Analog Circuits Practice Lab

Experiment-3: Incremental Linearity and Small Signal Analysis

of PN Diode

22-08-2019

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Purpose:

To determine the incremental, or small signal response of a diode;

to measure the incremental resistance ∆vD /∆iD

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Superposition principle allows us to separate DC and AC

analysis of circuits containing active devices (like diodes,
transistors, amplifiers etc.)
I We assume the AC signals are small enough so that the circuit
behaves linearly and can be analyzed by replacing non-linear
components by “Linear Elements” such as resistors etc.
I DC analysis is first performed to determine the bias point
which will determine some of the parameters used in the
“AC-small signal analysis”

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

Let
I VD = DC voltage applied to the diode
I ID = DC current produced by the diode
I Total current or voltage = DC part + AC part:
I vD = VD + vd iD = ID + id
Note: (1) all upper case = DC
(2) all lower case = AC
(3) lower case symbol with upper case subscript = total
voltage or current

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Consider this simple junction diode circuit: to near the peak

of the input

Figure 1: Simple diode circuit

I The DC voltage source (VDD ) results in a DC current (ID ), as
well as a DC voltage across the junction diode VD .

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Now, let’s add an AC (small signal) source to the circuit

Figure 2: Diode with AC and DC sources

I Note that this results in an additional AC (small signal)
component for the junction diode current and voltage

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Let’s replace the junction diode by piecewise linear model.

Figure 3: Piecewise linear model of diode

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Concept of the Small Signal Model
I If the DC voltage source is sufficiently large (VDD >> VDO ),
we will find that the ideal diode is forward biased

Figure 4: Forward biased circuit

I Now, let’s apply KVL and analyze the circuit given in Fig. 4
I First, we’ll consider the case where the small signal voltage
source is zero (vs = 0). In this case, the remaining DC
sources (VDD and VDO ) produce a DC voltage and current
(VD and ID ).
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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I These DC values are related from KVL as:

VDD = ID (R + rd ) + VD0
This is the DC circuit equation
I Now let’s “turn on” the small signal source, so that vs (t) 6= 0.
Now we have, in addition to the DC currents and voltages,
small signal components id and vd as well.
I Again using KVL, we find that the DC and small signal
components are related as:
VDD + vs = (ID + id )R + VDO + (ID + id )rd
= (R + rd )ID + VDO + (R + rd )id
I Now, let’s subtract the DC equation from above equation
I The resulting equation vs = (R + rd )id is known as the AC, or
small signal circuit equation

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Thus, the total KVL can be divided into two parts, the DC
equation and the small signal equation, i.e.:
I VDD + vs = (R + rd )ID + VDO + (R + rd )id
I The DC equation is: VDD = (R + rd )ID + VDO
I The small signal equation is: vs = (R + rd )id

Just as we can separate the total circuit KVL equation into

DC and small signal equations, we can separate the total
circuit into DC and small signal circuits

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Concept of the Small Signal Model

I Look closely at the two equations. All we really have done is

to apply superposition
I We turned off the small signal source and then determined the
DC solution (i.e., the DC equation)
I We then turned off the DC sources and determined the small
signal solution (i.e., the small signal equation)
I If the small signal diode currents and voltages are small, the
largest total diode current and total diode voltage (iD (t) and
vD (t) ) will never be much larger than the DC diode current
and voltage ID and VD
I Likewise, the smallest total diode voltage and total diode
current will never be much smaller than the DC diode current
ID and voltage VD

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Small Signal Analysis

I Small-signal analysis is performed around a bias point by

perturbing the voltage by a small amount and observing the
resulting linear current perturbation.

Figure 5: (a) General circuit containing a diode, (b) operating point

of D1 , (c) change in ID as a result of change in VD .

∆V
∆ID = ID1
VT

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Small Signal Analysis in Detail

I If two points on the IV curve of a diode are close enough, the

trajectory connecting the first to the second point is like a
line, with the slope being the proportionality factor between
change in voltage and change in current.

Figure 6: Approximation of characteristic by a straight line.

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Small Signal Incremental Resistance

I Since there is a linear relationship between the small signal

current and voltage of a diode, the diode can be viewed as a
linear resistor when only small changes are of interest.
VT
I Small-signal resistance rd =
ID

Figure 7: Summary of diode models for bias and signal calculations,

(b) circuit example, (c) small signal model.

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Small Signal Incremental Resistance

I For bias calculations, the diode is replaced with an ideal

voltage source of value VD , and for small changes, with a
resistance equal to rd
I The circuit of Fig. 7(b) is transformed to that in Fig. 7(c) if
only small changes in V1 and Vout are of interest
I Fig. 7(c) represent changes in voltage and are called small
signal quantities

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Small Sinusoidal Analysis

I If a sinusoidal voltage with small amplitude is applied, the

resulting current is also a small sinusoid around a DC value

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Further Reading

B. Razavi, Fundamentals of Microelectronics, Wiley Student

Edition, 2010.
R. L. Boylestad and L. Nashelsky, Electronic Devices and
Circuit Theory, Pearson, 2008.

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