Theory of PN Junction Diodes

Effect of temperature on PN diode characteristics: Temperature on PN diode characteristics is very important consideration in the analysis or design of electronic devices or systems. It affects virtually all of the characteristics of a semiconductor device. The diode current at a given voltage depends upon the operating temperature. The variation may be determined from […]

Determination of Diode Characteristics: Determination of Diode Characteristics – The forward characteristics of a diode can be obtained by use of the circuit depicted in Fig. 7.16 (a). The diode voltage is set at a series of convenient levels, and the corresponding current levels are measured and recorded. The characteristics are then plotted from the

Terminal Characteristics of Junction Diodes: The volt-ampere characteristic of a silicon junction diode is depicted in Fig. 7.14. The same Terminal Characteristics of Junction Diodes is depicted in Fig. 7.15 with some scales expanded and others compressed to reveal details—the changes in scale have resulted in the apparent discontinuity at the origin. As shown in

Quantitative Theory of PN Junction Diode: Quantitative Theory of PN Junction Diode – Here an expression for the total current will be derived as a function of the applied voltage with the assumption that depletion layer thickness is negligible (i.e., barrier width is zero). When a P-N diode is forward biased, holes are injected from

Current Components in PN Junction Diode: A Current Components in PN Junction Diode with a forward bias with an external voltage V is shown in Fig. 7.12 (a). Due to forward bias, there exists a potential gradient in P and N materials. Now the holes from P-region and electrons from N-region are injected into the

What is an Ideal Diode – Working and its V-I Characteristics: Diode is a two terminal device that permits only unidirectional conduction. It conducts well in the forward direction and poorly in the reverse direction. It would have been ideal if it acted as a perfect conductor (with zero resistance or zero voltage drop across

Breakdown Voltage of PN Junction Diode: When an ordinary P-N junction diode is reverse biased, normally only very small reverse saturation current flows. This current is due to movement of minority carriers. It is almost independent of the voltage applied. However, if the reverse bias is increased, a point is reached when the junction breaks

Diode Failure Modes and Causes: We would certainly like for solid-state components to be 100% reliable but this is unfortunately not true. All solid-state devices have a certain probability of failure. To be good circuit designers and/or good circuit troubleshooters, we should have some idea of the most likely failure modes for solid-state devices. This