P-N Junction - Electrostatics

P type: Fixed ionized acceptors (-) & mobile holes (+)

N-type: Fixed ionized donors (+) & mobile electrons (-)
P-type N-type
After “joining” excess holes
flow from P to N, excess
electrons flow from N to P Before “joining”

Ionized acceptors (in P) and After “joining”

ionized donors (in N) are   + +
exposed (depletion region),   + +
field (E) develops
E
Built-in field in depletion region
Further carrier flow is stopped
1
 Equilibrium
No current flows - Invariance of EF
P-type N-type
EC P-type N-type
EF
EV
Built-in potential in
depletion region
Quadratic
V0 dependence
  + +
  + +
E
E E
Built-in field in depletion region
distance
2
 Forward bias
Apply -ve voltage (V) to N w.r.t P
N side Quasi Fermi level goes up
Reduction of band offset & potential
Reduction of depletion layer width and E
Built-in potential in depletion
region: Decrease
P-type V0 – V P-type N-type
FP FN  +
N-type  +
E E
Built-in field in depletion region: Reduction

FN – FP = V 3
 Reverse bias
Apply +ve voltage (V) to N w.r.t P
N side Quasi Fermi level goes down
Increase in band offset & potential
Increase in depletion layer width and E
Built-in potential in depletion
region: Increase N-type
P-type P-type N-type
V0 + V
FP    + + +
FN    + + +
E
E Built-in field in depletion region: Increase

FP – F N = V 4
 Electrostatics of PN junction: Equilibrium
  + +
  + +
r  q.N A (p - type)
r
r   q.N D (n - type)
dE q.N A
 ;  x p0  x  0
dx  si
dE q.N D
 ; 0  x  xn 0
dx  si

x = -xp0 x = xn0
x=0
5
 Calculation of Electric Field
  + +  x p 0  x  0; E  0 at x   x p 0
  + +
q.N A
r E  ( x p 0  x)
 si
0  x  xn 0 ; E  0 at x  xn 0
E
q.N D
E  ( xn 0  x )
Emax  si
q.N A q.N D
E max   x p0   xn 0
 si  si
x = -xp0 x = xn0
x=0
N A x p 0  N D xn 0
6
Work out the steps
 Calculation of Potential
  + +  x p 0  x  0; V  0 at x   x p 0
  + +
q.N A
r V ( x p 0  x) 2
2 si
0  x  xn 0 ; V  V0 at x  xn 0
E
q.N D
Emax V  V0  ( xn 0  x ) 2
2 si
V0 x0
V
q.N A 2 q.N D
x = -xp0 x = xn0 x p0  xn 0 2  V0
x=0
2 si 2 si
7
Work out the steps
 Calculation of depletion layer
q.N A 2 q.N D
x p0  xn 0 2  V0
2 si 2 si
N A x p 0  N D xn 0
2 siV0 ND What happens
x p0  if NA >> ND?
qN A ( N A  N D )
2 siV0 NA
xn 0 
qN D ( N A  N D )

2 siV0 ( N A  N D )
W  xn 0  x p 0 
q N AND Work out the steps 8
 Calculation of built-in potential (V0)
Equilibrium: Both Jn and Jp are individually zero

P-type N-type Excess electrons try to

jump over the barrier – get
repelled
Excess holes try to float
over the barrier – get
E
repelled
dn
J n  qn n E  qDn 0
dx
kT  nn 0  kT  N A N D 
V0 nn 0  V0  ln   ln  
kT dn q  np 0  q  ni  2
  dV  n n
0
q p0 Work out the steps 9
 Equilibrium: Carrier density across junction
No net current flow
-xp0 x=0 xn0
kT  nn 0  kT  p p 0  pp0=NA nn0=ND
V0  ln   ln 
q  n p 0  q  pn 0 
np0=ni2/NA
pn0=ni2/ND
EF   + +
  + +
P-type N-type
E E
Built-in field in depletion region

10
 Forward bias: Carrier density across junction
Electron injection from N to P
Hole injection from P to N -xp x=0 xn
Carriers recombine in depletion
and quasi-neutral regions

FP FN  +
 +
P-type E N-type
E
Built-in field in depletion region: Reduction

FN – FP = V 11
 Forward bias: Carrier density across junction

kT  nn 0  kT  p p 0 
V0  V  ln   ln  
-xp x=0 xn
q  n p  q  pn 

Replace V0 in equilibrium expression np pn

2
qV / kT ni
n p  n p 0e ; n p0   +
NA  +
P-type E N-type
2
qV / kT ni
pn  pn 0 e ; pn 0 
ND Work out the steps
12
 Reverse bias: Carrier density across junction
Much larger barrier
Carriers generate in depletion -xp x=0 xn
and quasi neutral region
Injection of holes from N to P
Injection of electrons from P to N

FP    + + +
FN    + + +
P-type N-type
E
E
FP – F N = V 13
 Reverse bias: Carrier density across junction

kT  nn 0  kT  p p 0 
V0  V  ln   ln  -xp xn
q  n p  q  pn 
x=0

Replace V0 in equilibrium expression

2
 qV / kT ni np pn
n p  n p 0e ; n p0     + + +
NA    + + +
N-type
2 P-type E
 qV / kT ni
p n  pn 0 e ; pn 0 
ND Work out the steps
14
 Forward bias: Current flow (Full picture)
J (total)
Jp (drift) Jn (drift)

Jn (diffusion) Jp (diffusion)
Carrier density

pp=NA nn=ND
np pn

-xp x=0 xn
P-type N-type
Recombination in Diffusion & Recombination15
depletion region in quasi-neutral region
Forward bias: Current flow (Simple theory)
J (total)

Basic theory

Jp (diffusion) at x=xn
+
Jn (diffusion) at x=-xp
-xp x=0 xn

Ignore recombination in depletion region 16

Minority carrier continuity equation
Neglect drift (as density is small for minority carrier),
transport due to diffusion (gradient can be large)

dn
J n  qDn ; n  n0  n For low level condition
dx 2
d n d  n  n
J p  qD p
dp
; p  p0  p dt  D n 
dx dx 2  n
2
dn d n
2 d p d  p  p
 Dn  ( R  G )  Dp 
dt dx 2 dt dx 2 p
dp d 2 p
 Dp 2
 ( R  G)
dt dx 17
 Contribution from Quasi-Neutral region
Diffusion of holes in n-type (shift origin to xn)

d p p
2
dp
Dp   0; J p (0)  qD p x 0
dx 2
p dx
 x / Lp
 p  p (0)e ; L p  D p p
Do the steps

Dp D p ni 2 qV / kT
J p ( 0)  q p (0)  q (e  1)
Lp Lp N D
2
Dn ni
Similarly, J n (0)  q (e qV / kT
 1)
Ln N A
18
Total current density (quasi-neutral region)

 D p ni 2 Dn ni 2  qV / kT
J  q   (e  1)
 L p N D Ln N A 

Conventional current expression, automatically

takes care of current in reverse bias

qV / kT What is the current

J  J 0 (e  1) density expression for p+n
junction?

19
 Current flow in Forward bias (Addition)
J (total)

Basic theory

Jp (diffusion) at x=xn
+
Jn (diffusion) at x=-xp
-xp x=0 xn +
Recombination at
Consider additional -xp < x < xn
20
recombination in depletion region
 Carrier density in Forward bias
( FN  Ei ) / kT
FN
n  ni e
Ei

FP
( Ei  FP ) / kT
p  ni e
Carrier density

pp=NA nn=ND
np pn

-xp x=0 xn
P-type N-type
Drift & Recombination Diffusion & Recombination21
in depletion region in quasi-neutral region
 Recap: Net recombination rate (trap-assisted)
Shockley-Read-Hall process (steady state rate):
2
np  ni
R G 
 p (n  nt )   n ( p  pt ) EC
ET EG
nt  ni e( ET  Ei ) / kT
EV
pt  ni e( Ei  ET ) / kT
 n , p : Carrier lifetime
Equilibrium: np = ni2, R – G = 0
Non-equilibrium, steady-state generation: np < ni2, R < G
Non-equilibrium, steady-state recombination: np > ni2, R > G
22
Net recombination rate in Forward bias
Assume ET at Ei (nt ~ pt ~ ni) and n = p = 0
2
np  ni
R G 
 0 (n  p  2ni )
Assume Ei = (FN + FP)/2 in the depletion region
( FN  F p ) / 2 kT
n  p  ni e ; FN  FP  qV
2 ( qV / kT ) qV / 2 kT
ni e ni e
R G   Carrier density / time
2 0 ni e qV / 2 kT
2 0
23
Generation in Reverse bias
R-G depletion region: n << nt & p << pt
Assume ET ~ Ei, nt ~ pt ~ ni and n = p = 0

np  ni 2  ni 2
R G  
 p (n  ni )   n ( p  ni ) ( p   n )ni
ni
 R G   Carrier density / time
2 0

24
 Full current density expression
Forward bias: Recombination in depletion & quasi-
neutral regions
Reverse bias: Generation in depletion & quasi-
neutral regions

 D p ni 2 Dn ni 2  qV / kT
J  q   (e  1)
 L p N D Ln N A 
qniW qV / 2kT
 (e  1) Additional term
2 0
2 si (V0  V ) ( N A  N D )
W V<0 for reverse bias
q N A .N D 25
 Diode I – V characteristics

Slope ~ qV/kT, recombination in

J (log-scale) quasi-neutral region
Slope ~ qV/2kT, recombination
in depletion region
V
Constant current if reverse
generation from quasi-neutral
region dominates
* Current
increase in Increase in current if reverse
reverse generation from depletion
direction (not region dominates ~ W
negative
scale) 26
 Breakdown (High V) in Reverse bias

Junction breaks down at

J (log-scale) high reverse bias
Impact ionization in the
depletion region causes
carrier multiplication
V
Released energy
creates further EHP
Thermal generation
creates EHP
* Current
increase in
reverse High current at
direction (not
negative high reverse bias
scale)
E 27
 Breakdown (Low V) in Reverse bias

Heavily doped junction

J (log-scale) breaks down at low reverse
bias
Small depletion layer width -
Band to band tunneling
V
Tunneling of
electrons from VB of
P to CB of N side

* Current
increase in
reverse High current at
direction (not
negative
high reverse bias
scale)
E 28