Chapter- 5

Junctions: Reverse Breakdown and

Transient Response
EEE F241
Lecture 20-21
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Reverse-Bias Breakdown
Breakdown
voltage

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Zener Breakdown

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Approximate Analysis

How VBR is related to:

Band gap
doping level

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Figure Critical field at breakdown versus background doping for Si and

GaAs one-sided abrupt junctions.
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Figure Avalanche breakdown voltage versus impurity concentration Dash-dot

line indicates the onset of the tunneling mechanism.
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Rectifiers

Piecewise-linear approximations of junction diode characteristics

Ideal diode

Ideal diode with an offset voltage

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Real diode

Design of junction diode for rectifiers

VBR should be large and offset voltage Eo in the forward
direction should be small.
Band gap of a material
ni is small for large Eg material
Io decreases as Eg increases.

Doping concentration on each side

Influences Vbr, Vo and R

Physical geometry
Punch-through (is a breakdown below the value of Vbr.

Note: For devices designed for use at high reverse bias, care
must be taken to avoid premature breakdown across the edge
of the sample
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Figure 524
Beveled edge and guard ring to prevent edge breakdown under reverse bias:
(a) diode with beveled edge; (b) closeup view of edge, showing reduction of
depletion region near the level; (c) guard ring.
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p+ - n - n+

junction diode

Figure 525

A p+- n - n+ junction diode: (a) device configuration; (b) zero-bias condition; (c)
reverse-biased to punch-through.
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Lecture-21

TRANSIENT AND A-C CONDITIONS

How junction behaves under ac conditions??

Two simultaneous variables: space and time

To illustrate it
Switching of a diode from its forward state to its reverse
state is analyzed
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Time Variation of stored charges

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Effects of a step turn-off transient in a p+n diode

Q p (t ) I p e

t / p

Qp (t 0) I p , i(t 0) 0 When the current is

suddenly removed at t = 0,
the diode has a stored
charge.
Some time is required for
Qp(t) to reach to zero.

EEE C381

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EEE C381

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EEE C381

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Switching diodes

Time response
Approaches:
Add efficient recombination centers to the bulk
material.
Make lightly doped neutral region shorter than a
minority carrier diffusion length.

EEE C381

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Capacitance of p-n junctions

Capacitance
Junction Capacitance
1

Due to dipole in SCR

Dominant under reverse

bias

Also known as Depletion

capacitance

EEE C381

Charge storage Capacitance

1

Due to charge storage

effect

Dominant under forward

bias

Also known as Diffusion

capacitance

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Example
The slope of the line in fig. is 2 x 1023 F-2V-1, the
intercept is 0.84 V. and the area of the PN junction is 1
m2. Find the doping concentration of the pn junction
(Assume Si material at 300 K)

EEE C381

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