ECE 1231 Electronics

Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering International Islamic University Malaysia

Chapter 3 Diode Circuits

Rectifier Circuits

Rectifier Circuits
A dc power supply is required to bias all electronic circuits. A diode rectifier forms the first stage of a dc power supply.

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Diagram of an Electronic Power Supply

Rectification is the process of converting an alternating (ac) voltage into one that is limited to one polarity. Rectification is classified as half-wave or full-wave rectifier.
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Half-Wave Rectification
vI N1 vS N2

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Ideal transformer circuit : N1 and N2 are the number of primary and secondary turns N1 / N2 is the transformer turns ratio

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Half-Wave Rectification
Half-wave rectifier circuit and voltage transfer characteristics, vO versus vS. For vS < V, the diode will be nonconducting, so the output voltage will remain zero.

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When vS > V, The diode becomes forward biased and a current is induced in the circuit.

and
For vS > V, the slop of the transfer curve is 1, assuming the diode forward resistance rf =0.

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Half-Wave Rectification
If vS is the sinusoidal signal, the output voltage can be found by using the voltage transfer curve.

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For vS > V, vO = vS - V for vS V, output voltage is zero.

When diode is cut off, no voltage drop occurs across resistor R, entire input signal voltage appears across the diode.

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Half-Wave Rectified Signal

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The DC voltage out of the diode: VDC = 0.318Vm, where Vm = the peak voltage Electronics

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Effect of VT on Half-Wave Rectified Signal

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Example 2.1

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VPS = 12V, R = 100W Vg = 0.6V; vs(t) =24 sin wt Determine the peak diode current, max reverse bias diode voltage and the fraction of the cycle which the diode is conducting

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Full-Wave Rectification

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The full-wave rectifier inverts the negative portions of the sine wave so that a unipolar output is generated during both halves of the input sinusoid. Primary winding connected to 120 V ac source and has N1 windings Each half of the secondary winding has N2 windings

The value of vs output voltage is 120 (N2/N1) volts (rms)

The turns ratio N2/N1 of the transformer is usually designed to step down the input line voltage to a value that will produce a particular dc output voltage from the rectifier.

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Full-Wave Rectification
The full-wave rectifier inverts the negative portions of the sine wave so that a unipolar output is generated during both halves of the input sinusoid. During the positive half of the input voltage cycle, diode D1 is forward biased and conducting and D2 is reverse biased or off. The current through D1 and the output resistance produce a positive output voltage. During the negative half cycle, diode D1 is cut off and D2 is forward biased or on. The current through the output resistance again produces a positive output voltage. The voltage transfer characteristics, vO versus vS, assuming that forward diode resistance rf of each diode is small and negligible.

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Full-Wave Rectification
When vS > V, D1 is on and the output voltage is vO = vS - V.

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When vS is negative, then for vS < -V or -vS > V, D2 is on and the output voltage is vO = -vS - V.

Since a rectified output voltage occurs during both positive and negative cycles of the input signal, this circuit is called a full-wave rectifier.

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Full-Wave Rectification

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The rectification process can be improved by using more diodes in a full-wave rectifier circuit. Full-wave rectification produces a greater DC output.

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Bridge Rectifier
During the positive half of the input voltage cycle, vS is positive, D1 and D2 are forward biased, D3 and D4 are reverse biased and produces the output voltage across R. During the negative half cycle, vS is negative, D3 and D4 are forward biased, D1 and D2 are reverse biased and produces the same output voltage polarity as before.

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Rectifier Circuits
Example
Compare the transformer turns ratio in two full-wave rectifier circuits. Consider the input voltage is from 120 V (rms), 60 Hz ac source. The desired peak output voltage vO = 9 V, and diode cut-in voltage V = 0.7 V.

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Rectifier Circuits
Consider the input voltage is from 120 V (rms), 60 Hz ac source. The desired peak output voltage vO = 9 V, and diode cut-in voltage V = 0.7 V.

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Filters, Ripple Voltage, and Diode Current

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A capacitor is added in parallel with the load resistor of a half-wave rectifier to form a simple filter circuit.
The voltage across capacitor follows the initial portion of the signal voltage. When the signal voltage reaches its peak and begins to decrease, the voltage across the capacitor starts to decrease or discharge.

If the RC time constant is large, the voltage across the capacitor discharges exponentially.
During this time period, the diode is cut off.

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Filters, Ripple Voltage, and Diode Current

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During the next positive cycle of the input voltage, there is a point at which the input voltage is greater than the capacitor voltage, diode turns back on.
The diode remains on until the input reaches its peak value and the capacitor voltage is completely recharged. Since the capacitor filters out a large portion of the sinusoidal signal, called a filter capacitor.
The steady-state output voltage of the RC filter

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Filters, Ripple Voltage, and Diode Current

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Figure: Half-wave rectifier with smoothing capacitor.

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Filters, Ripple Voltage, and Diode Current

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The ripple effect in the output from a full-wave rectifier circuit: The capacitor charges to its peak voltage value when the input signal is at its peak value. As the input decreases, the diode becomes reverse biased and the capacitor discharges through the output resistor R.

The output voltage or the voltage across the capacitor:

t = time after the output has reached its peak RC = time constant of the circuit

The smallest output voltage:

T = the discharge time

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Filters, Ripple Voltage, and Diode Current

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The ripple voltage Vr is the difference between VM and VL:

The diode in a filtered rectifier circuit conducts for a brief interval t near the peak of the input signal. The diode current supplies the charge lost by the capacitor during the discharge time.

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Voltage Regulator

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A voltage regulator supplies constant voltage to a load.

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Zener Diode Circuit

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The breakdown voltage of a Zener diode is nearly constant over a wide range of reverse-bias currents. This make the Zener diode useful in a voltage regulator, or a constant-voltage reference circuit. We can write:

For the diode current IZ, we get: where IL = VZ / RL

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Zener Diode Circuit

For proper operation of the circuit:

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The diode must remain in the breakdown region.

The power dissipation in the diode must not exceed its rated value. The current in the diode is a minimum, IZ(min), when the load current is a maximum, IL(max), and the source voltage is a minimum, VPS(min).

The current in the diode is a maximum, IZ(max), when the load current is a minimum, IL(min), and the source voltage is a maximum, VPS(max).
We obtain:

and

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Zener Diode Circuit

Example

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The voltage regulator is to power a car radio at VL = 9 V from an automobile battery whose voltage may very between 11 and 13.6 V. The current in the radio will very between 0 (off) and 100 mA (full volume). If the min Zener current to be one-tenth the max Zener current, or IZ(min) = 0.1 IZ(max), find the value of the current-limiting resistor Ri.

We get:

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Clipper and Clamper Circuits

Clippers

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Clipper circuits, also called limiter circuits, are used to eliminate portion of a signal that are above or below a specified level.

The diode D1 is off as long as v1 < VB + V. With D1 off, the current is approximately zero, the voltage drop across R is essentially zero and the output voltage follows the input voltage. If v1 > VB + V, the diode turns on, the output voltage is clipped and vO = VB + V. In this circuit, the output is clipped above VB + V.

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Clippers

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Other clipping circuits can be constructed by reversing the diode, the polarity of the voltage.

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Clippers

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Diode clipper circuit can be designed such that the dc power supply is in series with the input signals.

Series-based diode clipper circuits and their corresponding output responses

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Clippers

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Positive and negative clipping can be performed simultaneously by using a double limiter or a parallel-based clipper.

The parallel-based clipper is designed with two diodes and two voltage sources oriented in opposite directions.
The voltage transfer characteristics of the limiter circuit. The limiter is a liner circuit if the signal is in the rage , where Av = slope of the transfer curve.

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Clippers
Example Find the output of the parallel-based clipper.

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For simplicity, assume that V = 0 and rf = 0 for both diodes.

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Clampers

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Clamping shifts the entire signal voltage by a dc level.

The sinusoidal input voltage signal, vI.

During the first 90 degrees of the input waveform, voltage across the capacitor, vC = vI (assuming that rf = 0 & V = 0). When vC reaches its peak and begins to decrease, the diode is reverse biased. Ideally, capacitor cannot discharge, so that vC = VM.

By KVL, we get

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Clampers

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A clamping circuit that includes an independent voltage source VB.

In this circuit, the RLC time constant is assumed to be large, where RL is the load resistance. For simplicity, assume that rf = 0 & V = 0, then output is clamped at VB. An example of a sinusoidal input signal and the resulting output voltage signal are plotted, the output is shifted in a negative voltage direction. Similarly, a square-wave input signal and the resulting output voltage signal are plotted by neglecting the diode capacitance effects and assuming that the voltage can change instantaneously.

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Diode Logic Circuits

Diode Logic Circuits

A two-input diode OR logic circuit and its operation:

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Diode Logic Circuits

A two-input diode AND logic circuit and its operation:

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