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Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and

Zener DIode - Other Diodes
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Table of Content
Class
Books
Operation in the Reverse Breakdown Region - Zener Diodes
Zener breakdown vs Avalanche Breakdown
Zener Breakdown
Avalanche Breakdown
Limiter Circuit
Clipper
Shifter
Voltage Regulator ( Focus )
Other kinds of Diodes
Schottky Barrier Diode
Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 1

 Photo-Diodes

Class
What kind of breakdown occur in ordinary breakdown

out plan breakdown

Zener is heavily doped in both sides

In terms of depletion region, zener is much more narrow

Because when it is heavily doped, its depletion region is approx equal 0

What kind of doping would you expect in ordinary diode

What happend if p side is heavily doped and n side is not ⇒ 1 side diode and no inronization
What kind of voltage do you expect in the breakdown

Voltage in Zener diode is below 5 Volt whereas in Ordinary diode can be up to 100 Volt

Which diode is much likely to suffer from thermal damage

The ordinary diode suffer more form thermal since the voltage is too high

Zener breakdown will not

In Zener breakdown, it is mostly due to ironization

In depletion region, the electric field is much higher

However in Ordinary breakdown, it is much less

Voltage regulation (only for reverse biased) maintaining a steady voltage at the output

The capacitor here is to stop the AC voltage

what can you do to reduce the combination process in the transistor

We reduce the size of the base / thickness of the base

We can inject minority carrier

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 2

 Books
Operation in the Reverse Breakdown Region - Zener Diodes
We observe that for currents greater than the knee current IZ K (specified on the data sheet of the
zener diode), the i–v characteristic is almost a straight line.

The manufacturer usually specifies the voltage across the zener diode VZ at a specified test
current, IZT . es of the point labeled Q. Thus a 6.8-V zener diode

Corresponding to current change ΔI the zener voltage changes by ΔV , which is

related to ΔI by

ΔV = rz ΔI
Where rZ is called incremental resistance, which indicated the inverse of the slop of almost
linear i-v curve at point Q

Diode i-v characteristic with the breakdown region

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 3

 Zener breakdown vs Avalanche Breakdown
There are 2 kinds of breadown: Zener and Avalanche

Neither Zener nor avalanche breakdown are inherently destructive in that the crystal latice is
damaged

However, the heat generated by large current flowing can cause damage, so either the curerent
must be limtited and/or adequeate heat sinking must be supplied

Since Avalanche breakdown voltage id usually around 100V. it involes more hear loss

Image

Zener Breakdown Avalanche Breakdown

In a Zener diode, both the n and p - region In avalanche diode, at least 1 region is
are heavily doped lightly doped

Zener breakdown occurs in heavily doped pn Avalanche breakdown occurs in lightly

junction doped pn junctions wher the depletion region
is comparatively long

Characteristic
Characteristic
Heavily doping makes depletion layer
⇒
extremly thin. Since it is so then is caused by impact ionization of
carries can acclerate to cause impact electron-hole pair
ionization and qunatum mechanical
While very little current flows under
tunneling through layer causing current
reverse bias condition, current does flow
to flow
Electric Filed in depletion region can be
Temperature coeffficient of Zener
very high.
mechanism is negative. The breakdown

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 4

 voltage for a particular diode decrease e− or holes enter E field undego a
with increasing temperature. However, tremendous acceleration
temperature coefficient is essentially
Accelerated carries collide with atoms ⇒
independent of the reated breakdown
voltage and on teh order of −3 mV /K
knock electrons from their bonds ⇒
additional current created
In Zener diode either or both breakdown
As these secondary carries are swept
mechanisms may be presented. At low
into the depletion region, they too are
doping level and higher voltages the
accelerated and the process repeats
avalanche mechansim dominates while
itself
at heavy doping levels and lower
voltages the Zener mechanism
dominates

At 6V for Si, both mechanism are

presented with temperature coefficients
that just cancel.

Efficiency of avalanche effect is characterizedy multiplication factor M

1
M= ∣ n
V ∣
1− Vbr
∣ ∣
where n is from 2 − 6V

V is the applied reversed voltage

Vbr is the breakdown voltage

Limiter Circuit
For inputs in a certain range L− /K ≤ vl ≤ L+ /K ⇒ the limiter acts as a linear circuit,
providing output proportional to input v0 = Kvl

General Transfer Characteristic of Limiter Circuit (Double Limiter)

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 5

 If K ≤ 1, the limiter is known as passive limiters
If vl exceeds the upper threshold L+ /K then the ouput voltage is limited to the upper limiting
level L+

Similarly for lower limit L−

Clipper
Note that if an input waveform such as below is fed to a double limiter, its tow peaks will be
clipped off and known as clippers

2 Zener diodes facing each othe rin series clip both halves of an input signal

Wabeform Clippers can be used not only to reshape a signal, but also to prevent voltage spikes
from affecting circuits that are connected to the power supply

Clipper

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 6

 Shifter
A Zener diode can be applied to a circuit with a resistor to act as a ovltage shifter

This circuit lower the output voltage by a quantity that is equal to the Zener diode's breakdown
voltage

Image

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 7

 Voltage Regulator ( Focus )
A Zener diode can be applied in a voltage regulator circuit to regulate the voltage apllied to a load,
such as in a linear regulator

Image

When the Voltage Vin is larger the the voltage drop in Zener diode, which means that the
voltage at A is larger than the voltage at B, the current will not flows through Zener diode since
the diode is in reverse biased

Thererfore, the voltage at ouput Vout which is also the voltage of Load Vload will be equal to
voltage of Zener diode Vzener

Until the voltage decrease to the point ≤ than Vzener , then the voltage at A is lower than the
voltage at B, then current starts to flows into the diode which cause

Vout = Vin − IR

Since the Zener diode is in reverse biased mode, we can replace it as a constant voltage source
with the value is indicated in the specification sheet of Zener diode

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 8

 Replace Zener diode with Constant voltage Source

Exercise

Determine the range of input voltage (Vi ) that will maintain zener diode in ON state

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 9

 Condition for MIN, MAX input voltage of the Voltage Regulator Circuit

In this case, we consider the votlage Vi varies and values of RL is fixed

Image

The condition for Vi MIN

Recall the ON condition for Zener diode in voltage regulation circuit

Vth ≥ VZ ⇒ ON and Vth < VZ ⇒ OFF

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 10

 ⟹ The minimum value for the input voltage that will maintain Zener diode in ON state is
Vth = VZ
Where Vth is the voltage applied to the Zener diode ( which equals to the voltage in
Load)

Image

Thus, the condition is

Vi  x RL VZ (R + RL)
VZ = ⟹ Vimin =
R + RL RL
The condition for Vi MAX

Apply KVL at the left loop as describe in the picture above, we have

Vi max − VR max − VZ = 0

Thus, the condition is

Vi max = VR max + VZ = IR max R + VZ

where IR max is

IR max = IZ  max + IL

Avalanche vs Zener Breakdown Additional Note

Avalanche Breakdown

We apply a high reverse biased potential across the diode

the e− gain high kinetic energy and break the covalent bond and they also free more e−
due to the collisions

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 11

 Thus, we have a chain reaction and because of this large current is produced the
Avalanche breakdown occurs in lightly doped diodes

Zener Breakdown

The breakdown is achieved in much ealier in case of Zener diode.

This is because we have doped both side of the diode, p and n side

Zener Diode in Regulation Circuit

If we want to use Zener diode in the regulation circuit, we have to used Zener diode in reverse
biased and achieve breakdown

This is because when

Zener diode is reverse biased⇒ Zener diode is OFF

Zener diode is in breakdown ⇒ Zener diode is ON

1 condition to use the Zener diode as a voltage regulator is that the voltage applied is larger
than voltage of reverse biased Zener diode Vz

There are 4 cases for Zener diode in voltage regulation circuit

1. Vin and Rload are fixed

2. Vin varies while Rload fixed
3. Vin fixed while Rload varies
4. Vin and Rload varies

Other kinds of Diodes

Schottky Barrier Diode

Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 12

 Photo-Diodes
If the depletion region of a pn junction diode is illuminate with light with sufficicently high frequency,
photons can provide enough energy to cause electrons to jump the semiconductor bandgap to
generate electron-hole pairs

hc
Ep = hv = ≥ EG
λ
where h is a Planck's constant = 6.626 x 10−34    J .s
v is the frequency of optical illumination
λ is the wavelength of optical illumination
c is the velocity of light = 3 x 108    m/s
image

Photon generated current can be used in photo dectector circuits to generate an output voltage

v0 = ipH R
The diode is reverse-biased to enhace depletion region width and electric field

image

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 13

Lecture 1 P4: Reverse Breakdown and Zener DIode - Other Diodes 14