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2.4 Switching Characteristics

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87 views

2.4 Switching Characteristics

Uploaded by

sarathsince1997
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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23EC101 CIRCUIT THEORY & ELECTRON DEVICES

MODULE 2 – DIODES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS


OVERVIEW
DIODES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
• Formation of P-N Junction
• Forward and Reverse Biased P-N Junction
• Depletion and Diffusion Capacitances
• Switching Characteristics
• V-I characteristics
• Zener Breakdown and Avalanche breakdown
• Tunnel Diode
• Rectifiers and Filters
• Clipper and Clamper
Introduction
• Diodes are often used in a switching mode.

• When the applied bias voltage to the PN diode is


suddenly reversed in the opposite direction, the diode
response reaches a steady state after an interval of time,
called the recovery time.
• The forward recovery time, tfr, is defined as the time
required for forward voltage or current to reach a
specified value after switching diode from its reverse- to
forward-biased state.
• Fortunately, the forward recovery time possess no
serious problem.
• Therefore, only the reverse recovery time, trr, has to be
considered in practical applications. 3
• When the PN junction diode is forward biased, the
minority electron concentration in the P-region is
approximately linear.
• If the junction is suddenly reverse biased, at t1, then
because of this stored electronic charge, the reverse
current (IR) is initially of the same magnitude as the
forward current (IF).
• The diode will continue to conduct until the injected or
excess minority carrier density (p – po) or (n – no) has
dropped to zero.
• However, as the stored electrons are removed into the
N-region and the contact, the available charge quickly
drops to an equilibrium level and a steady current
eventually flows corresponding to the reverse bias
voltage as shown in Figure (c).
4
5
• As shown in Figure(b), the applied voltage Vi = VF for the
time up to t1 is in the direction to forward-bias the diode.
• The resistance RL is large so that the drop across RL is
large when compared to the drop across the diode.
• Then the current is I = VF / RL = IF.

• Then, at time t = t1, the input voltage is suddenly reversed


to the value of –VR.
• Due to the reasons explained above, the current does not

• become zero and has the value I = VF / RL = -IR until the


time t = t2.
• At t = t2, when the excess minority carriers have reached
the equilibrium state, the magnitude of the diode current
starts to decrease, as shown in Figure (d).
6
• During the time interval from t1 to t2, the injected minority
carriers have remained stored and hence this time
interval is called the storage time (ts).
• After the instant t = t2, the diode gradually recovers and
ultimately reaches the steady-state.
• The time interval between t2 and the instant t3 when the
diode has recovered nominally, is called the transition
time, tt.
• The recovery is said to have completed
(i) when even the minority carriers remote from the junction
have diffused to the junction and crossed it, and
(ii) when the junction transition capacitance, CT, across the
reverse-biased junction has got charged through the
external resistor RL to the voltage –VR.
7
• The reverse recovery time (or turn-off time) of a diode, trr,
is the interval from the current reversal at t = t1 until the
diode has recovered to a specified extent in terms either
of the diode current or of the diode resistance,
i.e. trr = ts + tt
• For commercial switching type diodes the reverse
recovery time, trr, ranges from less than 1ns up to as high
as 1µs.
• This switching time obviously limits the maximum
operating frequency of the device.
• If the time period of the input signal is such that T = 2·t rr,
then the diode conducts as much in reverse as in the
forward direction.
• Hence it does not behave as a one way device. 8
• In order to minimise the effect of the reverse current, the time
period of the operating frequency should be a minimum of
approximately 10 times trr.

• For example, if a diode has trr of 2 ns, its maximum operating


frequency is

• The trr can be reduced by shortening the length of the P-region


in a PN junction diode.

• The stored charge and, consequently, the switching time can


also be reduced by introduction of gold impurities into the
junction diode by diffusion.

• The gold dopant, some times called a life timekiller, increases


the recombination rate and removes the stored minority
carriers.

• This technique is used to produce diodes and other active 9

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