Ng, Danica Allyana D.

Lab Assignment and Guided Questions #5

1. Discuss the behavior of diode in terms of voltage and current responses from the graphs
generated in Part 1-B and Part 2-B.

Figure 1. Part 1-B: Forward Diode

Illustrated in the graph above is the behavior of the voltage (red) and current (blue) as the
voltage of the DC voltage source is increased. At E=0 and E=0.5, the diode’s voltage is equal to
the DC source’s voltage. The diode’s voltage remains within the interval of 0.7000-0.7030 and
gradually increases as the DC source’s voltage increases. On the other hand, the diode, at E=0.5,
produces a negligible amount of current. Then, the current exhibits a directly proportional
relationship with the DC source’s voltage starting at E=1.000, but not equal to the E.
 Figure 2. Part 2-B: Reverse Diode

This graph displays the relationship between the DC voltage source and reverse diode’s
voltage (red) and between the DC voltage source and the reverse diode’s current (blue). The
diode produces the same amount of voltage the DC source produces. The diode’s current
produced however increases at a small negligible amount.

2. Is 0.7 volts a reasonable approximation for a forward bias potential? Is an open circuit a
reasonable approximation for a reverse-biased diode? Support your arguments with
experimental data.

The table below shows the voltage and current of the forward diode simulated with a
forward bias potential of 0.7 volts. This is a reasonable approximation because the obtained
voltage values from the simulation are almost equivalent to 0.70V.

Table 1. Part 1-A: Forward Diode

E (V) VD (V) ID (mA)

0 0.0000 0.0000
0.5 0.5000 5.0000x10-6
1 0.7001 0.2999
2 0.7004 1.3000
 4 0.7010 3.2990
6 0.7016 5.2980
8 0.7022 7.2980
10 0.7028 9.2970

On the other hand, an open circuit is reasonable for the reverse diode. As recalled, an
open circuit has no current flow, and as shown in the table below, the obtained current values are
of negligible amount.

Table 2. Part 1-B: Reverse Diode

E (V) VD (V) ID (mA)

0 0.0000 0.0000
1 1.0000 1.0000x10-5
2 2.0000 2.0000x10-5
5 5.0000 5.0000x10-5
10 10.0000 10.0000 x10-5
15 15.0000 15.0000 x10-5

3. The “average” resistance of a forward-biased diode can be computed by simply dividing the
diode's voltage by its current. Using data in Part1-A, determine the smallest average diode
resistance (show work).

Given in the table below, the smallest average diode resistance is at E=10V with a 75.6 Ω
resistance. This is computed using Ohm’s Law.

Table 3. Part 1-A: Forward Diode Computation for Resistance

E (V) VD (V) ID (mA) 𝑽𝑫

𝑹𝑨𝑽𝑬 = (Ω)
𝑰𝑫
0 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
0.5 0.5000 5.0000x10-6 100,000,000
1 0.7001 0.2999 2334.4
2 0.7004 1.3000 538.8
4 0.7010 3.2990 212.5
6 0.7016 5.2980 132.4
8 0.7022 7.2980 96.2
10 0.7028 9.2970 75.6