ELL 100 - Introduction to Electrical Engineering

LECTURE 19: DIODE BASED CIRCUITS

 Outline

• Diode-based Rectification Circuits: Half-Wave and Full-Wave

• Diode-based Clipping and Clamping circuits

2
 INTRODUCTION
• Early experiments with Direct Current (DC)
power relied on Leyden jars (rudimentary
batteries) which had to be recharged via manual
labor (e.g. grad. students)
Leyden Jar
• Due to efficiency and safety reasons, Alternating
Current (AC) is used for providing electrical
power

• A means to convert AC to DC is required -

called Rectification

AC Power Transmission Lines

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 Rectification Based on Diode
• Diodes provide compact and inexpensive means of rectification.

• Can create rectifiers from multiple diodes or purchase integrated module.

Diodes Diode Rectifier Modules

4
 DIODE CHARACTERISTICS

Forward-bias:
VD > 0

Ideal diode

Real diode
Reverse-bias: VD < 0
Types of Rectification

Half Wave Rectifier

Full Wave Rectifier

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 Types of Rectification
Half Wave: Negative components of sine wave are discarded.
Full Wave: Negative components are inverted.

While output of the

rectifiers is DC
(current only flows
in one direction),
output is not
constant with time.

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 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER

It only allows one half of AC waveform to pass through to load.

Half-wave rectifier circuit

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Conduction region (0 to T/2): Diode forward-biased

Non-conducting region (T/2 to T ): Diode reverse-biased

 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER
vd
Mean/DC value of the load voltage VR:
𝜋
1 𝑉𝑚
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = 𝑉𝑚 sin𝜔𝑡 𝑑(𝜔𝑡 =
2𝜋 0 𝜋
v=Vmsin(ωt) vR R
RMS value of the load voltage VR:
𝜋
1 2 𝑑(𝜔𝑡
𝑉𝑚
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = (𝑉𝑚 sin 𝜔𝑡 =
2𝜋 0 2

Rectification efficiency η = (Vdc/Vrms)2 = 4/π2 ~ 40%

 HALF-WAVE RECTIFIER
vd
 The maximum voltage which occurs
across the diode in the reverse direction is
known as the peak inverse voltage (PIV).
v=Vmsin(ωt) vR R
 This must be less than the breakdown
voltage of the diode if it is not to conduct
appreciably in the reverse direction.

 Thus the peak inverse voltage equals

approximately the peak value of the
supply voltage.
 Rectifier Circuit: Half-Wave
For most power applications, half-wave rectification is insufficient.

• Harmonic content of rectifier's output waveform is very large and

consequently difficult to filter.

• AC power source only supplies power to load during half the cycle,
meaning that much of its capacity is unused.

• Half-wave rectification is, however, a very simple way to reduce

power to resistive load.

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 Circuit: Half-Wave Rectifier Application
Two-position lamp dimmer switches apply full AC power to lamp filament
for “full” brightness and then half-wave rectify it for lower light output.

In “Dim” switch position, incandescent lamp receives approximately

one-half power it would normally receive operating on full-wave AC.
Thus the filament operates at a lower temperature, providing less
brightness.
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Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave

Full-wave rectifier, center-tapped design

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 Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave
• This circuit's operation is easily understood one half-cycle at a time.

• Consider first half-cycle, when source voltage polarity is positive

(+) on top and negative (-) on bottom.

• Only top diode is conducting; bottom diode is blocking current, and

load “sees” first half of sine wave.

• Only top half of transformer's secondary winding carries current

during this half-cycle.
 Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave

Full-wave center-tap rectifier: Top half of secondary winding conducts

during positive half-cycle of input, delivering positive half-cycle to
load.
 Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave
• During next half-cycle, AC polarity reverses.

• Now, other diode and other half of transformer's secondary winding

carry current while portions of circuit formerly carrying current
during last half-cycle sit idle.

• The load still “sees” half of sine wave, of same polarity as before.
 Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave

Full-wave center-tap rectifier: During negative input half-cycle, bottom

half of secondary winding conducts, delivering a positive half-cycle to
the load.
 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave
id1 i Here C is a centre tap on the secondary of
the transformer, thus the e.m.f.s induced
A
D1 in each section of the secondary are
vR R
equal, and when the potential of A is
C positive with respect to C, so is that of C
positive with respect to B i.e.
v AC  v  Vm sin(t )
B
id2 vBC  v  Vm sin(t )
D2

Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) seen by each diode = 2Vm

 FULL-WAVE RECTIFIER
id1 i
Mean/DC value of the load voltage VR:
𝜋
A
1 2𝑉𝑚 D1
vR R
𝑉𝑑𝑐 = 𝑉𝑚 sin𝜔𝑡 𝑑(𝜔𝑡 =
𝜋 0 𝜋 Vmsin(ωt)
C
RMS value of the load voltage VR: -Vmsin(ωt)
𝜋
1 𝑉𝑚 B
𝑉𝑟𝑚𝑠 = (𝑉𝑚 sin 𝜔𝑡 2 𝑑(𝜔𝑡 = id2
𝜋 0 2 D2

Rectification efficiency η = (Vdc/Vrms)2 = 8/π2 ~ 80%

 Rectifier Circuit: Full-Wave
• One disadvantage of this full-wave rectifier design is necessity of
transformer with center-tapped secondary winding.

• If circuit in question is one of high power, size and expense of

suitable transformer is significant.

• Consequently, center-tap rectifier design is only seen in low-power

applications.
 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave Bridge
Another, more popular full-wave rectifier design exists, and it is built
around four-diode bridge configuration.

Full-wave bridge rectifier

 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave Bridge

Arrows show electron flow (opposite of current direction)

for positive half-cycle
 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave Bridge

Arrows show electron flow (opposite of current direction)

for negative half-cycle
 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave Bridge
Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) seen by each diode = Vm

Vm
sin(ωt)

Rectification efficiency η = (Vdc/Vrms)2 = 8/π2 ~ 80%

 Rectifier circuit: Full-Wave Bridge

• Current flow is through two diodes in series for

both polarities.
Thus, two forward-bias drops of voltage are lost
(0.7*2 = 1.4 V for Si) in diodes.

• This is a disadvantage compared with full-wave

center-tap design.

• This disadvantage is a problem only in very low

voltage power supplies.
 Rectifier circuits
In any case of rectification, the amount of AC voltage mixed with
rectifier's pure DC output is called ripple voltage.
If power levels are not too high, filtering networks may be
employed to reduce amount of ripple in output voltage.

Sometimes, method of rectification is referred to by counting

number of DC “pulses” output for every 360o of electrical “rotation”
Half-wave rectifier circuit => 1-pulse rectifier
Full-wave rectifier (regardless of design, center-tap or bridge)
=> 2-pulse rectifier
 Rectification Application
Audio
Signal Modulated
Signal

Carrier Wave
Radio Transmission

Rectified Radio Wave

Diode
CLIPPER AND CLAMPER CIRCUITS
 CLIPPER
 A clipper is a type of diode network that has the ability to
“clip off” a portion of the input signal without distorting the
remaining part of the alternating waveform.

 The half-wave rectifier is an example of the simplest form

of diode clipper—one resistor and a diode.

 Depending on the orientation of the diode, the positive or

negative region of the input signal is “clipped” off.
There are two general categories of clippers: series and parallel.

 Series clipper:- A series clipper and its response for two types
of alternating waveforms are provided.

Series clipper circuit Response of clipper circuit

Series clipper with a dc supply
For an input voltage greater than V volts, the diode is in the
short-circuit state, while for input voltage less than V volts it
is in the open-circuit state

Vo = vi - V

Determining the transition Determining vo in the clipper circuit

level of the input signal
Series clipper with
a dc supply

Output “clipped”
waveform
Parallel clipper

Response of parallel clipper

 CLAMPER

Simple clamper circuit

A clamping network is one that will “clamp” a signal to a
different dc level. The network must have a capacitor, a diode,
and a resistive element, but it can also employ an independent dc
supply to introduce an additional shift.

For a clamping network the total swing of the output is equal

to the total swing of the input.

The magnitude of R and C must be so chosen that the time

constant, τ = RC, is large enough to ensure that the voltage
across the capacitor does not discharge significantly during the
interval the diode is non-conducting.
 CLAMPER

Circuit during Diode ON

(positive half cycle of supply)

Circuit during Diode OFF

(negative half cycle of supply)

Input and Output voltage waveform

Clamping Network with a Sinusoidal Input
 Numerical 1
A full-wave center-tapped rectifier circuit is shown below.
Assume each diode has a cut-in voltage V = 0.6V and a
forward resistance rf = 15. The load resistor, R = 95 .
(a) Determine peak output voltage vo across the load, R
(b) Sketch the output voltage vo and label its peak value.
SOLUTION:
vs (peak) = 125 / 25 = 5V

V + IDrf + IDR - vs(peak) = 0

0.6 + 15ID+ 95ID - 5 = 0
ID = (5 – 0.6) / 110 = 0.04 A

Vo

vo (peak) = 95 x 0.04 = 3.8 V

3.8V

t
 Numerical 2
Consider the battery charging circuit shown below.
Assume VB = 6 V, R = 120 Ω, VS = 18.6 V and vγ = 0.6 V. .

Determine the peak diode current, maximum reverse-bias diode voltage,

and the fraction of the wave cycle over which the diode is conducting.
 Numerical 2
Solution:
vs ( peak )  v  vB 18.6  0.6  6
Peak diode current I D ( peak )    100mA
R 120
Maximum reverse-bias diode voltage
VRB = VB + VS = 6 + 18.6 = 24.6 V
- VRB +
-

+
The diode conduction is started with phase angle of the wave
v1  18.6sin t1  V  VB  0.6  6.0  6.6V

1  t1  sin (6.6
1
18.6
)  20.783

2  t2  180  20.783  159.217

So the % of conduction of diode with respect to

full cycle of the wave is
2  1 159.217  20.783
*100  *100  38.453%
360 360
 Numerical 3
(a) Sketch the output voltage vo(t) and determine its average dc level
assuming the diode to be ideal.
(b) Repeat part (a) for a real silicon diode with vγ = 0.7 V.
Solution: (a)

For half-wave rectifier, the avg dc level is

Vdc = -Vm/π = -0.318(20 V) = -6.36 V
The negative sign indicates that the polarity of the output is opposite to
the defined polarity of figure below
(b) For a silicon diode, the output has the appearance below

Vdc = -0.318(Vm - 0.7) V = -0.318(19.3 V) = -6.14 V

The resulting drop in dc level is 0.22 V, or about 3.5%.

 Numerical 4
Determine the output waveform vo(t) for the network below, and calculate
the average dc level and the required PIV for each diode.
Solution:

vo  1 vi
2

Vo max  1 Vi max  1 (10V )  5V

2 2
For the negative part of the input, the roles of the diodes are interchanged
but vo remains the same => circuit acts as full-wave rectifier

Vdc = 2vo,max/π = 0.636(5 V) = 3.18 V

 Numerical 5
Determine vo for the network below.
Solution:
Determining the transition level

For vi ≥ 4 V, vo = vi
For vi ≤ 4 V, vo = 4 V
 Numerical 6
Determine vo for the network below.
Solution: Note that the frequency is 1000 Hz, resulting in a period of 1 ms
and an interval of 0.5 ms between transitions. Consider the negative input
half-cycle first,

The result is vo = 5 V for this interval.

Applying Kirchhoff’s voltage law around the input loop results in

-20 + VC − 5 = 0 => VC = 25 V
The capacitor will therefore charge up to 25 V. Now consider the positive input
half-cycle,

Applying Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law around the outside loop results in,
10 + 25 − vo = 0 => vo = 35 V
The time constant of the discharging network is determined as
τ = RC = (100 kΩ)(0.1 μF) = 0.01 s = 10 ms >> 0.5 ms

Thus, it is certainly a good approximation that the capacitor will hold its
voltage during the positive period of the input signal.
 REFERENCES
1. Robert L. Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky, “Electronic Devices and
Circuit Theory”, 11th Edition, Pearson International Edition.
2. William H. Hayt , Jack Kemmerly and Steven M. Durbin,
“Engineering Circuit Analysis”, 8th edition, Published by McGraw-
Hill.