Junctions: Small-Signal Model

of the pn Junction Diode

1
 Small-Signal Response of pn Junction

2
 Small-Signal Response in Reverse Bias
• To achieve the depletion-layer capacitance (Cdep), the AC signal is added to the
bias voltage
- Majority carrier must move rapidly into and out of the affected region in sync
with the AC signal, resulting in depletion width oscillation
Vr
- The pn junction can be modeled as
dQ’ -dQ’
a parallel-plate capacitor
Wdep
𝜀𝜀0 𝜖𝜖𝑠𝑠
𝐶𝐶𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 𝐴𝐴
𝑊𝑊𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

Conductor Insulator Conductor

2𝜀𝜀0 𝜀𝜀𝑠𝑠 (𝑉𝑉0 −𝑉𝑉) 1 1
𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 𝑊𝑊𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = +
𝑒𝑒 𝑁𝑁𝐴𝐴 𝑁𝑁𝐷𝐷

2 1 1 1 𝑊𝑊𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 2 2(𝑉𝑉0 −𝑉𝑉) 1 1

slope = + = 2 = +
𝑒𝑒𝜀𝜀0 𝜖𝜖𝑠𝑠 𝐴𝐴 𝑁𝑁𝐴𝐴 𝑁𝑁𝐷𝐷
𝐶𝐶𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 2 𝐴𝐴 𝜀𝜀0 𝜖𝜖𝑠𝑠 2 𝑒𝑒𝜀𝜀0 𝜖𝜖𝑠𝑠 𝐴𝐴 𝑁𝑁𝐴𝐴 𝑁𝑁𝐷𝐷

- V0

3
 Small-Signal Response in Reverse Bias
• Reverse bias admittance has a small conductive component
• AC conductance = i/∆V = differential DC conductance
→ slope of the I-V charcteristics at the DC operation point

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝐺𝐺 = 𝐼𝐼 = 𝐼𝐼0 𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒/𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 − 1
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒/𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
𝑒𝑒
𝐺𝐺 = = 𝐼𝐼 𝑒𝑒 = 𝐼𝐼 + 𝐼𝐼0
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 0 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘

• If the reverse bias exceeds a few kT/e, I → -I0 and G → 0

• If R-G current is dominant, there is residual conductance at all reverse biases

I+i Rs

Cdep

4
 Small-Signal Response in Forward Bias

5
 Transient Response of pn Junction
• Most pn junction diodes are used for switching or for processing AC signal
• We have to analyze the influence of excess carriers in transient and AC
operation → switching speed
• Time variation of stored charge
- Change in output current → change of charge stored in the carrier distributions
- Time is required in building up or depleting a charge distribution due to the
capacitive effect
- The stored charge must inevitably lag behind the current in a time dependent
problem

(1) Turn-off
Forward → reverse
(2) Turn-on
Reverse → forward

Storage Recovery
6 time time
 Turn-off Transient
• For p+n junction diode, ideal transient response is step function
• However, in the real world, there is a delay changing from on-state to off-state
• Stored excess minority carrier near the depletion region (under forward bias)
must be removed to form a deficit of carriers (under reverse bias)
• Storage delay time (ts): stored minority carrier charge is changed from excess
condition to equilibrium during ts
- Recombination → minority carrier lifetimes
- Net carrier flow out of the region → magnitude of reverse bias current
• Recovery time: minority carrier charge is removed from equilibrium to deficit
condition during the recovery time

𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹
𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 = 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑛𝑛 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 1 +
𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅

7 ts
 Turn-off Transient
• For t < ts, the minority carrier concentration at the depletion region edge (x= xn) is
greater than the equilibrium value
- Excess minority carrier at the depletion region edges implies the junction is
forward biased
• For an ideal p+n junction diode with abrupt junction,
𝑑𝑑∆𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛 𝑑𝑑∆𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛 𝑖𝑖
𝑖𝑖 = 𝐴𝐴𝐽𝐽𝑝𝑝 𝑥𝑥𝑛𝑛 = −𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝐷𝐷𝑝𝑝 � � = slope of ∆𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑥𝑥𝑛𝑛 = −
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑥𝑥=𝑥𝑥 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑥𝑥=𝑥𝑥 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝐷𝐷𝑝𝑝
𝑛𝑛 𝑛𝑛

𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛 𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒(𝑡𝑡)/𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 − 1

• Concentration slope have positive at x =

xn, since i < 0
non-exponential
• Since i = -IR = constant during 0 < t < ts,
slopes must be same

8
 Turn-off Transient
• For an ideal p+n junction diode with abrupt junction
Change build-up current
Hole charge flow
𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 Recombination current
= 𝑖𝑖 −
𝑑𝑑𝑡𝑡 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝

𝑖𝑖 = −𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 → 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐s𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 0 ≤ 𝑡𝑡 ≤ 𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠

𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝
= − 𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 + 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 0 ≤ 𝑡𝑡 ≤ 𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠
𝑑𝑑𝑡𝑡 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝

𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 ) 𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠

1
⇒ � 𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 = − � 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = −𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠
𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (0) 𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 + 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 /𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 0

𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 )
𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 + 𝑄𝑄𝑃𝑃 (0)/𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝
𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 = −𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 + � = 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙
𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝐼𝐼𝑅𝑅 + 𝑄𝑄𝑃𝑃 (𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 )/𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝
𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (0)

9
 Turn-off Transient

10
 Turn-on Transient
• Switching from reverse-bias to forward bias is relatively fast than turn-off case
- Minority carriers are rapidly injected across the depletion region

• Since i = IF throughout the turn-on transient, Qp = 0 at t = 0

𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠 ) 𝑡𝑡𝑠𝑠

1
= 𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹 − ⇒ � 𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 = � 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 𝑡𝑡
𝑑𝑑𝑡𝑡 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 0 𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹 − 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 /𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 0

𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡)
𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡)
𝑡𝑡 = −𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹 − � = −𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 1 − 𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (𝑡𝑡) = 𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 1 − 𝑒𝑒 −𝑡𝑡/𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝
𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝 𝐼𝐼𝐹𝐹 𝜏𝜏𝑝𝑝
𝑄𝑄𝑝𝑝 (0)

i(t)

11
 Turn-on Transient

12