiontothethermalequilibriumspacechargeelectricfield,sothenet
electricfieldinthespacechargeregionisreducedbelowtheequilibriumvalue.
Theelectricfieldforcethatpreventedmajoritycarriersfromcrossingthespace
chargeregionisreduced;majoritycarrierelectronsfromthensidearenow
injectedacrossthedepletionregionintothepmaterial,andmajoritycarrier
holesfromthepsideareinjectedacrossthedepletionregionintothen
material.
5

CommentofEx8.1
Theminoritycarrier
concentrationscanincreaseby
manyordersofmagnitude
whenarelativelysmall
forwardbiasvoltageisapplied.
6

Ifareversebiasedvoltagegreaterthanafewtenthsofavoltisappliedto
thepn junction,thenweseefromEquations(8.6)and(8.7)thattheminority
carrierconcentrationsatthespacechargeedgeareessentiallyzero.

8.1.4MinorityCarrierDistribution

ThequasiFermilevelsarelinearfunctionsofdistanceintheneutralpandn
regions
closetothespacechargeedgeinthepregion,EFn EFi >0whichmeansthat
n>ni.Furtherfromthespacechargeedge,EFn EFi <0whichmeansthatn <
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ni andtheexcesselectronconcentrationisapproachingzero.

8.1.5Idealpn JunctionCurrent
thetotalpn junctioncurrent
willbetheminority
carrierholediffusioncurrent
atx=xn plustheminority
carrierelectrondiffusion
currentatx=xp.

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11

IfthevoltageVa becomesnegative
(reversebias)byafewkT eV,then
thereversebiasedcurrentdensity
becomesindependentofthe
reversebiasedvoltage.
TheparameterJs isthenreferred
toasthereversesaturationcurrent
density.
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CommentofEx8.2,Theidealreversebiasedsaturationcurrentdensityisverysmall.

Ideally,thisplotyieldsastraightlinewhenVa is
greaterthanafewkT eV.Theforwardbias
currentisanexponentialfunctionoftheforward
biasvoltage.

Thedifferencebetweentotalcurrentand
minoritycarrierdiffusioncurrentisamajority
carriercurrent.
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CommentofEx8.4,
Weassumed,inthederivationofthecurrentvoltageequation,thattheelectric
fieldintheneutralpandnregionswaszero.Althoughtheelectricfieldisnotzero,
thisexampleshowsthatthemagnitudeisverysmallthustheapproximationof
zeroelectricfieldisverygood.
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8.1.7TemperatureEffect

Forasiliconpn junction,theidealreversesaturationcurrentdensitywill
increasebyapproximatelyafactorof4forevery10Cincreasein
temperature.
Astemperatureincreases,lessforwardbiasvoltageisrequiredtoobtain
thesamediodecurrent.Ifthevoltageisheldconstant,thediodecurrent
willincreaseastemperatureincreases.

8.1.8TheShortDiode
thelengthWn isassumedtobemuch
smallerthantheminoritycarrierhole
diffusionlength,Lp.

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16

Sincetheminoritycarrierconcentrationisapproximatelyalinearfunction
ofdistancethroughthenregion,theminoritycarrierdiffusioncurrent
densityisaconstant.

8.2|GENERATIONRECOMBINATIONCURRENTSANDHIGH
INJECTIONLEVELS
8.2.1 GenerationRecombinationCurrents

17

Thenegative signimpliesa
negativerecombinationrate;
hence,wearereallygenerating
electronholepairswithinthe
reversebiasedspacecharge
region.

18

CommentofEx8.6,forthesiliconpn junctiondiodeatroomtemperature,
thegenerationcurrentdensityisapproximatelyfourordersofmagnitude
largerthantheidealsaturationcurrentdensity.Thegenerationcurrentisthe
dominantreversebiasedcurrentinasiliconpn junctiondiode.
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ForwardBiasRecombinationCurrent

20

Atthecenterofthespacechargeregion,

21

TotalForwardBiasCurrentThe
totalforwardbiascurrentdensity
inthepn junctionisthesumofthe
recombinationandtheideal
diffusioncurrentdensities.
Ifsomeoftheinjectedholesinthe
spacechargeregionarelostdueto
recombination,thenadditional
holesmustbeinjectedfromthep
regiontomakeupforthisloss.The
flowoftheseadditionalinjected
carriers,perunittime,resultsin
therecombinationcurrent.

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23

8.2.2HighLevelInjection

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Inthehighlevelinjectionregion,it
takesalargerincreaseindiodevoltage
toproduceagivenincreaseindiode
current.

8.3|SMALLSIGNALMODELOFTHEpn JUNCTION

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Ifweassumethatthediodeisbiasedsufficientlyfarintheforward
biasregion,thenthe(1)termcanbeneglectedandtheincremental
conductancebecomes

Theincrementalresistanceisalsoknownas
thediffusionresistance.
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TheshadedareasrepresentsthechargeQthatisalternatelychargedand
dischargedduringtheacvoltagecycle.
Themechanismofcharginganddischargingofholesinthenregionand
electronsinthepregionleadstoacapacitance,calleddiffusioncapacitance.
themagnitudeofthediffusioncapacitanceinaforwardbiasedpn junctionis
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usuallysubstantiallylargerthanthejunctioncapacitance.

MathematicalAnalysis

assume 1v1(t)1 < (kT/ e) = Vt,

the time-varying voltage v1(t) is a
sinusoidal signal,

28

dcac

29

Oneconsequenceofthe
approximationsTp0<1andTn0<
1isthattherearenowigglesinthe
minoritycarriercurves.
Thesinusoidalfrequencyislowenough
sothattheexponentialcurvesare
maintainedatalltimes.
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8.3.3EquivalentCircuit

31

*8.4|CHARGESTORAGEANDDIODETRANSIENTS

32

thereversebiaseddensitygradientis
constant;thus,theminoritycarrier
concentrationsatthespacecharge
edgedecreasewithtime
ThisreversecurrentIRwillbe
approximatelyconstantfor0< t< ts,
wherets iscalledthestorage time.

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*8.5|THETUNNELDIODE

Thetunneldiodeisapn junctioninwhichboththenandpregionsare
degenerately doped.
Thedepletionregionwidthdecreasesasthedopingincreasesandmaybe
ontheorderofapproximately100

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(b)Thereisafiniteprobabilitythatsomeof
theseelectronswilltunneldirectlyintotheempty
states,producingaforwardbiastunneling
current
(e)thetunnelingcurrentwillbezeroandthe
normalidealdiffusioncurrentwillexist
35

Electronsinthevalencebandonthepsidearedirectlyoppositeempty
statesintheconductionbandonthenside,soelectronscannowtunnel
directlyfromthepregionintothenregion,resultinginalargereverse
biasedtunnelingcurrent.

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