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pn Junction Diode: Small-Signal Admittance

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Diode Biasing Circuit

- A small sinusoidal voltage (va) is superimposed on the applied DC bias (VA) giving rise
to an AC current (i) flowing through the diode

- The total voltage drop across the junction becomes VA+va.

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General-Case Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit for a pn junction diode

- Small signal junction admittance

Y = i/va = jωC + G

- Series resistance outside the junction: RS

- Reverse bias: G is very small.

Y = i/va ≒ jωC

- Forward bias: G cannot be neglected and

minority carriers contribute to the overall
response.
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Reverse Bias Junction Capacitance

- When reverse-biased, the pn junction

diode becomes functionally equivalent to a
capacitor.

- The diode capacitance monotonically

decrease with increasing reverse bias.

- Many “capacitors” in ICs and other circuits

are in fact reverse-biased pn junction
diodes.

Sample C-V data derived from

a 1N5472A abrupt junction diode
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Depletion-Layer Charge Considerations

  x p  0

  xn  0

va > 0 ⇒ W↓, va < 0 ⇒ W↑ dQ A   x p

CJ  
va > 0 ⇒ |Q|↓, va < 0 ⇒ |Q|↑ dV va
∵V is applied to the p-type region
with the n-type region as a reference.
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Junction Capacitance

dQ A   x p dx p d  2K S 0 ND 
CJ    A    A   qN A    V  V  
 q N A N A  N D  
bi
dV va dV dV  

qAN A x p
 CJ 
2Vbi  V 

2K S  0 ND xp 2K S 0 ND 1
Using x 2p  Vbi  V  
q N A N A  N D  Vbi  V q N A N A  N D  x p

qAN A 2 K S  0 ND 1 AK S  0 AK S  0
CJ   
2 q N A N A  N D  x p  N A  W
 x p  x p 
 ND 

AK S  0
CJ 
W
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Vbi Extraction

AK S  0
CJ  is inverted and squared.
W

By substituting
In case of 2K S 0 N A  N D
constant NB W Vbi  V 
q N AND

we can obtain
slope ⇒ NB 1 2 N A  ND
 Vbi  V 
C J qK S  0 A
2 2
N N
A D

1 2
  Vbi  V 
C J qN B K S  0 A
2 2

1/CJ2 vs. V data derived from the C-V data of a

1N5472A abrupt junction diode
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Doping Concentration Profiling

1 2
 Vbi  V 
C J2 qN B K S  0 A2
is differentiated with respect to V.

Non-uniform 
d 1 C J2
2
doping dV qN B K S  0 A2

Then we solve for NB(x).

2
 N B ( x) 
d (1 C J2 )
qK S  0 A
2
dV
x is where the depletion region
edge is located. Therefore,
K  A
x S 0
Doping profile of a hyperabrupt tuning diode CJ
(ZC809) derived from the C-V data when the width of p-type region
is negligibly small.
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Forward-Bias Diffusion Admittance

Low frequency (ω << 1/τp & 1/τn) response of High frequency (ω >> 1/τp & 1/τn) response
minority carrier concentration giving rise to the of minority carrier concentration
diffusion admittance
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Forward-Bias Diffusion Admittance

(measured by HP4284A LCR meter)

(simulation results)

Forward-bias small-signal
equivalent circuit for the pn
junction diode (RS is assumed
to be negligible.)
C-V data derived from the 1N5472 n+-p abrupt
junction diode at low frequency (ω < 1/τn).