Lecture 13

OUTLINE
pn Junction Diodes (contd)
Charge control model
Small-signal model
Transient response: turn-off


Reading: Pierret 6.3.1, 7, 8.1; Hu 4.4, 4.10-4.11
Minority-Carrier Charge Storage
Under forward bias (V
A
> 0), excess minority carriers are
stored in the quasi-neutral regions of a pn junction:
P n n
x
n P
L x p qA
dx x p qA Q
n
) (
) (
A =
A =
}

N p p
x
p N
L x n qA
dx x n qA Q
p
) (
) (
A =
A =
}

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 2

Derivation of Charge Control Model
Consider the n quasi-neutral region of a forward-biased pn junction:
The minority carrier diffusion equation is (assuming G
L
=0):



Since the electric field is very small,


Therefore

p
n n
P
n
p
x
p
D
t
p
t
A

c
A c
=
c
A c
2
2
x
p
P P
n
qD J
c
A c
=
p
n P n
p q
x
J
t
p q
t
A

c
c
=
c
A c ) (
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 3
Integrating over the n quasi-neutral region:





Note that


So
(
(

A =
(
(

A
c
c
} } }

n
P
n p n
x
n
p
J
x J
P
x
n
dx p qA dJ A dx p qA
t t
1
) (
) (
) ( ) ( ) ( ) (
) (
) (
n P n P n P P
J
x J
P
x I x AJ x AJ AJ dJ A
P
n p
= = + =
}

p
P
n P
P
Q
x I
dt
dQ
t
= ) (
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 4
Derivation Assuming a Long Base
We can calculate pn-junction current in 2 ways:
1. From slopes of An
p
(-x
p
) and Ap
n
(x
n
)
2. From steady-state charges Q
N
, Q
P
stored in each excess-
minority-charge distribution:

p
P
n P
Q
x I

) ( =
n
N
p N
Q
x I

) ( Similarly,

=
0

) ( = =
p
P
n P
P
Q
x I
dt
dQ
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 5
Charge Control Model
Charge Control Model for Narrow Base
For a narrow-base diode, replace t
p
and/or t
n
by
the minority-carrier transit time t
tr

time required for minority carrier to travel across the quasi-
neutral region
For holes in narrow n-side:






Similarly, for electrons in narrow p-side:

( )
P
N
P
P
p tr
N
n n
P
n
P P P
N n n
W
x
n P
D
W
I
Q
W
x p
qAD
dx
p d
qAD AJ I
W x p qA dx x p qA Q
N
n
2

) (
) (
2
1
) (
2
,
'
= =
'
A
=
A
= =
'
A = A =
}
( )
N
P
n tr
D
W
2

2
,
'
=
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 6
Charge Control Model Summary
Under forward bias, minority-carrier charge is stored in the
quasi-neutral regions of a pn diode.
Long base:


Narrow base:
( )
P
kT qV
D
i
P
L e
N
n
qA Q
A
1
/
2
=
( )
N
kT qV
A
i
N
L e
N
n
qA Q
A
1
/
2
=
( )
P
kT qV
A
i
N
W e
N
n
qA Q
A
'
= 1
2
1
/
2
( )
N
kT qV
D
i
P
W e
N
n
qA Q
A
'
= 1
2
1
/
2
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 7
The steady-state diode current can be viewed as the
charge supply required to compensate for charge loss
via recombination (for long base) or collection at the
contacts (for narrow base).

Long base (both sides):


Narrow base (both sides):


where and
p
P
n
N
Q Q
I

+

=
p tr
P
n tr
N
Q Q
I
, ,

+

=
P
P
p
P
N
N
n
N
L
D L
L
D L
= =

and

Note that
( )
N
P
n tr
D
W
2

2
,
'
=
( )
P
N
p tr
D
W
2

2
,
'
=
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 8
Small-Signal Model of the Diode
kT qV kT qV
e I
dV
d
e I
dV
d
dV
dI
R
/
0
A
/
0
A A
A A
) 1 (
1
~ = =
q kT
I
e I
kT
q
R
G
DC
kT qV
/
1
/
0
A
~ =
dt
dv
C
R
v
i
a a
+ =
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 9
i
v
+

Small-signal
conductance:
Charge Storage in pn Junction Diode
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 10
pn Junction Small-Signal Capacitance

2 types of capacitance associated with a pn junction:
depletion capacitance

due to variation of depletion charge
diffusion capacitance

due to variation of stored
minority charge in the quasi-neutral regions
For a one-sided p
+
n junction Q =

Q
P
+ Q
N
~ Q
P
so

q kT
I
G
dV
dI
dV
dQ
C
P
/

DC p
p
A
p
A
D
= = = =
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 11
A
dep
dV
dQ
C
J
A
dV
dQ
C
D
Depletion Capacitance
What are three ways to reduce C
J
?
W
A
dV
dQ
C
s
c
=
A
dep
J
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 12
Total pn-Junction Capacitance
C = C
D
+ C
J


C
D
dominates at moderate to high forward biases
C
J
dominates at low forward biases, reverse biases
( ) 1
/

/
DC
D
=
kT qV
A
e
q kT
I
C
W
A C
s
c
=
J
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 13
Using C-V Data to Determine Doping
N q A
V V
A
W
C
S
s
c
c
2
A bi
2
2
2
2
J
) ( 2 1
~ =
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 14
Example
If the slope of the (1/C)
2
vs. V
A
characteristic is -2x10
23
F
-2
V
-1
,
the intercept is 0.84V, and A is 1 m
2
, find the dopant
concentration N
l
on the more lightly doped side and the
dopant concentration N
h
on the more heavily doped side.

Solution:

= ln
2
i
l h
bi
n
N N
q
kT
V
3 18
026 . 0
84 . 0
15
20
2
cm 10 8 . 1
10 6
10

=

= = e e
N
n
N
kT
qV
l
i
h
bi
( )
3 15
2
8 12 19 23
2
cm 10 6
) 10 10 10 6 . 1 10 2 /( 2
) /( 2

=
=
= A q slope N
s l
c
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 15
Small-Signal Model Summary
q kT
I
G
DC
/
~
q kT
I
C
/

DC
D
=
W
A
C
s
J
c
=
) 1 (
/
0
A
=
kT qV
DC
e I I
D J
C C C + =
Depletion capacitance
Diffusion capacitance
Conductance
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 16
Transient Response of pn Diode
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 17
Suppose a pn-diode is forward biased, then suddenly turned
off at time t = 0. Because of C
D
, the voltage across the pn
junction depletion region cannot be changed instantaneously.

The delay in switching between
the ON and OFF states is due
to the time required to change
the amount of excess minority
carriers stored in the
quasi-neutral regions.
Turn-Off Transient
In order to turn the diode off, the excess minority
carriers must be removed by net carrier flow out of
the quasi-neutral regions and/or recombination
Carrier flow is limited by the switching circuitry

EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 18
Decay of Stored Charge
Consider a p
+
n diode (Q
p
>> Q
n
):

t
i(t)
t
v
A
(t)
t
s
t
s
0 > =
= p x x
n
qAD
i
dx
dp
n
For t > 0:
Ap
n
(x)
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 19
Storage Delay Time, t
s
t
s
is the primary figure of merit used to characterize the
transient response of pn junction diodes



By separation of variables and integration from t = 0
+
to t = t
s
,
noting that

and making the approximation

We conclude that
s
p
p
R
p
p p
t t
Q
I
Q
i
dt
dQ
s s
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ = =
+
0

p p F
t Q I / ) 0 ( = =
0 ) ( = =
s p
t t Q
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ ~
R
F
p s
I
I
t 1 ln
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 20
Qualitative Examples
t
i(t)
t
s
Increase I
F
t
i(t)
t
s
Increase I
R
t
i(t)
t
s
Decrease t
p
EE130/230M Spring 2013 Lecture 13, Slide 21
Illustrate how the turn-off transient response would change: