EE 2109 Electronics-I

Dr. Mostafa Zaman Chowdhury

Presentation #1

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 1

 EE 2109 Electronics-I
Credit: 3, Contact Hours: 3 Hrs/Week
 Syllabus
 Introduction: Properties of Insulators, Semiconductors, and Metals; Conduction in
solids, Conventional current and electron flow, Drift and diffusion current, Mobility
and Conductivity. The potential barrier; work function; contact potential. The Hall
Effect and Hall devices.
 Semiconductors: Intrinsic Semiconductors: Crystal and energy band diagram,
Electrons and holes, conduction in semiconductors, Electron and hole concentration.
Extrinsic semiconductors: n-type doping, p-type doping, and compensation doping,
Temperature dependence of conductivity, Carrier Concentration Temperature
Dependence, Degenerate and non-degenerate semiconductors. Diffusion and
conduction equations, random motion and continuity equation, Time-dependent
continuity equation, Steady-state continuity equation.
 Semiconductor diode characteristics: Qualitative and Quantitative theory of the p-n
junction as a diode; Ideal pn junction, pn junction band diagram, current components
in p-n diode; Volt-ampere characteristics; Transition and diffusion capacitance,
Dynamic resistance, Reverse breakdown; Avalanche and Zener breakdown; Zener
diode, Rectifier Diode: controlled & uncontrolled rectification, Special-Purpose
Diodes: Tunnel diode, varactor diode, and breakdown diode; Metal oxide semi-
conductor diode, optical diode, PIN diode, Schottky diode, Current regulator diode.
 Transistor: Transistor and its current components, transistor as an amplifier, BJT,
Different transistor configurations, study of load lines, transistor switching times,
detailed study of transistor biasing and thermal stabilization.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 2

 References
 Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Robert L.
Boylestad
 Principle of Electronic Materials and Devices by S O
Kasap
 Electronic Devices and Circuits by Jacob Millman
 Principle of Electronics by V. K. Mehta

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 3

 Semiconductor Materials
 Materials commonly used in the development of
semiconductor devices
 Silicon (Si)
 Germanium (Ge)
 Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 4

 Doping
 The electrical characteristics of silicon and germanium are
improved by adding materials in a process called doping.
 There are just two types of doped semiconductor materials
 n-type
 p-type
 n-type materials contain an excess of conduction band
electrons.
 p-type materials contain an excess of valence band holes.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 5

 Majority and Minority Carriers
 Two currents through a diode
Majority Carriers
− The majority carriers in n-type materials are electrons.
− The majority carriers in p-type materials are holes.

Minority Carriers
− The minority carriers in n-type materials are holes.
− The minority carriers in p-type materials are electrons.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 6

 p-n Junctions (1/2)
 One end of a silicon or germanium crystal can be doped as a
p-type material and the other end as an n-type material.

 The result is a p-n junction

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 7

 p-n Junctions (2/2)
 At the p-n junction, the excess
conduction-band electrons on
the n-type side are attracted to
the valence-band holes on the
p-type side.

The electrons in the n-type

material migrate across the
junction to the p-type material The result is the formation of a
(electron flow). depletion region around the
junction.

 The electron migration results

in a negative charge on the p-
type side of the junction and a
positive charge on the n-type
side of the junction.
Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 8
 Energy Levels

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 9

 Extrinsic Materials (1/2)
 A semiconductor material that
has been subjected to the doping
process is called an extrinsic
material
 n-Type Material
 The n-type is created by
introducing those impurity
elements that have five valence
electrons (pentavalent), such as
antimony, arsenic, and
phosphorus.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 10

 Extrinsic Materials (2/2)
 p-Type Material
 The p-type material is formed
by doping a pure germanium
or silicon crystal with impurity
atoms having three valence
electrons

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 11

 Diodes

The diode is a 2-terminal

device. A diode ideally conducts in only one
direction.
The ideal diode, therefore, is a short circuit for the region of conduction

The ideal diode, therefore, is an open circuit in the region of

nonconduction.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 12

 Diode Characteristics
 Conduction Region  Non-conduction Region
 The voltage across the diode is 0 V  All of the voltage is across the
 The current is infinite diode
 The forward resistance is defined  The current is 0 A
as RF = VF / IF
 The reverse resistance is
 The diode acts like a short defined as RR = VR / IR
 The diode acts like open

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 13

 Diode Operating Conditions

 A diode has three operating conditions

 No bias
 Forward bias
 Reverse bias

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 14

 Diode Operating Conditions- No Bias
 No external voltage is applied: VD = 0 V
 No current is flowing: ID = 0 A
 Only a modest depletion region exists

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 15

 Diode Operating Conditions- Reverse Bias
 External voltage is applied across the p-n junction in the opposite
polarity of the p- and n-type materials.
 The reverse voltage causes the depletion region to widen.
 The electrons in the n-type material are attracted toward the positive
terminal of the voltage source.
 The holes in the p-type material are attracted toward the negative
terminal of the voltage source.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 16

 Diode Operating Conditions- Forward Bias
 External voltage is applied across the p-n junction in the
same polarity as the p- and n-type materials.
 The forward voltage causes the depletion region to narrow
 The electrons and holes are pushed toward the p-n junction
 The electrons and holes have sufficient energy to cross the p-
n junction.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 17

 Actual Diode Characteristics
 Note the regions for
no bias, reverse
bias, and forward
bias conditions.

 Carefully note the

scale for each of
these conditions.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 18

 Zener Region
 The Zener region is in the diode’s
reverse-bias region.
 At some point the reverse bias voltage is
so large the diode breaks down and the
reverse current increases dramatically
 The maximum reverse-bias potential
that can be applied before entering the
Zener region is called the peak inverse
voltage (referred to simply as the PIV
rating) or the peak reverse voltage
(denoted by PRV rating).
 The voltage that causes a diode to enter
the zener region of operation is called
the zener voltage (VZ).

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 19

 Forward Bias Voltage
 The point at which the diode changes from no-bias
condition to forward-bias condition occurs when the
electrons and holes are given sufficient energy to cross the
p-n junction. This energy comes from the external voltage
applied across the diode.
 The forward bias voltage required for a
 gallium arsenide diode  1.2 V
 silicon diode  0.7 V
 germanium diode  0.3 V

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 20

 Temperature Effects
 As temperature increases it adds energy to the
diode.
It reduces the required forward bias voltage for
forward-bias conduction.
It increases the amount of reverse current in the
reverse-bias condition.
It increases maximum reverse bias avalanche voltage.
Germanium diodes are more sensitive to temperature
variations than silicon or gallium arsenide diodes.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 21

 Resistance Levels

 Semiconductors react differently to DC and AC

currents.
 There are three types of resistance
 DC (static) resistance
 AC (dynamic) resistance
 Average AC resistance

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 22

 AC (Dynamic) Resistance

 In the forward bias region

26 mV
rd   rB
ID

• The resistance depends on the amount of current (ID) in the diode.

• The voltage across the diode is fairly constant (26 mV for 25C).
• rB ranges from a typical 0.1  for high power devices to 2  for low power, general purpose
diodes. In some cases rB can be ignored.

 In the reverse bias region

rd  

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 23

 Average AC Resistance

 AC resistance can be calculated using the current and voltage values for
two points on the diode characteristic curve.

ΔVd
rav  pt. to pt.
ΔI d

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 24

 Diode Equivalent Circuit

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 25

 Diode Capacitance

 In reverse bias, the depletion layer is very large. The diode’s strong positive
and negative polarities create capacitance, CT. The amount of capacitance
depends on the reverse voltage applied.
 This is transition or depletion region capacitance

 In forward bias storage capacitance or diffusion capacitance (CD) exists as the

diode voltage increases.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 26

 Reverse Recovery Time (trr)

 Reverse recovery time is the time required for a diode to stop

conducting once it is switched from forward bias to reverse bias.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 27

 Diode Specification Sheets
1. Forward Voltage (VF) at a specified current and temperature
2. Maximum forward current (IF) at a specified temperature
3. Reverse saturation current (IR) at a specified voltage and
temperature
4. Reverse voltage rating, PIV or PRV or V(BR), at a specified
temperature
5. Maximum power dissipation at a specified temperature
6. Capacitance levels
7. Reverse recovery time, trr
8. Operating temperature range

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET

 Zener Diode
 A Zener is a diode operated in reverse bias at the Zener
voltage (VZ).
 Common Zener voltages are between 1.8 V and 200 V

Wireless Networks & Communications Lab. 29

 Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

 An LED emits photons when it is forward biased

 These can be in the infrared or visible spectrum
 The forward bias voltage is usually in the range of 2 V to 3 V.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET

 Difference Between Zener Breakdown and
Avalanche Breakdown
 The Zener effect is a type of electrical breakdown in a reverse biased p-n diode in
which the electric field enables tunneling of electrons from the valence to the
conduction band of a semiconductor, leading to a large number of free minority
carriers, which suddenly increase the reverse current. Zener breakdown is employed
in a Zener diode.
 Under a high reverse-bias voltage, the p-n junction's depletion region widens,
leading to a high strength electric field across the junction. A sufficiently strong
electric field enables tunneling of electrons across the depletion region of a
semiconductor leading to a large number of free charge carriers. This sudden
generation of carriers rapidly increases the reverse current and gives rise to the high
slope conductance of the Zener diode.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 31

 Difference Between Zener Breakdown and
Avalanche Breakdown
 Zener breakdown:
1)heavily doped therefore have narrow depletion layer
2)strong electric field is developed across this narrow layer.
3)covalent bonds break due to very strong electric field so even a small
amount of reverse voltage is capable of producing large number of current
carriers.
zener breakdown voltage is less than avalanche breakdown.
 Avalanche Breakdown needs collision of minority carriers and covalent
bonds to provide electrons and holes. This needs higher potential cos the
minority carriers need to be developed in sufficient numbers to get
sufficient current resulting in break down
 Avalanche breakdown is a phenomenon that can occur in both insulating
and semiconducting materials
 The voltage at which the breakdown occurs is called the breakdown
voltage.

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 32

 Difference Between Zener Breakdown and
Avalanche Breakdown
 Zener Breakdown  Avalanche breakdown
 This occurs at junctions  This occurs at junctions which being
which being heavily doped lightly doped have wide depletion layers.
have narrow depletion layers  Here electric field is not strong enough
 This breakdown voltage sets a to produce Zener breakdown.
very strong electric field  Here minority carriers collide with semi
across this narrow layer. conductor atoms in the depletion region,
which breaks the covalent bonds and
electron-hole pairs are generated. Newly
generated charge carriers are
accelerated by the electric field which
E=V/d results in more collision and generates
* Do not confused that diode is avalanche of charge carriers. This
damaged with any of the
results in avalanche breakdown.
breakdowns. Damaged depends
on the current rating

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 33

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KUET 34