Characteristic Curve of Diode

Basic Electronics
Characteristic Curve of Diode
 Characteristic Curve of Diode
• Above figure is a graph of diode current versus diode
voltage for a silicon diode.
• The graph includes the diode current for both forward-
and reverse-bias voltages.
• The upper right quadrant of the graph represents the
forward-bias condition.
• Notice that very little diode current flows when the
forward voltage, VF , is less than about 0.7 V for silicon
and 0.3 volt for germanium. Beyond 0.7 V of forward
bias, however, the diode current increases sharply.
 Characteristic Curve of Diode
• Notice that the forward voltage drop, VF , remains
relatively constant as IF increases.
• A voltage of 0.7 V is the approximate value assumed
for the barrier potential of a silicon p - n junction.
• The barrier potential of germanium diodes is
approximately 0.3 V. Therefore, if the graph in
above Fig. were for a germanium diode, the current
would increase sharply for a forward voltage of
about 0.3 volt.