ECE-305: Spring 2016

Diodes: Wrapping Up
Professor Mark Lundstrom
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
lundstro@purdue.edu

Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals (SDF)

pp. 193-324

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

3/3/16
 Announcements

Exam 3: Thursday, March 3 6:30 – 7:30 PM in RHPH 172

Exam 3: Covers Weeks 6, 7, and 8 (HW 6, 7, and 8)

No class on Thursday, March 10

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

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Announcements
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Bruce Johnson, the Atlanta site and engineering director for Google, in the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution (12/23/11.
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
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 Outline

1)  Diodes in quilibrium

2)  Ideal diodes

3)  Non-ideal diodes

4)  Small signal model

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

 Equilibrium

“transition (depletion) region”

N P
V = Vbi V =0
n0 ! N D p0 ! N A
ρ!0 ρ!0

−xn 0 xp

kBT ⎛ N D N A ⎞ dE ρ ( x)
Vbi = ln ⎜ =
q ⎝ ni2 ⎟⎠ dx K S ε 0
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
 Diode current: FB
minority carriers injected across junction

Fn qVA FP

ID
− VA +

Every time a minority electron recombines on the

p-side, one electronLundstrom
flowsECEin305
theS16
external current.
 Diode current and energy barriers
Current flow by
controlling the
E
energy barrier

EC q (Vbi − VA )
V = 0 Fn VA > 0
qVA
Fp

EV W
x
−xn xp
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
 Ideal diode equation

ID

(
I D = I 0 eqVA /kBT − 1)

VA

long short
⎛ Dn ni2 D p ni2 ⎞ ⎛ Dn ni2 D p ni2 ⎞
I 0 = qA ⎜ + ⎟ I 0 = qA ⎜ +
⎝ Ln N A L p N D ⎠ ⎝ WP N A WN N D ⎟⎠
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
 Non-ideal diodes: reverse bias breakdown

Avalanche breakdown I
or Zener tunneling

−VBR
VA
0.6 − 0.7 V

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

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 FB current: ideal diode

ln ( J )
q
m=
kBT

J = J 0 ( eqVA /kBT − 1)
≈ J 0 eqVA /kBT
ln ( J ) = ln ( J 0 ) + mVA
ln ( J 0 )

VA

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

 FB current: real diodes

n =1

n=2

J ≈ J 0 eqVA /nkBT

Fig. 6.10(a), Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

 high bias

1) series resistance
I RS

− VA + −IRS +
(
I = I 0 eq(V −IRS )/kBT − 1)
VA = V − IRS

−V +

ni2 qVA
2) “high level injection” ΔnP =
NA
( e kBT
− 1) << N A
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
 Real diodes in FB

n =1

n=2

Fig. 6.10(a), Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

 FB diode current at low VA

What about
recombination J p diff J n diff
“diffusion current”
here?

N P
Minority Minority
holes electrons
n0 ! N D p0 ! N A
ρ!0 ρ!0

−xn 0 xp
transition region
Lundstrom ECE 305 S16
 Recombination in SCRs

J (VA ) = qRTOT (VA )

q (Vbi − VA )
Maximum recombination
occurs when n(x) ≈ p(x)
n ( x ) p ( x ) = ni2 eqVA kBT
Fn FP
n̂ ≈ p̂ ∝ ni eqVA 2 kBT

qni eqVA 2 kBT

np = ni2 eqVA k BT
qR (VA ) =
τ eff
Recombination in space-charge regions gives rise
to n = 2 currents that go as ni not ni2.
 Real diodes in FB

n =1

n=2

Fig. 6.10(a), Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

 Ideal diode in reverse bias

I ( pA )

(
I D (V ) = I 0 eqVA kBT
)
−1
FB

VA
I (V ) = −I 0
RB

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

 Real diodes in RB

I R ∝ VR

Fig. 6.10(b), Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

 e-h pairs RB diode current
generated here
give 1 electron in
the external W (VA )
circuit.
N P

n0 ! N D p0 ! N A

−xn 0 xp

np = ni2 eqVA kBT

> ni2 R > 0 (recombination, FB)

np = ni2 e− qVR kBT

< ni2 R < 0 (generation, RB)
 summary

I D = I 0 ( eqVA /nkBT − 1) ( )
I D = I 0 eq(V −I D RS )/nkBT − 1

1) FB: recombination in quasi-neutral regions give n = 1

current (diffusion current).

2)  FB: recombination in SCR gives n = 2 current

3)  RB: constant when dominated by diffusion current

4)  RB: increases as W for generation in SCR

5)  RB: avalanche or Zener tunneling

 outline

1)  Diodes in equilibrium

2)  Ideal diodes

3)  Non-ideal diodes

4)  Small signal model

Lundstrom ECE 305 S16

 Small signal ac

R1

υ (t )
I D + id ( t ) VA + υ a

VDC

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 DC solution

R1

+
VDC I D = I 0 ( eqVA /kBT − 1) I D VA
−

Superposition: 1) DC
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 Small signal ac

R1

+
id ( t ) υa
υ (t )
−

Superposition: 2) ac
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 Equivalent circuit

R1

+
i (t ) υa
υ (t ) Y
−

id
Y= = G + jω C
υa
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 Small signal ac (low frequency)
R1

+
id ( t )
υ (t ) Gd υa
−

id dI D I 0 eqVA /kBT I D + I 0
Gd = = I D = I0 (e qVA /kBT
− 1) Gd = =
υ a dVA kBT q kBT q

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 Ideal diode equation (DC)

ID
dI D
Gd = >> 0
dVA
ID
Gd =
kBT q
VA

dI D
Gd = ≈0
dVA
I 0 eqVA /kBT I D + I 0
Gd = =
kBT q kBT q
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 Small signal ac (capacitance)

R1

id ( t )

I D + I0
υ (t ) Gd = Gd C
kBT q

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Capacitance

K rε 0
C= A
d

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 Reverse bias capacitance

W (VA )

N P
“metallic” C V = K S ε 0 A
J ( A)
“metallic”
W (VA )
n0 ! N D p0 ! N A

−xn 0 xp
transition region

“Junction capacitance”
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 Reverse bias capacitance

K Sε 0
C J (VA ) = A
W (VA )

1/2
⎡ 2K S ε 0 ⎤
W (VA ) == ⎢ (Vbi − VA ) ⎥
⎣ qN A ⎦

K Sε 0 A NA
C J (VR ) = ∝
⎡ 2K S ε 0 ⎤
1/2
(Vbi − VA )
⎢ qN (Vbi − VA ) ⎥
⎣ A ⎦
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 Diode capacitance in RB

NA
C J (VR ) ∝
(Vbi − VA )

Fig. 7.3, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

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 1/C2 vs. VR

1 2
2 ( bi
= V − VA )
C J (VA ) qN A K S ε 0 A
2

Fig. E7.2, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, R.F. Pierret

33
 Equivalent circuit (reverse bias)
R1
id ( t )

I D + I0
υ (t ) Gd = Gd CJ
kBT q

“varactor”
K Sε 0 A
C J (VA ) = 1/2
⎡ 2K S ε 0 ⎤
⎢ qN (Vbi − VA ) ⎥
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⎣ A ⎦
 Equivalent circuit (forward bias)
R1
id ( t )

CJ CD
I D + I0
υ (t ) Gd = Gd
kBT q

K Sε 0 A C D ∝ eqVA >> C J
kBT

C J (VR ) = 1/2
⎡ 2K S ε 0 ⎤
⎢ qN (Vbi − VA ) ⎥ “Diffusion capacitance”
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⎣ A ⎦
 Stored minority carrier charge

ni2 qVA
Δn ( 0 ) = (e kBT
− 1) Qn ∝ Δn ( 0 )
Δn ( x ) NA
Δn ( 0 ) ∝ eqVA kBT

dQn
C=
dV

Δn ( x ) = Δn ( 0 ) e− x/Ln C ∝ eqVA kBT

W p >> Ln Δn ( x ) → 0
x
0
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 Equivalent circuit (general)
R1
i (t )

CJ CD
I D + I0
υ (t ) Gd = Gd
kBT q

K Sε 0 A
C J (VR ) = 1/2 C D = Gd τ n
⎡ 2K S ε 0 ⎤
⎢ qN (Vbi − VA ) ⎥
⎣ A ⎦
37
 Small signal ac
R1

υ (t )
I D + id ( t ) VA + υ a

VDC

1)  Compute the DC bias current

2)  Replace the diode with the s.s. a.c. model and do the
a.c. analysis.
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 Weeks 6, 7, and 8

1)  PN Junction electrostatics (depletion

approximation)

2)  Ideal diode equation

3)  Non-ideal diodes

4)  Small-signal model

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