Semiconductor Devices and Circuits

ECE1002

Diode Circuits

Rectifier, Clipper, Clampers

Prof. D. Kannadassan, TTA 102C

Centre for
Center For Nanotechnology
C Nanotechnology Research, VIT University
Research dkannadassan@vit.ac.in
N
R References: S. M. Sze, M. S. Tyagi, Jacob Millman, ChenMing. Hu
 Devices and Circuits in ECE 1002
Sl.No. Date Lecture Topic
1 30-Jan-18 DC Analysis – Small Signals and Large signal models of PN junction diode
2 31-Jan-18 AC equivalent circuit, Numerical Examples
3 02-Feb-18 Rectifier circuits
4 06-Feb-18 Clipper and Clamper circuits
5 07-Feb-18 Photodiode and LED circuits
6 09-Feb-18 Bipolar Junction Transistor: Device structure and physical operation
7 13-Feb-18 Current – voltage characteristics.
8 14-Feb-18 Current Component Analysis
9 16-Feb-18 Field Effect Transistor (FET): Device structure and physical operation
MOS Capacitor: Device Structure and mode of operation, C- V Characteristics, Threshold
10 20-Feb-18
Voltage.
11 21-Feb-18 Transistor Current – voltage characteristics.
12 23-Feb-18 DC Analysis of BJT Circuits, CE Configuration
13 27-Feb-18 CB and CC Configuration,
14 28-Feb-18 Biasing BJT Circuits, Switch, Numerical Examples

Lab components: Rectifier, Clipper, Clamper, Transister – IV characteristics, CE, CB, CC

Config, Transistor – CE Amplifier – Design, Mini-Project – Amp, modulator

 A. Sedra and K.C. Smith, Microelectronic Circuits, Oxford University Press, 4/e, 1999
 Donald Neamen, Microelectronics Circuit Analysis and Design, McGraw-Hill, 4th ed, 2009
 Jacob Millman, Christos C Halkias and Satyabrata Jit, “Electronic devices and circuits” Tata Mc Graw Hill 2nd
Edition , 2007
 Diode Circuits
Diode has many applications, amongst that the most popuplar
circuits are:
Switches, Rectifier, Clipper and Clampers
 Diode - Rectifier
Anode Cathode

Converts AC to DC (Flow of
I
+ current in one direction and
blocking of current in another
Vin V R Vout
direction).
-

Vin Vout
 Rectifier Application

Power transformer: Step up or down the input voltage depending on the

number of turns in the primary and secondary windings. Also provides
electrical shielding between the circuit and electronic equipment.
Rectifier: Converts ac to dc (unipolar pulsating output).
Filter: Reduces the variations in the magnitude of the rectifier output. The
output of filter contains a time-dependent component namely „ripples‟.
Regulator: Reduce the ripple and stabilize the output voltage.
 Half-wave rectifier (HWR)

Cut-off
v0  0, vS  VD 0
Conducting
R
v0  (vS  VD 0 ), vS  VD 0
R  rD
rD  R Most cases
v0  (vS  VD 0 )

Choice of Diode: Diode with high current handling capacity, Breakdown voltage should be
greater than Peak inverse voltage (PIV) where PIV=Vs
 Full-wave rectifier (FWR)
Rectifies both the half of the
input signal. It employs two
diodes in circuit with one as
forward biased and another one
as reverse biased at each halves.

Center tap transformer is used to provide two

equal input voltages across the secondary
winding.
Positive cycle: D1 is forward-biased and D2 is
negative biased.
Negative cycle:D2 is forward-biased and D1 is
negative biased.
Current flows through the resistor will be in the
same direction irrespective of the cycle.
Compared to HWRs, FWRs produce more
PIV=2Vs-VD
energetic waveform or the PIV is higher (twice)
than HWR.
 Bridge rectifier (BR)
• Alternative FWR.
• No center-tap transformer is required.
• Employs four diodes in comparison to
FWR.
• Positive cycle: D1 and D2 is
conducting and D3 and D4 is in cut-
off.
• Negative cycle: D3 and D4 is
conducting and D1 and D2 is in cut-
off.
x Voltage drop is higher than FWR as it
has 2 diodes conducting.
• PIV=Vs-2VD+VD=Vs-VD
• PIV is about half the value of FWR.
• Compared to center-tapped, only half
as many turns are required for the
secondary winding of the transformer.
DC levels of HWR and FWR
DC level, the average value
of the output signal:
DC Level
2
I DC   id
0  t

For HWR:

 I max
I DC   id 
0  t 
DC Level
For FWR:

2 2I max
I DC   id 
0  t 
 Ripple Factor
Although, the rectifiers make AC to DC conversion, still there are AC
components which reduced the effective conversion of AC-DC process. The
evaluation of fluctuating component (AC component in a rectified output is
measured using RIPPLE FACTOR (r)
2
 I RMS 
r     1
 I DC 
I max
For HWR: I RMS
 2    1.57
I DC I max 2
rHWR  1.27

For FWR: I max
I RMS
 2  1.11 rFWR  0.482
I DC 2 I max

 Rectifier with Smootherning filter
• Rectifier output has more ripples which are not suitable
for powering electronic circuits. A filter capacitor
reduces the substantial variations in the rectifier output.
• v1= Input sinusoidal, VP=Peak input voltage
• Positive cycle: Diode is conducting and capacitor is
charged. v0 = v1 (exists until v1=VP)
• Above VP: Diode is reverse-biased and the output
voltage remains the same as there is no way for the
capacitor to discharge.
Peak rectifier circuit with CR
1
iL = vo / R r
4 3 fCRL
iD = iC + iL

dv1 Refer J. Millman for

iD = C + iL
dt more info

DC Level
 Limiting (Clipping) circuits
• Clippers: Used to remove part of the signal
w.r.t the reference level. Hard limiter
• Example: Rectifiers

Double limiter

Transfer Characteristic

Soft limiter
Smoother transition between the linear and
saturation region
 Various Limiter (Clipping) circuits
Single limiter

v1<0.5 V: Off, no current flows, v0=v1

V1>0.5V: On
Double limiter
Changing the
threshold and
saturation levels
 Clamping circuits
• Clampers: „Shift input voltage by an amount defined by the independent
voltage source‟.
• Also called as DC restorer or clamped capacitor.