Lecture #10

ANNOUNCEMENT Quiz #2 next Thursday (2/27) covering carrier action (drift, diffusion, R-G) continuity & minority-carrier diffusion equations metal-semiconductor contacts OUTLINE
pn junction electrostatics

Reading: Chapter 5
Spring 2003 EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 1

pn Junctions
Donor s N- type P- type

V +
I

P
diode symbol

Reverse bias

Forward bias

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 2

Terminology
Doping Profile:

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EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 3

Idealized Junctions

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 4

Energy Band Diagram

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EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 5

Qualitative Electrostatics
Band diagram

Electrostatic potential Electric field

Charge density

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 6

Game Plan for Obtaining (x), (x), V(x)

Find the built-in potential Vbi Use the depletion approximation (x)
(depletion-layer widths xp, xn unknown)

Integrate (x) to find (x)

boundary conditions (-xp)=0, (xn)=0

Integrate (x) to obtain V(x)

boundary conditions V(-xp)=0, V(xn)=Vbi

For (x) to be continuous at x=0, NAxp = NDxn

solve for xp, xn
Spring 2003 EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 7

Built-In Potential Vbi

qVbi = S p side S n side = ( Ei EF ) p side + ( EF Ei ) n side

For non-degenerately doped material:

p ( Ei E F ) p side = kT ln n i NA = kT ln n i
Spring 2003 EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 8

n ( E F Ei ) n side = kT ln n i ND = kT ln n i

Vbi for One-Sided pn Junctions

qVbi = ( Ei E F ) p side + ( E F Ei ) n side

p+n junction

n+p junction

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 9

The Depletion Approximation

On the p-side, = qNA
qN d = A s dx ( x) = qN A

x + C1 =

-qNA

(x + x p )

On the n-side, = qND

( x) = -qN D

( xn x )

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 10

Electric Field in the Depletion Layer

The electric field is continuous at x = 0 NAxp = NDxn

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 11

Electrostatic Potential in the Depletion Layer

On the p-side:

V ( x) =

qN A ( x + x p ) 2 + D1 2 s

(arbitrarily choose the voltage at x = xp to be 0) On the n-side:

V ( x) = qN D qN D ( xn x ) 2 + D2 = Vbi ( xn x ) 2 2 s 2 s
EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 12

Spring 2003

 At x = 0, expressions for p-side and n-side must be equal:

We also know that NAxp = NDxn

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 13

Depletion Layer Width

Eliminating xp, we have:
xn = 2 sVbi q NA N (N + N ) D D A

Eliminating xn, we have:

xp = 2 sVbi q ND N (N + N ) D A A

Summing, we have:
xn + x p = W =
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2 sVbi q

1 1 N + N D A

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 14

One-Sided Junctions
If NA >> ND as in a p+n junction:
W= 2 sVbi xn qN D

x p = xn N D N A 0

What about a n+p junction?

W = 2 s Vbi qN
Spring 2003

where

1 1 1 1 = + N N D N A lighter dopant density

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 15

Peak Electric Field 1 dx = 2 (0) W = Vbi VA

For a one-sided junction, W

2 s (Vbi VA ) qN

so

(0) = 2(V W V )
bi A

2qN (Vbi VA )

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 16

Example
A p+n junction has NA=1020 cm-3 and ND =1017cm-3. What is a) its built in potential, b)W , c)xn , and d) xp ?

Solution: a)

Vbi =

EG kT N D + ln 1V 2q q ni
1/ 2

2 12 8.85 1014 1 b) W 2 sVbi = 1.6 1019 1017 qN D

= 0.12 m

c) xn W = 0.12 m d) x p = xn N D N A = 1.2 104 m = 1.2 0

Spring 2003 EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 17

Linearly Graded Junction

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 18

Biased PN Junctions

REQUIREMENT: VA < Vbi, otherwise, we cannot assume low-level injection

Spring 2003 EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 19

Current Flow - Qualitative

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 20

Effect of Bias on Electrostatics

Spring 2003

EE130 Lecture 10, Slide 21