Lecture 10

OUTLINE
• pn Junction Diodes (cont’d)
– Derivation of the Ideal Diode
Equation (for a step junction)

Reading: Pierret 6.1; Hu 4.3, 4.6, 4.8-4.9

 Current Flow (Qualitative View)
Equilibrium (VA = 0) Forward Bias (VA > 0) Reverse Bias (VA < 0)

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 2

 Minority Carrier Action
under Forward Bias
• When a forward bias (VA>0) is applied, the potential
barrier to diffusion across the junction is reduced
– Minority carriers are “injected” into the quasi-neutral
regions => np > 0, pn > 0

• Minority carriers diffuse in the quasi-neutral regions,

recombining with majority carriers

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 3

 Components of Current Flow
• Current density J = Jn(x) + Jp(x)
d ( n )
J n ( x )  qn n  qDn  qn n  qDn
dn
dx dx
d ( p )
J p ( x )  q p p  qD p  q p p  qD p
dp
dx dx

• J is constant throughout the diode, but Jn(x) and Jp(x)

vary with position:
J J

x
-xp xn
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 4
Ideal Diode Analysis: Assumptions
• Non-degenerately doped step junction
• Steady-state conditions
• Low-level injection conditions in quasi-neutral regions

• Recombination-generation negligible in depletion region

dJ n dJ p
  0, 0
dx dx
i.e. Jn & Jp are constant inside the depletion region

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 5

 “Game Plan” for Obtaining Diode I-V
1. Solve minority-carrier diffusion equations in quasi-neutral
regions to obtain excess carrier distributions np(x,VA),pn(x,VA)
– boundary conditions:
• p side: np(-xp), np(-)
• n side: pn(xn), pn()

2. Find minority-carrier current densities in quasi-neutral regions

d ( n p ) d ( pn )
J n ( x,VA )  qDn J p ( x,VA )   qD p
dx dx
3. Evaluate Jn at x=-xp & Jp at x=xn to obtain total current density J:
J (V A )  J n ( x p , V A )  J p ( xn , V A )
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 6
 Carrier Concentrations at –xp, xn
Consider the equilibrium (VA = 0) carrier concentrations:
p side n side

p p 0 ( x p )  N A nn 0 ( xn )  N D
2 2
n n
n p 0 ( x p )  i
p n 0 ( xn )  i
NA ND
If low-level injection conditions hold in the quasi-neutral regions
when VA  0, then

p p ( x p )  N A nn ( xn )  N D
 “Law of the Junction”
The voltage applied to a pn junction falls mostly across the depletion
region (assuming low-level injection in the quasi-neutral regions).
We can draw 2 quasi-Fermi levels in the depletion region:

p  ni e ( Ei  FP ) / kT
( FN  Ei ) / kT
n  ni e
2 ( FN  FP ) / kT
pn  n e i

pn  ni2 e qVA / kT

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 8

Excess Carrier Concentrations at –xp, xn
p side n side

p p ( x p )  N A nn ( xn )  N D
ni2 e qVA / kT ni2 e qVA / kT
n p ( x p )  p n ( xn ) 
NA ND
 n p 0 e qVA / kT  pn 0 e qVA / kT

  
ni2 qVA / kT

2
n pn ( xn )  e 1
n p ( x p )  e qVA / kT  1
i
NA ND

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 9

 Carrier Concentration Profiles
under Forward Bias

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 10

 Example
Consider a pn junction with NA=1018 cm-3 and ND=1016 cm-3, under
a forward bias of 0.6 V.
(a) What are the minority carrier concentrations at the edges
of the depletion region?

(b) What are the excess minority carrier concentrations at

the edges of the depletion region?

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 11

Excess Carrier Distribution (n side)
d 2 pn pn pn
• From the minority carrier diffusion equation:  
dx 2 D p p L p 2

• We have the following boundary conditions:

pn ( xn )  pno ( e qVA / kT  1) pn ()  0

• For simplicity, use a new coordinate system:

x’’ 0 0 x’
NEW:

x '/ L p  x '/ L p
• Then, the solution is of the form: pn ( x' )  A1e  A2 e

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 12

 x '/ Lp  x '/ Lp
pn ( x ' )  A1e  A2e
From the x =  boundary condition:

From the x = xn boundary condition:

 x '/ Lp
Therefore pn ( x ' )  pno ( e  1)e , x'  0
qV A / kT

Similarly, we can derive

 x '' / Ln
n p ( x' ' )  n po (e qV A / kT
 1)e , x' '  0

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 13

 Total Current Density
dn p ( x' ' ) Dn
p side: J n   qDn q n p 0 (e qVA kT
 1)e  x '' Ln
dx' ' Ln
dpn ( x' ) Dp  x' Lp
n side: J p   qD p q  1)e
qVA kT
pn 0 (e
dx' Lp

J  Jn x x p
 Jp  Jn x 0
 Jp
x  xn x  0

 Dn D p  qVA
J  qn  2
i  ( e
kT
 1)
 Ln N A Lp N D 

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 14

 Ideal Diode Equation

I  I 0 ( e qVA kT
 1)

 Dp D 
I 0  Aqni  
2
 n
L N L N 
 p D n A

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 15

 Diode Saturation Current I0
• I0 can vary by orders of magnitude, depending on the
semiconductor material and dopant concentrations:
 Dp D 
I 0  Aqni  
2
 n
L N L N 
 p D n A

• In an asymmetrically doped (one-sided) pn junction, the term

associated with the more heavily doped side is negligible:
 Dp 
– If the p side is much more heavily doped, I 0  Aqni  
2

L N 
 p D
2 Dn 
– If the n side is much more heavily doped, I 0  Aqni  
 Ln N A 
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 16
 Carrier Concentration Profiles
under Reverse Bias

• Depletion of minority carriers at edges of depletion region

• The only current which flows is due to drif of minority carriers
across the junction. This current is fed by diffusion of minority
carriers toward junction (supplied by thermal generation).
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 17
Alternative Derivation of Formula for I0
“Depletion approximation”:
• I0 is the rate at which carriers
are thermally generated within
one diffusion length of the
depletion region:
n n p ni / N A 2
  -LN -x p  x  -x p
t n n
2
p p n / ND
 n  i xn  x  xn  LP
t p p

 ni 2 / N A   ni 2 / N D 
I 0  qALN    qALP  
   
 n   p 
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 18
 Summary
• Under forward bias (VA > 0), the potential barrier to carrier
diffusion is reduced  minority carriers are “injected” into the
quasi-neutral regions.
– The minority-carrier concentrations at the edges of the depletion region
change with the applied bias VA, by the factor e qV A / kT
– The excess carrier concentrations in the quasi-neutral regions decay to
zero away from the depletion region, due to recombination.
 Dn D p  qVA
pn junction diode current I  qAn    1)
2 kT
i  (e
 Ln N A L p N D 
• I0 can be viewed as the drift current due to minority carriers
generated within a diffusion length of the depletion region

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 10, Slide 19