CHAPTER8Thepn JunctionDiode

Considertheprocessbywhichthepotentialbarrierofapn junctionisloweredwhenaforwardbias voltageisapplied,so holesandelectronscanflowacrossthejunctiongeneratinga diodecurrent. Derivetheboundaryconditionsforexcessholesinthenregion andexcess electronsinthepregion,andanalyzethebehavior oftheseexcesscarriersunderaforwardbias. Derivetheidealcurrentvoltagerelationoftheforwardbiased pn junctiondiode. Describeandanalyzenonideal effectsinthepn junctiondiode suchashigh levelinjection,andgenerationandrecombination currents. Developasmallsignalequivalentcircuitofthepn junction diode.Thisequivalentcircuitisusedtorelatesmalltimevarying currentsandvoltagesinthepn junction. Discusslargesignaldiodeswitchingcharacteristics. Describeaspecializedpn junctioncalledatunneldiode.
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InFigure8.1c,thetotalpotentialbarrierisreduced.Therewillbeadiffusionof holesfromthepregionacrossthespacechargeregionwheretheywillflowinto thenregion.Similarly,therewillbeadiffusionofelectronsfromthenregion acrossthespacechargeregionwheretheywillflowintothepregion.

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Theidealcurrentvoltagerelationshipofapn junctionisderivedonthebasis offourassumptions. 1.Theabruptdepletionlayerapproximationapplies.Thespacecharge regionshaveabruptboundaries,andthesemiconductorisneutraloutsideof thedepletionregion. 2.TheMaxwellBoltzmannapproximationappliestocarrierstatistics. 3.Theconceptsoflowinjectionandcompleteionizationapply. 4a.Thetotalcurrentisaconstantthroughouttheentirepn structure. 4b.Theindividualelectronandholecurrentsarecontinuousfunctions throughthepn structure. 4c.Theindividualelectronandholecurrentsareconstantthroughoutthe depletionregion.

Thebuiltinpotentialbarrierprevents thislargedensityofelectronsfrom flowingintothepregion.

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TheelectricfieldEapp inducedbytheappliedvoltageisintheopposite directiontothethermalequilibriumspacechargeelectricfield,sothenet electricfieldinthespacechargeregionisreducedbelowtheequilibriumvalue. Theelectricfieldforcethatpreventedmajoritycarriersfromcrossingthespace chargeregionisreduced;majoritycarrierelectronsfromthensidearenow injectedacrossthedepletionregionintothepmaterial,andmajoritycarrier holesfromthepsideareinjectedacrossthedepletionregionintothen material.

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CommentofEx8.1 Theminoritycarrier concentrationscanincreaseby manyordersofmagnitude whenarelativelysmall forwardbiasvoltageisapplied.

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Ifareversebiasedvoltagegreaterthanafewtenthsofavoltisappliedto thepn junction,thenweseefromEquations(8.6)and(8.7)thattheminority carrierconcentrationsatthespacechargeedgeareessentiallyzero.

8.1.4MinorityCarrierDistribution

ThequasiFermilevelsarelinearfunctionsofdistanceintheneutralpandn regions closetothespacechargeedgeinthepregion,EFn EFi >0whichmeansthat n>ni.Furtherfromthespacechargeedge,EFn EFi <0whichmeansthatn < 9 ni andtheexcesselectronconcentrationisapproachingzero.

8.1.5Idealpn JunctionCurrent
thetotalpn junctioncurrent willbetheminority carrierholediffusioncurrent atx=xn plustheminority carrierelectrondiffusion currentatx=xp.

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IfthevoltageVa becomesnegative (reversebias)byafewkT eV,then thereversebiasedcurrentdensity becomesindependentofthe reversebiasedvoltage. TheparameterJs isthenreferred toasthereversesaturationcurrent density.
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CommentofEx8.2,Theidealreversebiasedsaturationcurrentdensityisverysmall.

Ideally,thisplotyieldsastraightlinewhenVa is greaterthanafewkT eV.Theforwardbias currentisanexponentialfunctionoftheforward biasvoltage.

Thedifferencebetweentotalcurrentand minoritycarrierdiffusioncurrentisamajority carriercurrent.

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CommentofEx8.4, Weassumed,inthederivationofthecurrentvoltageequation,thattheelectric fieldintheneutralpandnregionswaszero.Althoughtheelectricfieldisnotzero, thisexampleshowsthatthemagnitudeisverysmallthustheapproximationof zeroelectricfieldisverygood.

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8.1.7TemperatureEffect
Forasiliconpn junction,theidealreversesaturationcurrentdensitywill increasebyapproximatelyafactorof4forevery10Cincreasein temperature. Astemperatureincreases,lessforwardbiasvoltageisrequiredtoobtain thesamediodecurrent.Ifthevoltageisheldconstant,thediodecurrent willincreaseastemperatureincreases.

8.1.8TheShortDiode
thelengthWn isassumedtobemuch smallerthantheminoritycarrierhole diffusionlength,Lp.

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Sincetheminoritycarrierconcentrationisapproximatelyalinearfunction ofdistancethroughthenregion,theminoritycarrierdiffusioncurrent densityisaconstant.

8.2|GENERATIONRECOMBINATIONCURRENTSANDHIGH INJECTIONLEVELS 8.2.1 GenerationRecombinationCurrents

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Thenegative signimpliesa negativerecombinationrate; hence,wearereallygenerating electronholepairswithinthe reversebiasedspacecharge region.

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CommentofEx8.6,forthesiliconpn junctiondiodeatroomtemperature, thegenerationcurrentdensityisapproximatelyfourordersofmagnitude largerthantheidealsaturationcurrentdensity.Thegenerationcurrentisthe dominantreversebiasedcurrentinasiliconpn junctiondiode.

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ForwardBiasRecombinationCurrent

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Atthecenterofthespacechargeregion,

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TotalForwardBiasCurrentThe totalforwardbiascurrentdensity inthepn junctionisthesumofthe recombinationandtheideal diffusioncurrentdensities. Ifsomeoftheinjectedholesinthe spacechargeregionarelostdueto recombination,thenadditional holesmustbeinjectedfromthep regiontomakeupforthisloss.The flowoftheseadditionalinjected carriers,perunittime,resultsin therecombinationcurrent.

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8.2.2HighLevelInjection

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Inthehighlevelinjectionregion,it takesalargerincreaseindiodevoltage toproduceagivenincreaseindiode current.

8.3|SMALLSIGNALMODELOFTHEpn JUNCTION

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Ifweassumethatthediodeisbiasedsufficientlyfarintheforward biasregion,thenthe(1)termcanbeneglectedandtheincremental conductancebecomes

Theincrementalresistanceisalsoknownas thediffusionresistance.
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TheshadedareasrepresentsthechargeQthatisalternatelychargedand dischargedduringtheacvoltagecycle. Themechanismofcharginganddischargingofholesinthenregionand electronsinthepregionleadstoacapacitance,calleddiffusioncapacitance. themagnitudeofthediffusioncapacitanceinaforwardbiasedpn junction27 is usuallysubstantiallylargerthanthejunctioncapacitance.

MathematicalAnalysis

assume 1v1(t)1 < (kT/ e) = Vt, the time-varying voltage v1(t) is a sinusoidal signal,

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dcac

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Oneconsequenceofthe approximationsTp0<1andTn0< 1isthattherearenowigglesinthe minoritycarriercurves. Thesinusoidalfrequencyislowenough sothattheexponentialcurvesare maintainedatalltimes.

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8.3.3EquivalentCircuit

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*8.4|CHARGESTORAGEANDDIODETRANSIENTS

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thereversebiaseddensitygradientis constant;thus,theminoritycarrier concentrationsatthespacecharge edgedecreasewithtime ThisreversecurrentIRwillbe approximatelyconstantfor0< t< ts, wherets iscalledthestorage time.

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*8.5|THETUNNELDIODE
Thetunneldiodeisapn junctioninwhichboththenandpregionsare degenerately doped. Thedepletionregionwidthdecreasesasthedopingincreasesandmaybe ontheorderofapproximately100

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(b)Thereisafiniteprobabilitythatsomeof theseelectronswilltunneldirectlyintotheempty states,producingaforwardbiastunneling current (e)thetunnelingcurrentwillbezeroandthe normalidealdiffusioncurrentwillexist

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Electronsinthevalencebandonthepsidearedirectlyoppositeempty statesintheconductionbandonthenside,soelectronscannowtunnel directlyfromthepregionintothenregion,resultinginalargereverse biasedtunnelingcurrent.

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