N-Type Material

N-Type Material: When extra valence electrons are introduced

into a material such as silicon an n-type
P. N. JUNCTION material is produced. The extra valence
electrons are introduced by putting
DIODES +4 +4 +4 impurities or dopant into the silicon. The
dopant used to create an n-type material are
Group V elements. The most commonly
Presented By Prof. D. M. Parshuramkar +4 +5 +4 used dopant from Group V are arsenic,
antimony and phosphorus.
The 2D diagram to the left shows the extra
+4 +4 +4 electron that will be present when a Group V
dopant is introduced to a material such as
silicon. This extra electron is very mobile.

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P-Type Material The PN Junction

Metallurgical
Steady State
P-Type Material: P-type material is produced when the dopant Na Junction Nd
When no external source
that is introduced is from Group III. Group - - - - - + + + + +
- - - - - + + + + + is connected to the pn
III elements have only 3 valence electrons P n
- - - - - + + + + + junction, diffusion and
and therefore there is an electron missing. - - - - - + + + + +
drift balance each other
+4 +4 +4 This creates a hole (h+), or a positive charge Space Charge
ionized Region ionized out for both the holes
that can move around in the material. acceptors donors
E-Field and electrons
Commonly used Group III dopant are + +
_ _

+4 +3 +4 aluminum, boron, and gallium. h+ drift = h+ diffusion e- diffusion = e- drift

The 2D diagram to the left shows the hole

that will be present when a Group III dopant Space Charge Region: Also called the depletion region. This region includes
+4 +4 +4 the net positively and negatively charged regions. The space charge region
is introduced to a material such as silicon.
does not have any free carriers. The width of the space charge region is
This hole is quite mobile in the same way the denoted by W in pn junction formula’s.
extra electron is mobile in a n-type material.
Metallurgical Junction: The interface where the p- and n-type materials meet.

Na & Nd: Represent the amount of negative and positive doping in number of
carriers per centimeter cubed. Usually in the range of 1015 to 1020.
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 The Biased PN Junction The Biased PN Junction
Metal
Contact Forward Bias: In forward bias the depletion region shrinks slightly in
“Ohmic
_ width. With this shrinking the energy required for
Contact” + charge carriers to cross the depletion region decreases
(Rs~0)
Applied
Vapplied > 0 exponentially. Therefore, as the applied voltage
P Electric Field n increases, current starts to flow across the junction.
The barrier potential of the diode is the voltage at which
appreciable current starts to flow through the diode.
The barrier potential varies for different materials.

I Reverse Bias: Under reverse bias the depletion region widens. This
causes the electric field produced by the ions to cancel
_ out the applied reverse bias voltage. A small leakage
+ Vapplied < 0 current, Is (saturation current) flows under reverse bias
Vapplied conditions. This saturation current is made up of
electron-hole pairs being produced in the depletion
The pn junction is considered biased when an external voltage is applied. region. Saturation current is sometimes referred to as
There are two types of biasing: Forward bias and Reverse bias. scale current because of it’s relationship to junction
12/7/2023 These are described on then next slide. 5 12/7/2023 temperature. 6

Properties of Diodes Properties of Diodes

Figure 1.10 – The Diode Transconductance Curve2 The Shockley Equation
ID • The transconductance curve on the previous slide is characterized by
(mA) • VD = Bias Voltage
the following equation:
• ID = Current through
Diode. ID is Negative ID = IS(eVD/VT – 1)
for Reverse Bias and
Positive for Forward • As described in the last slide, ID is the current through the diode, IS is
IS Bias the saturation current and VD is the applied biasing voltage.
VBR • IS = Saturation • VT is the thermal equivalent voltage and is approximately 26 mV at room
Current temperature. The equation to find VT at various temperatures is:
~V VD
• VBR = Breakdown VT = kT
Voltage q
k = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K T = temperature in Kelvin q = 1.6 x 10-19 C
• V = Barrier Potential
Voltage •  is the emission coefficient for the diode. It is determined by the way
the diode is constructed. It somewhat varies with diode current. For a
silicon diode  is around 2 for low currents and goes down to about 1 at
(nA)
higher currents
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 Types of Diodes and Their Uses Types of Diodes and Their Uses

PN Junction Are used to allow current to flow in one direction Light-Emitting Light-emitting diodes are designed with a very large
Diodes: while blocking current flow in the opposite Diodes: band gap so movement of carriers across their
direction. The pn junction diode is the typical diode depletion region emits photons of light energy.
that has been used in the previous circuits. Lower band gap LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) emit
infrared radiation, while LEDs with higher band gap
energy emit visible light. Many stop lights are now
A K P n starting to use LEDs because they are extremely
bright and last longer than regular bulbs for a
Schematic Symbol for a PN Representative Structure for relatively low cost.
Junction Diode a PN Junction Diode

Are specifically designed to operate under reverse The arrows in the LED
Zener Diodes: A K representation indicate
breakdown conditions. These diodes have a very
emitted light.
accurate and specific reverse breakdown voltage.
Schematic Symbol for a
Light-Emitting Diode

A K

Schematic Symbol for a

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Types of Diodes and Their Uses

Photodiodes: While LEDs emit light, Photodiodes are sensitive to

received light. They are constructed so their pn
junction can be exposed to the outside through a
clear window or lens.
A K In Photoconductive mode the saturation current
increases in proportion to the intensity of the
received light. This type of diode is used in CD
 players.
A K
In Photovoltaic mode, when the pn junction is
exposed to a certain wavelength of light, the diode
Schematic Symbols for generates voltage and can be used as an energy
Photodiodes source. This type of diode is used in the
production of solar power.

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