Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Course: EEE 212 (Electronic Circuit & Devices Lab)

Experiment No: 02
Name of the Experiment: I-V characteristics curve of a P-N Junction diode.

Objectives: The objective of this lab experiment is:

1) to build a simple circuit using PN junction diode.
2) to plot the characteristics curve of PN junction diode in Forward & Reverse bias.

Theory: A p-n junction diode conducts only in one direction. The I-V characteristics of the
diode are curve between voltage across the diode and current through the diode. When external
voltage is zero, circuit is open and the potential barrier does not allow the current to flow.
Therefore, the circuit current is zero. When P-types connected to +ve terminal and n- type is
connected to –ve terminal of the supply voltage, is known as forward bias. The potential barrier
is reduced when diode is in the forward biased condition. At some forward voltage, the potential
barrier altogether eliminated and current starts flowing through the diode and also in the circuit.
The diode is said to be in ON state. The current increases with increasing forward voltage.
When
N-types connected to +ve terminal and P-types connected –ve terminal of the supply voltage is
known as reverse bias and the potential barrier across the junction increases. Therefore, the
junction resistance becomes very high and a very small current (reverse saturation current)
flows
in the circuit. The diode is said to be in OFF state. The reverse bias current due to minority
charge carriers.

Circuit Diagram:
Fig-1: Forward Bias.

Fig-2: Reverse Bias.

Simulated Circuit Diagram:

Fig-3: Forward Bias.

Fig-4: Reverse Bias.

Experimental Results/Observations/Data Table:

(1) Forward Bias:

Serial no Diode Voltage, Vd Diode Current, Id

(V) (mA)

1 0.2 2.23

2 0.4 5.21

3 0.6 0.00018

4 0.7 0.0056

(2) Reverse Bias:

Serial no Diode Voltage, Vd Diode Current, Id

(V) (mA)

1 -0.2 2.32

2 -0.7 0.0056

3 -1 618.508

4 -1.5 1.53

5 -2 3.82

6 -4 1.46

7 -5 9.05
Conclusion/Discussion: After conducting this experiment, we found out that P-N junction diode
acts like a normal semiconductor diode. In Forward Bias condition, when the external voltage
becomes greater than knee voltage (0.7 for Si or 0.3 for Ge), current starts to flow. As we know

in forward bias depletion layer becomes very thin and narrow which represents a low
impedance
though the junction thereby allowing high currents to flow. In Reverse Bias condition, when
positive voltage is applied to the N-type material it attracts the electrons towards the positive
electrode and away from the junction which results in the depletion layer growing more wider
and making the junction high impedance like insulator. Thus, in reverse bias there is hardly any
current flow. The above experiment proves right in both instances and thus we call the
experiment a
success.