ILOILO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

La Paz, Iloilo
Experiment 4
Name : ___________________________________________________Year & Sec.:________________
Date Performed: ______________________________________________Rating: ___________________
Date finished: ________________________________________________Instructor’s signature : ______

Experiment 4: Diode Characteristics and LED

Objectives

At the end of the experiment the students were able to:

1. Identify the two different diode terminals.

2. Draw the symbol of a diode and an LED.
3. Describe the two types of biasing for a diode.
4. Differentiate a silicon diode to an LED.
5. Test the condition of a diode using Analog ohmmeter.

Equipment and Materials

1 set Analog Multimeter

1 set Digital Multimeter
1 pc Bread Board
1 set connecting wires (solid wire # 22)
5 pcs 1N4148 Diode
5 pcs LEDs (Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Blue)

Discussion

Diode Basic Construction

The semiconductor diode is formed simply by combining two main materials, n- type and p-
type. There exist many electrons in n- type material whereas p- type material has many holes. When
these two materials are combined, electrons of n-type material that are close to the junction fill the
holes of p-type material that are also close to the junction as shown in Figure 2.1 (a). Consequently, the
region of n-type material close to the junction is turned into positive ions and the region of p- type
material close to the junction is turned into negative ions as shown in Figure 2.1(b).

(a) (b)

Figure 2.1. Diode Construction

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 Thus, in the region close to the junction, the carriers (electrons & holes ) are depleted, whereas
only positive and negative ions can exist. This region is referred to as “Depletion Region”. The force that
prohibits the electrons and holes from passing the junction due to the effect of ions in the depletion
region is referred to as “barrier voltage”. The typical barrier voltage in the p-n junction of germanium
(Ge) is around 0.2 ~ 0.3 V, whereas it is around 0.6 V for silicon (Si). Figure 2.2 shows the symbol and
terminals of a diode.

Figure 2.2. Terminals of a Diode.

Forward Bias

As shown in Figure 2.3, if the positive and negative terminals of the power supply are
respectively connected to p and n, this connection is called “forward bias”.

Figure 2.3. Forward bias diode.

If the voltage applied by forward bias is enough to overcome the barrier voltage, the positive
terminal of the power supply will attract electrons, whereas the negative terminal will repel electrons.
The electrons in the n-type semiconductor will thus cross the p-n junction and enter the p-type
semiconductor to combine with the holes. Many holes are generated in the n-type semiconductor due
to the ionization of electrons, together with the electrons provided by external power supply (V). The
electrons continuously move through the driving of power supply (V) to form an electron stream with
the direction from the negative terminal E to positive terminal, wherein this direction is contrary to that
of conventional electric currents. The forward bias applied to the diode generates a “forward current”
denoted as IF . The value of IF is directly proportional to the external power supply (V) and is inversely
proportional to the internal resistance (r) of the diode.

Reverse Bias

As shown in Figure 2.4, if the positive terminal and negative terminal of the power supply are
respectively connected to n and p, both the electrons and holes will be attracted by V and will be away
from the junction to enlarge the depletion region, and no electron or hole can cross the junction for
combination. This method, to apply the external voltage, is called “reverse bias”.
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 Figure 2.4. Reverse bias diode.
While the reverse bias is applied to the p-n junction, there shall be no reverse current in the
ideal case. However, due to the effect of temperature, thermal energy will generate minority electron -
hole pairs in the semiconductor. When the reverse bias is applied, the minority electrons in the p-type
semiconductor can just cross the p-n junction to combine with the holes in the n terminal since the
minority carriers exist in the semiconductor. When the reverse bias is applied to the p-n junction in
practical operation, a very low current will exist. This current is referred to as “leakage current” or
“reverse saturation current” denoted to be IR or IS.

Breakdown

While the reverse bias is applied to the ideal p-n diode, IR is very low. However, if the applied
revere bias is too high (higher than rated value), the minority carriers will acquire enough energy to
impact and disintegrate the covalent bonds to generate significant amount of electron - hole pairs.
These newly generated electrons and holes will acquire energy from higher reverse bias to disintegrate
other covalent bonds. The movement of free electrons will be accelerated and the reverse current will
thus be significantly increased. This phenomenon is referred to as “breakdown”. When the breakdown
is found in the diode due to the increased reverse bias, the diode will burn down if the current is not
limited. The maximum reverse voltage applied to the diode before its breakdown is called “peak reverse
voltage (PRV)” or “peak inverse voltage (PIV)”.

After combination of n and p type materials, the diode is completed by adding two lead wires
to the terminals, then sealing the body with ceramics or glass (iron housing is supplemented for high-
power diodes to facilitate heat dissipation).

The internal structure of the diode is shown in Figure 2.5 (a), its symbol in Figure 2.5 (b) and
perspective view is shown in Figure 2.5 (c).

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 2.5. Assembly and Symbol of a Diode

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Characteristic Curve (V-I Curve) of Diode

The forward characteristic curve is shown in first quadrant of Figure 2.6.

Figure 2.6. Characteristic curve of a Diode

From the characteristic curve we can see that the current is very low if the forward bias applied
to the diode is lower than the cutting voltage (Vr). Once the forward biases exceed the cutting voltage (
0.2 V for germanium diode, 0.6 V for silicon diode), the current (IF) will be dramatically increased, in the
manner that the diode will function as short-circuit ( with VF being around 0.7 V). The equivalent circuit
is shown in Figure 2.7.

Figure 2.7. Equivalent Circuit of a Diode.

Turning now to Figure 2.6, the reverse characteristic curve of diode is shown in the fourth
quadrant of Figure 3.5. The reverse current before breakdown is very low, which can be treated as an
open-circuit. When the reverse bias has reached the breakdown voltage, IR will be dramatically
increased.

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 As Figure 2.6 reveals, silicon and germanium type diodes have different parameters, which are
compared in the following table.

Table 3.1. Parameters of Silicon and Germanium Diode

Light Emitting Diode (LED)

LED is one kind of p-n junction device made of gallium arsenic phosphide or gallium phosphide.
When the electrons and holes of LED are combined under the forward bias, the energy carried by free
electrons will be transformed into light energy that is within the spectrum of visible light. If the silicon or
germanium is used as material, the energy will be transformed into heat energy, but no visible light will
be generated.

Typically, the operating voltage of LED is around 1.7 V ~ 3.3 V, the power consumption is
around 10 ~ 50 mW and the operating life is more than 100 thousand hours. The LEDs can generate
visible lights with colors red, yellow, green etc. depending on the selected materials. The LED will be
illuminated if minimum 1.5V forward voltage is applied. The higher the current, the brighter the LED.
However when the current exceeds 10 mA, the increase of brightness will not be significant. If more
than 1.5 V is continuously applied to LED, it will burn down. Moreover, as the breakdown voltage of LED
is very low, the applied reverse voltage of LED should not exceed 3 V. Appearance (a and b) and symbol
(c) of LED is given below.

Figure 2.8. LEDs appearance and Symbol

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Ohmmeter mode/checking

The resistance of diode in forward bias configuration is very less and the resistance of diode in
reverse bias configuration is very high. This makes it possible to test the diode using ohmmeter mode of
digital multimeter. Let us see what results are to be expected when the diode is working perfectly. If we
connect the red lead with the anode and black lead with the cathode of diode, then relatively low
resistance will be displayed by the diode. Typical value is from few hundred ohms to few thousand
ohms. The static resistance of diode depends on the value of current and voltage at a point on the V-I
curve. Hence the resistance displayed by the multimeter is a function of current supplied by the
multimter or the battery voltage. On the other hand, if we connect the red lead with the cathode and
black lead with the anode, then relatively high resistance is will be displayed by the multimeter. Typical
value is around few mega-ohms. When using ohmmeter in testing a diode condition, refer to Table 2.2.

Connections Resistance Reading Condition

Red lead to Anode and

Black Lead to Cathode Very low or Zero Ohms Good

Red lead to Cathode and Very high or Mega Ohms Good

Black Lead to Anode
Red lead to Anode and
Black Lead to Cathode Very low or Zero Ohms Shorted
Or Vice Versa
Red lead to Anode and
Black Lead to Cathode Very high or Mega Ohms Open
Or Vice Versa

Table 2.2. Considerations in Testing a Diode

Procedures:

1. Prepare a 5 pcs 1N4148 Silicon Diode and follow the steps below:
a. Connect the diode as shown in Figure 2.9. Use your bread board in mounting the diode.
b. Set your Analog Multimeter at ohmmeter setting and measure the resistance.
c. State the condition of the diode and record it on Table 2.3.
d. Do the same with the other diodes left.

Figure 2.9. Checking a diode using ohmmeter

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 Diode # Condition
(Good, Open or Shorted)
Diode1
Diode2
Diode3
Diode4
Diode5

Table 2.3. Results of Diode Tests

2. Prepare a 5 pcs of different LED and follow the steps below:

a. Set your Analog Multimeter at a x10 or times ten ohmmeter setting. It will turn the LED on if
it is forward-biased, but if not, the LED is burnout or damage.
b. Connect the LED as shown in Figure 2.10 (b).
b. State the condition of the diode and record it on Table 2.4.
c. Do the same with the other diodes left.

(a) (b)

Figure 2.10. (a) Typical LED case (b) Connection on Testing LED

LED Condition
(Good or Damage)
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue

Table 2.4. Results of LED Test

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Guide Questions:

1. What LED color has the brightest glow? What do you think is the reason?
Answer:
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2. When forward biased, what do you think is the reason why LED emits light?
Answer:
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Review Questions:

1. What terminal of the diode has a white band? Does it imply anything about current flow? Elaborate
your answer.
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2. How is LED differs from an ordinary diode?

Answer:
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3. What have you notice on the construction of the LED in terms of the length of its two terminals and
the two leads inside the package?
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4. How can we assure that a diode is really defective?
Answer:
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5. What happens during the reverse bias?
Answer:
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Challenge Yourself:
1. Given 5 different LEDs, connect each LED after the other and do procedure 2.a. What maximum
number of LEDs can be connected and well lights up when doing procedure 2.a. Present your output to
your instructor for checking.

Conclusion
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