p-n Junction Diodes cont’d

Session 11

Team
 Lecture 11

OUTLINE
• pn Junction Diodes (cont’d)
– Narrow-base diode
– Junction breakdown

Reading: Pierret 6.3.2, 6.2.2; Hu 4.5

 Introduction
• The ideal diode equation was derived assuming that the lengths of the
quasi-neutral p-type & n-type regions (WP’ , WN’) are much greater
than the minority-carrier diffusion lengths (Ln , Lp) in these regions.
 Excess carrier concentrations decay exponentially to 0.
 Minority carrier diffusion currents decay exponentially to 0.
• In modern IC devices, however, it is common for one side of a pn
junction to be shorter than the minority-carrier diffusion length, so
that a significant fraction of the “injected” minority carriers reach the
end of the quasi-neutral region, at the metal contact.
Recall that Dp = Dn = 0 at an ohmic contact
 In this lesson we re-derive the diode I-V equation with the boundary
condition that Dp = 0 at a distance xc’ (rather than ) from the edge of
the depletion region.
Excess Carrier Distribution (n side)
• From the minority carrier diffusion equation: 2pn  pn  p2n
2
d
dx D p p L p

• For convenience, let’s use the coordinate system:

x’’ 0 x’
0

xc'
 x '/ L p
• So the solution is of the form: pn ( x' )  A1e  A2 e
x '/ L p

• We have the following boundary conditions:

pn ( x'  0)  pno (e qV A / kT  1) pn ( x'  xc ' )  0
• Applying the boundary conditions, we have:
pn (0)  A1  A2  pno (e qVA / kT  1)
xc' / L p  xc' / L p
pn ( x )  A1e
'
c  A2 e 0
• Therefore
 e xc  x ' / LP  e  xc  x ' / LP 
' '

p n ( x ' )  p n 0 ( e qV A / kT
 1) , 0  x'  xc'
 e xc' / LP  e  xc' / LP 
 
• Since sinh    e  e  
2
this can be rewritten as

p n ( x ' )  p n 0 (e

 sinh x c'  x ' / L P
 1)
 , 0  x '  x
 
qV A / kT '
'  c
 sinh x c / LP 
• We need to take the derivative of Dpn’ to obtain the hole
diffusion current within the quasi-neutral n region:
pn ( x)
J P   qD p
x
  1 
  L coshxc  x / LP 

J p   qD p pn 0 e qV A / kT  1  P 
sinh xc / LP 

 
 
where cosh    e  e  
2

Evaluate Jp at x=xn (x’=0) to find the injected hole

current: D n2 cosh  x / L 
q  1)
p
Jp i
(e qVA kT c P
x  0 LP N D sinh  xc / LP 
Thus, for a one-sided p+n junction (in which the current
is dominated by injection of holes into the n-side) with a
short n-side:
I  I 0 (e qV A kT
 1) where I  qA ' 
DP ni 2 cosh xc' / LP 
0 
LP N D sinh xc' / LP 
 sinh     as   0 and cosh    1   2 as   0

Therefore if xc’ << LP:

cosh xc / LP  1   xc / LP 
  2
LP
 
sinh xc / LP  xc / LP  xc

For a one-sided p+n junction, then:

D p ni2  LP  D p ni2
I 0  qA    qA
LP N D  xc  xc N D
 Excess Hole Concentration Profile
If xc’ << LP:
pn ( x' )  pn 0 (e
  
 sinh xc'  x' / LP
 1)
  
qVA / kT
'
 sinh xc / LP

 pn 0 (e qVA / kT
 1)
 
 xc'  x' / LP 
  pn 0 (e qV A / kT  x' 
 1)1  ' 
'
 xc / LP   xc 

Dpn is a linear function: Dpn(x)

pno (e qVA / kT  1) slope is
constant
0 x'
 Jp is constant 0 x'c
(No holes are lost due to recombination as they diffuse to the metal contact.)
 General Narrow-Base Diode I-V
• Define WP‘ and WN’ to be the widths of the quasi-neutral regions.
• If both sides of a pn junction are narrow (i.e. much shorter than
the minority carrier diffusion lengths in the respective regions):

 DP DN  qV A / kT
I  qAni 
2
  e   1  I  e 
qV A / kT
1 
WN N D WP N A 
0

e.g. if hole injection J

into the n side is greater JP
than electron injection
into the p side: JN
x
-xp xn
 Summary: Narrow-Base Diode
• If the length of the quasi-neutral region is much shorter than the
minority-carrier diffusion length, then there will be negligible
recombination within the quasi-neutral region and hence all of the
injected minority carriers will “survive” to reach the metal contact.
– The excess carrier concentration is a linear function of distance.
For example, within a narrow n-type quasi-neutral region:

Dpn(x) location of metal contact

pno (e qV A / kT
 1) (Dpn=0)

0 x
xn
WN’
 The minority-carrier diffusion current is constant within the narrow quasi-neutral
region.
Shorter quasi-neutral region  steeper concentration gradient  higher diffusion current
 pn Junction Breakdown
C. C. Hu, Modern Semiconductor Devices for Integrated Circuits, Figure 4-10

Breakdown
voltage, VBR
VA

A Zener diode is designed

to operate in the
breakdown mode:
 Review: Peak E-Field in a pn Junction
E(x)

  dx
-xp xn
x
 Si
2qVbi  VA  N A N D
 (0)  qN A x p

qN D xn

 Si  Si  Si N A  ND E(0)

For a one-sided junction,

2qVbi  VA N
 (0) 
 Si
where N is the dopant concentration on the lightly doped side
 Breakdown Voltage, VBR
• If the reverse bias voltage (-VA) is so large that the peak electric
field exceeds a critical value ECR, then the junction will “break
down” (i.e. large reverse current will flow)

2qN Vbi  VBR 

 
s
CR

• Thus, the reverse bias at which breakdown occurs is

 s CR
2

VBR   Vbi
2qN
Avalanche Breakdown Mechanism
 s CR
R. F. Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, Figure 6.12
2
High E-field: VBR  if VBR >> Vbi
2qN

ECR increases slightly with N:

Low E-field:
For 1014 cm-3 < N < 1018 cm-3,
105 V/cm < ECR < 106 V/cm
Tunneling (Zener) Breakdown Mechanism
Dominant breakdown mechanism when both sides of a junction
are very heavily doped.
VA = 0 VA < 0

Ec

Ev

 s CR
2

VBR   Vbi
2qN
 CR  106 V/cm
Typically, VBR < 5 V for Zener breakdown
C. C. Hu, Modern Semiconductor Devices for Integrated Circuits, Figure 4-12
 Empirical Observations of VBR
R. F. Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, Figure 6.11

• VBR decreases with

increasing N

• VBR decreases with

decreasing EG
 VBR Temperature Dependence
• For the avalanche mechanism:
– VBR increases with increasing T, because the mean free
path decreases

• For the tunneling mechanism:

– VBR decreases with increasing T, because the flux of
valence-band electrons available for tunneling increases
 Summary: Junction Breakdown
• If the peak electric field in the depletion region exceeds a
critical value ECR, then large reverse current will flow.
This occurs at a negative bias voltage called the breakdown
voltage, VBR:
 s CR
2

VBR   Vbi
2qN
where N is the dopant concentration on the more lightly doped side

• The dominant breakdown mechanism is

avalanche, if N < ~1018/cm3
tunneling, if N > ~1018/cm3