P-N Junction Diode

Mechanisms for carrier transport in

semiconductors

• Drift
• motion of carriers due to electric field

• Diffusion
• motion of carriers due to concentration
gradient (from high to low)
 PN Junction Diode –
potential barrier scenario
The drift current is relatively insensitive to the height of the potential
barrier.

• The drift current is limited not by how fast carriers are swept down
the barrier, but rather how often.
• The drift current is not sensitive to electric field, as we normally
think.
Equilibrium Band-Energy Diagram of a P-N Junction
Quantum Mechanics – Implication of
Wave-Particle Duality

• QM wave decays in
the forbidden zone,
but isn’t zero!
• “Leaks” through to
other side
• Hence some
probability to tunnel
through!
 PN junction reverse bias current –
mechanism of Zener Breakdown
• Minority carrier drift/diffusion
– Near the edge of depletion region
– The direct band-to-band tunnelling
model (BTBT)
• Describes the carrier generation in
the high field region without any
influence of local traps.

• Electron-hole generation in
depletion region
• Band to band tunneling (BTBT) is
dominant
For Zener breakdown (tunneling)
• Extends only a very short distance W from each side of the junction
•The metallurgical junction be sharp
• The doping high
• The tunneling distance d may be too large for appreciable tunneling. However,
• d becomes smaller as the reverse bias is increased, because the higher electric fields
result in steeper slopes for the band edges
• This assumes that the transition region width W does not increase appreciably
with reverse bias
• For low voltages and heavy doping on each side of the junction, this is a
good assumption
• If Zener breakdown does not occur with reverse bias of a few volts, avalanche
breakdown will become dominant
For Avalanche breakdown
• Impact ionization (avalanche) rather than field ionization (Zener)

• Carrier multiplication

• The peak electric field within W increases with increased doping on the more
lightly doped side of the junction.