Module:3

Diode Circuits

Dr. B. Bindu,
Associate Professor,
SENSE
 Outline
PN Junction Diodes :
– DC Analysis
– Small Signals and Large signal models of PN junction diode
– AC equivalent circuit.
 DC Model of Ideal Diode
Equivalent Circuits

Assumes vbi = 0.
No current flows when reverse biased (b).
No internal resistance to limit current when forward
biased (c).
Diode Piecewise Equivalent Circuit

The diode is replaced by a battery with voltage, V, with

a a resistor, rf, in series when in the ‘on’ condition (a)
and is replaced by an open when in the ‘off’ condition,
VD < V.
If rf = 0, VD = V when the diode is conducting.
 Piecewise Linear Model

Linear approximations
are used to form
piecewise linear
model of diode.

For VD ≥ Vγ , we assume a straight-line approximation whose slope is

1/rf , where Vγ is the turn-on, or cut-in, voltage of the diode, and rf is
the forward diode resistance.
 Half-Wave Diode Rectifier

Diode only allows current to flow through the resistor

when vI ≥ 0V. Forward-bias equivalent circuit is used
to determine vO under this condition.
Two Methods to Calculate Curent in
Diode Circuits

1. ITERATIVE METHOD

2. GRAPHICAL METHOD
Iterative Method to calculate current

(1
)

Equating (1) and (2), (2

)

which contains only one unknown, VD . However, it is a transcendental

equation and cannot be solved directly. Can solve only through iteration.
 Graphical Analysis Technique to
calculate current

Simple diode circuit where ID and VD are not known.

 Load Line Analysis
The x intercept of the load line is
the open circuit voltage and the
y intercept is the short circuit
current.
The quiescent point or Q-point is
the intersection of diode I-V
characteristic with the load line.
I-V characteristics of diode must
be known.

Diode is a non-linear device and resistor is a linear device

Load Line: Reverse Biased Diode

The Q-point is always ID = 0 and VD = the open circuit

voltage when using the piecewise linear equivalent
circuit.
 AC Circuit Analysis

Combination of dc and sinusoidal input voltages modulate

the operation of the diode about the Q-point.
AC Diode Circuit Analysis

where
 AC Diode Circuit Analysis

where ac current,

where

The parameters gd and rd are the diode small-signal incremental

conductance and resistance, also called the diffusion conductance
and diffusion resistance
 Equivalent Circuits

When ac signal is small, the dc operation can be

decoupled from the ac operation.
First perform dc analysis using the dc equivalent circuit
(a). Then perform the ac analysis using the ac equivalent
circuit (b).
Small Signal Equivalent Model with Capacitances
(High Frequency Model)

Simplified model,
which can only be
used when the diode
is forward biased.

Complete model