LAB#4.

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Title: Diode I-V Transfer Curve

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Objective
The purpose of this lab is to study the characteristics of the terminal the diode junction and
analyze, simulate and build a basic diode-based circuit and then take the measurements of the
current and voltage and applying transformation get the diode I-V curve.

Procedure
In the first step of this lab, construct the below circuit on the PSpice software and simulate it. In
that case, the Vi is varies from -3V to +3V for the increment of 0.1V. After take the varying
voltage of the input, plot the graph between Vi vs. Vo and Vi and vs. VD. After plot the graphs
check the behavior of both the graphs and describe the resemblance of these two waveforms in
words. In the next step, construct the circuit on the breadboard and take the input voltage from
-3V to +3V for the increment value of 0.25V and measure the output voltage and the voltage
across the diode. Next step is to plot the graphs for the Vi vs VD and Vi vs ID and check that the
plots resemblance the behavior or not. Next step is to plot the graph for the I D vs. VD and check
that what is the behavior of this graph and whether it is resemble what you expect or not. Last
step is an optional in which if you have semiconductor parameter analyzer then generate the ID
vs. VD curve using the analyzer and compare with the part 3 which is the previous part.

Figure 4.1: Circuit used to characterize junction diode terminal characteristics

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Results
Simulation results:

Figure 4.2: Schematic of Figure 4.1

Figure 4.3: Vi vs. Vo

Figure 4.4: Vi vs. ID

From the above results, we can see that when Vi < 0 voltage then the diode will not pass the
voltage towards the output so it means for the negative voltage diode has voltage across it and
becomes an open circuit and the name of the voltage is VD. When the Vi > 0, then the diode will

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become short circuit and voltage is occur across the output which is basically Vo. So, the current
ID exists for the positive voltage and it can also see from the figure 4.4.

Measured Results

Vi Vo ID VD
(V) (V) (mA) (V)

-3 0 0 -3

-2.75 0 0 -2.75

-2.5 0 0 -2.5

-2.25 0 0 -2.25

-2.0 0 0 -2.0

-1.75 0 0 -1.75

-1.5 0 0 -1.5

-1.25 0 0 -1.25

-1 0 0 -1

-0.75 0 0 -0.75

-0.5 0 0 -0.5

-0.25 0 0 -0.25

0 0 0 0

0.25 0 0 0.25

0.5 0.03 0.03 0.47

0.75 0.21 0.21 0.54

1 0.43 0.43 0.57

1.25 0.66 0.66 0.59

1.5 0.90 0.90 0.60

1.75 1.14 1.15 0.61

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 2 1.37 1.38 0.63

2.25 1.62 1.63 0.63

2.5 1.86 1.87 0.64

2.75 2.11 2.13 0.64

3 2.36 2.38 0.64

Table No 1: Measured readings of Vi, Vo, VD and ID

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Vo
0
-3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Vi
-1

-2

-3

-4

Figure 4.5: Vi vs. Vo

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ID
0
-3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 Vi
-1

-2

-3

-4

Figure 4.6: ID vs. Vi

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0 VD
-3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
-1 ID

-2

-3

-4

Figure 4.7: ID vs. VD

Analysis
It is analyzed from the simulation results that in the DC sweep voltage of the input i.e. V i are
being varied from -3V to +3V. If the voltage of the input is greater than 0V then diode will
behave as short circuit and it will pass the current toward the output so the voltage is dropped
across the load resistor that is output resistor which is named as Vo. In the same way, when the
Vi is less than the 0V then the diode will behave as open circuit and all the input voltage is
across the diode and no current will pass towards the output. If we talk about the measured
results then the same things will be analyzed that are from the -3V to 0.25 the output voltage
that is Vo has no values because for this input voltage it will be at across the diode and from
0.25 diode has negligible voltage across it because in this case voltage across the output is exist.
In the figure 4.5, the graph of Vi vs. Vo, when the Vi is greater than 0.4 then the Vo is starting
conducting the voltage. It is the same behavior that we can achieve when the diode will
become short circuit. In the figure 4.6, current of the diode is zero for the negative voltage and
for the positive input voltage current will become increasing when the input increases. So,
when the negative input voltage occurs, diode becomes an open circuit and for positive input
voltage it will become short in ideal diode. This is happened in this figure also. In case of third
graph in figure 4.7, for -3V to 0V, diode voltage VD has negative graph and has also values from -

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3V to 0V and for 0V to 3V the diode voltage nearly equal to zero 0.7V which is basically the
practical diode voltage in forward biased. The current is zero for +3V to 0V and it will start
increase from 0V to +3V.

Conclusion
We have been concluded following things from this lab that the behavior of diode is depend on
the voltage on the anode and cathode of the junction diode. If the anode voltage has more
value than the cathode voltage, then it behaves as short circuit and if anode voltage has less
value then the cathode voltage then the behavior of the diode is reverse and it will behave as
an open circuit due to which current will pass towards the output. So, if the voltage across the
diode is equal to the input voltage then the current is zero in that case and the current is only
exist through the diode when the diode is behave as short circuit or in other case if anode has
more voltage then the diode. In simulation the diode will have no tolerance so it will give
voltage across the output for the voltage greater than zero but in case of measurement the
output voltage exist from 0.4-0.5 voltage which is exist only in practical implementation.
Therefore, this lab can be achieved more accurate results or ideal results if we achieved
tolerance is equal to zero which is not possible in case of practical implementation.