2.

Power Semiconductor
Diodes
EE405 – Power Electronics
Spring 2019

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Semiconductor Diode Basics
• Diodes act as a switch to perform various functions
• N-type material:
• Majority charge carrier Electrons
• P-type material:
• Majority charge carrier Holes
• Depletion Region: Region of uncovered positive and
negative ions, depletion of carriers in this region.
• Barrier Potential: the potential difference of electric
field across the depletion region, required to move
electrons through the electric field

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Power Diodes
• Power diodes can be assumed as ideal switches for most applications but
practical diodes differ from the ideal characteristics and have certain
limitation.
• Power diodes are similar to pn junction signal diodes.
• Power diodes have larger power, voltage and current handling capabilities
than ordinary signal diodes.
• The frequency response, i.e. its switching speed is low compared to signal
diodes.
• Threshold voltage is approximately equal to 1V of the power diode.

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Power Diode Characteristics:

(d) Ideal Characteristic Curve

(c) Practical Characteristic Curve

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Schockley Diode Equation:
The diode v-i characteristics can be expressed by a mathematical equation
𝐼𝐷 = 𝐼𝑠 𝑒 𝑉𝐷Τ𝑛𝑉𝑇 − 1
• 𝐼𝐷 = 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑒 [𝐴]
• 𝑉𝐷 = 𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑒 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉
• 𝐼𝑠 = 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐴
• 𝑛 = 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 (1 − 2)
• 𝑉𝑇 = 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
𝑘𝑇
𝑉𝑇 =
𝑞
• 𝑞 = 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 ∶ 1.6022 × 10−19 𝐶
• 𝑇 = 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛 ℃ + 273
• 𝑘 = 𝐵𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑧𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑛′ 𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 ∶ 1.3806 × 10−23 𝐽/𝐾

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Forward Biased Region:
• VD > 0
• Diode voltage is large than the threshold voltage, i.e. the voltage
required for the diode to turn on.
• The voltage at which the diode fully conducts.
• Diode current ID >> leakage current IS.
𝑉𝐷
• Therefore, 𝐼𝐷 = 𝐼𝑆 𝑒 𝑛𝑉𝑇

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Reverse Biased Region:
• VD < 0
• Diode voltage VD is –ve
• Lesser than the threshold voltage.
• Only leakage current flows.
• Therefore, 𝐼𝐷 = −𝐼𝑆

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Breakdown Region:
• Reverse voltage is very high
• Reaches a value called breakdown voltage VBR
• Reverse current changes rapidly with small changes in reverse
voltages beyond VBR.
• This is destructive for the diode.

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Example
The forward voltage drop of a power diode is 𝑉𝐷 = 1.2𝑉 at 𝐼𝐷 = 300𝐴.
Assuming 𝑛 = 2 and junction temperature of 25℃, find the reverse
saturation current 𝐼𝑠 ?
Solution:
1.3806 × 10−23 × (25 + 273)
𝑉𝑇 = −19
= 25.7𝑚𝑉
1.6022 × 10
1.2ൗ
300 = 𝐼𝑠 𝑒 2×25.7×10−3 −1

𝐼𝑠 = 2.17746 × 10−8 𝐴

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Reverse Recovery Time
• Current in forward biased junction diode conducts due to the net effect of
majority and minority carriers
• Once a diode is in forward conduction mode and then the forward current is
reduced to zero, the diode still carries on conducting due to minority carriers,
which remain stored in the p-n junction.
• After the forward diode comes to null, the diode continues to conduct in the
opposite direction because of the presence of stored charges in the depletion
layer and the p or n-layer.
• The minority carriers require a certain time to neutralize.
• This time is called reverse recovery time of the diode.
• Soft recovery
• Abrupt Recovery

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• The diode current flows for a
reverse-recovery time trr.
• It is the time between the instant
forward diode current becomes
zero and the instant reverse-
recovery current decays to 25 %
of its reverse maximum value.
𝑡𝑟𝑟 = 𝑡𝑎 + 𝑡𝑏
• Area under curve represents the
stored charge QR which must be • Time ta: Charges stored in the depletion layer removed
• Time tb: Charges from the semiconductor layer is
removed during reverse-recovery removed
time trr.

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Reverse Recovery Time (Softness Factor)
• To know it quantitatively, we can use the S – factor (softness factor)
• Softness factor (SF) = tb / ta
• S-factor: measure of the voltage transient that occurs during the time
the diode recovers
• S-factor = 1 ⇒ low oscillatory reverse-recovery process. (Soft –
recovery diode)
• S-factor <1 ⇒ large oscillatory over voltage (snappy-recovery diode or
fast-recovery diode)

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 𝑑𝑖
• Peak reverse current: 𝐼𝑅𝑅 = 𝑡𝑎
𝑑𝑡
• Trr depends on junction temperature, rate of fall of forward current and forward current before
commutation
• Reverse recovery charge Q RR: the amount of charge carriers that flow across the diode in the reverse
direction due to the change over from forward conduction to reverse blocking condition. Its value is
determined from the area enclosed in the path of reverse recovery current (area under curve)
1 2𝑄𝑅𝑅
• 𝑄𝑅𝑅 ≅ 𝐼 𝑡 or 𝐼𝑅𝑅 ≅
2 𝑅𝑅 𝑟𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑟

• Placing the value of IRR in this equation and assuming that tb is negligible compared to ta, we get:
𝑑𝑖
𝐼𝑅𝑅 = 2𝑄𝑅𝑅
𝑑𝑡

• IRR, QRR, SF are all parameters present in the data sheets.

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Example:
The reverse recovery time of a diode is trr = 3𝜇s and the rate of fall of
the diode current is 𝑑𝑖Τ𝑑𝑡 = 30𝐴/𝜇𝑠. Determine (a) the storage charge
Q RR and (b) the peak reverse current IRR

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Types of Diodes:
Depending on the recovery characteristics and manufacturing techniques,
power diodes are classified into three categories:
i. Standard or general purpose diodes
ii. Fast recovery diodes
iii. Schottky diodes

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General purpose diodes
• Relatively high reverse recovery time, about 25 µs.
• Used in low speed applications where recovery
time is not critical
• Diode rectifiers and converters with low input
frequency up to 1KHz applications
• Current ratings: less than 1A to several thousands
of Amps
• Voltage rating: 50V to 5KV

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Fast Recovery Diodes
• Have low recovery time, less than 5 µs
• Used in dc-dc and dc-ac converter circuits,
where speed of recovery is critical.
• Current rating from less than 1A to hundreds of
Amps
• Voltage rating: 50V to around 3 KV

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Schottky Diodes
• Stored charge problem of p-n junction can be eliminated in Schottky diode
• It consists of a metal-semiconductor junction. Junction is between a metal layer and n-
type silicon.
• Only majority carriers, no minority carriers. So the reverse recovery time minimized.
• Has low forward voltage drop
• Leakage current is higher than that of a pn junction diode.
• Low the conduction voltage max voltage allowable: 100V
• Current rating : 1A to 300A
• Ideal for high current and low voltage dc power
supplies
• Also used in low current power supplies for
increased efficiency.

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Series Connected Diodes:
• In high voltage applications, one diode cannot
meet the required voltage rating
• Diodes are connected in series to increase the
reverse blocking capabilities
• Two diodes connected in series in reverse biased
condition should carry the same reverse leakage
current, according to Kirchhoff rule.
• Differences in device characteristics will lead to
uneven voltage sharing of the reverse voltage, to a
point where one of the diodes may fail.
• VD1 is very close to breakdown.

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• Solution: Resistors are connected across each diode
• Balancing resistors share the reverse voltage more equally among a chain of
series connected diodes.
• This forces voltage to be equal. Due to equal voltage, leakage current will be
different

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Parallel Connected Diodes:
• Used in high power applications
• Increases current carrying capability to meet
desired current requirements
• Here we require current sharing in forward
voltage.
• According to Kirchhoff’s law, the diodes must have
the same voltage drop across each of them
• But diode characteristics are never identical, even
if they are of the same type.
• Parallel operation may lead to different currents in
each diode
• May lead to failure of diode D1

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• Solution: connect resistors in series to the diodes.
• Heat dissipation can be a problem is this circuit
• Forward characteristics of diode are dependent on temperature
• All diodes to be mounted on common heat sink to ensure uniform
temperature

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