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Special Diodes

The document discusses several types of semiconductor devices including tunnel diodes, varactor diodes, PIN diodes, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs), DIACs, and unijunction transistors (UJTs). Tunnel diodes have a high impurity concentration allowing very fast switching speeds up to 5 GHz. Varactor diodes act as voltage-controlled capacitors with capacitance varying inversely with applied reverse voltage. PIN diodes have an intrinsic region between p and n regions, decreasing capacitance and allowing faster response. SCRs are controlled rectifiers turned on by a gate signal initiating regenerative conduction. DIACs are bidirectional triggering devices with identical forward and reverse characteristics. UJTs have two terminals

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288 views31 pages

Special Diodes

The document discusses several types of semiconductor devices including tunnel diodes, varactor diodes, PIN diodes, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs), DIACs, and unijunction transistors (UJTs). Tunnel diodes have a high impurity concentration allowing very fast switching speeds up to 5 GHz. Varactor diodes act as voltage-controlled capacitors with capacitance varying inversely with applied reverse voltage. PIN diodes have an intrinsic region between p and n regions, decreasing capacitance and allowing faster response. SCRs are controlled rectifiers turned on by a gate signal initiating regenerative conduction. DIACs are bidirectional triggering devices with identical forward and reverse characteristics. UJTs have two terminals

Uploaded by

sathishsathy
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Special

Semiconductor Devices
Tunnel Diode
Varactor Diode

PIN Diode
 Symbol
Tunnel Diode
 high impurity concentration
• Ordinary diode concentration-1part in
10^8 parts
• Tunnel diode concentration-1part in
10^3 parts
• negative resistance region that allows
very fast switching speeds, up to 5 GHz
• Materials used-Ga and GaAs
Tunneling phenomenon
 Width of the junction barrier varies
inversely as the square root of
impurity concentration

 Quantum mechanism-Electron
penetrate through the barrier-
tunneling
V-I Characteristics of Tunnel
diode
 Very good conductor
in forward bias
 Huge current for
small applied voltage
 Negative resistance
region
 Low resistance device
Varactor Diode
 voltage-controlled capacitor
 w inversely proportional to C
 Forward bias –space charge width

decreases and C increases


T

 Reverse bias- space charge width

increases and C decreases


T

 Voltage-variable capacitance of p-n

junction in reverse bias condition –


useful in number of application
 Application based on Voltage-variable

capacitance-varactors, varicaps or
volacaps
Characteristics of Varactor Diode
PIN Diode
 Intrinsic layer sandwitched between
P and N regions
 Intrinsic layer offers high resistance

 Increase voltage- resistance reduces

 Intrinsic layer-advantages

• Decrease in capacitance between p & N


region –(w inversely proportional to C)
• Allows faster time response

P I N
Characteristics of PIN Diode
Forward Reverse
Silicon Controlled Rectifier

conventional rectifier controlled by a


gate signal
 The main circuit is a rectifier,

however the application of a forward


voltage is not enough for conduction
 gate signal controls the rectifier

conduction
construction

symbol
SCR working
 Apply +ve voltage to anode w.r.t
cathode
 J & J –forward biased
1 3

 J –reverse biased
2

 reverse Voltage appears across J3

 Current through the device – reverse

saturation current
 When I <0,Applied voltage increases –
G

J reverse bias voltage increases


2

 current increases slowly until the

breakover voltage (V ) increased


BO

 At this point diode switches from OFF to

ON state
 I >0, forward bias voltage applied to
G

gate -V decreased; current increased


BO

 SCR Switch ON controlled by I G

 Once the SCR turned on- gate loses the

control
SCR Characteristics
Two Transistor Analogy
The general transistor equations are,
I C = β I B + ( 1 + β ) ICBO
I C = α I E + I CBO
I E = IC + I B
I B = I E ( 1 − α ) − ICBO
C o n s id e rin g P N P tra n s is to r
o f th e e q u iv a le n t c irc u it,
I E 1 = I, A I C α =I,C1 1 α , =
IC B O = I C1 ,B O I B I=
1 B

∴ I B1 I( A1 α =1 ) I C −B O(1 )
C o n s id e r in g N P N t r a n s is t
o f th e e q u iv a le n t c ir c u it,
IC = 2I,C I B 2I,B = 2I E IK
I C2 = α 2 Ik I+C B O2
I C2 = α 2 ( IA) IG+ I(C2B) O2 +
From the equivalent circuit,
we see that
∴ I C2 =I B1
α 2 I g + I CBO 1 + I CBO 2
⇒ IA =
1 − ( α 1 + α2)
 If α + α =1;then I =∞
1 2 A

 Anode suddenly reaches high value

 Device triggered from OFF state to ON

state
 Regenerative characteristics

 α + α =1 and proper I
1 2 G

 I =I
G cause a flow of I T -ON state
B2 C2 2

 I = I ; T
C2 - switched ON
B1 1

 Due to regenerative action if the gate

signal removed the device keep on


conducting
Thyristor Ratings
 Latching current – minimum current
required to latch or trigger device
from OFF to ON state
 Holding current - minimum value of

current to hold the device ON state


 gate current –current applied to the

gate for control purpose


 Voltage safety factor=PIV/√ 2 x RMS

value of operating voltage


 SCR-Most important type of power
semiconductor device.
 Highest power handling capability.

 Rating of 1200V / 1500A with

switching frequencies ranging from


1KHz to 20KHz.
DIAC Construction
 Bidirectional avalanche diode
 No control terminal

 Identical characteristics for both

forward and reverse half


 Positive half cycle –MT1 +ve w.r.t

MT2
 Negative half cycle –MT2 +ve w.r.t

MT1
characteristics
of DIAC
 At voltage less than the
breakover voltage- small
amount of leakage current
flows through the device-
OFF state
 When voltage level reaches
breakover voltage device
starts conducting
 Exhibits –ve resistance
characteristics
Unijunction Transistor(UJT)
 The unijunction transistor(UJT) is a
three terminal device with
characteristics very different from
the conventional 2 junction, bipolar
transistor.
 bar of N type semiconductor material

into which P type material has been


diffused somewhere along its length
 R is known as the interbase
BB

resistance, and is the sum of RB1


and RB2
 RBB = RB1 + R
B2 (1)
 VRB1 is the voltage developed across

RB1; this is given by the voltage


divider rule:
 VRB1 = RB1 / RB1 + R x V
B2 BB (2)

 VRB1 = RB1 / RBB x V
BB

 The ratio RB1 / RBB is referred to as the

intrinsic standoff ratio (η )


 Llll

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