Chapter 7

The pn Junction

Lecturer: Meng-Lin Tsai (蔡孟霖)

Office: E1-304-8
Extension: 6537
Email: mltsai@mail.ntust.edu.tw

1
Structure of the pn Junction

2
pn Junction in Thermal Equilibrium

3
pn Junction in Thermal Equilibrium
The built-in potential barrier can be defined as

The electron concentration in the n region is

Setting n0 = Nd

4
pn Junction in Thermal Equilibrium
Similarly, for p region

Thermal voltage

5
Example
Consider a silicon pn junction at T = 300 K with doping concentrations of Na = 2 ×
1017 cm-3 and Nd = 1015 cm-3, calculate the built-in potential barrier in a pn junction.

6
Electric Field Calculation
From the 1D Poisson’s equation

The charge densities are

E in the p region can be integrated as

By setting E = 0 at x = -xp

7
Electric Field Calculation
Similarly, E in the n region can be integrated as

By setting E = 0 at x = xn

Consider charge neutrality

8
Potential Calculation
For p region, the potential can be found by

⇒
By setting φ = 0 at x = -xp

9
Potential Calculation
For n region, the potential can be found by

⇒
Since φ is continuous at x = 0

The built-in potential can be written as

10
Space Charge Width (Depletion Width)
From

⇒ ⇒

Similarly, it can be solved that

The depletion width or space charge width W is

11
Example
Consider a silicon pn junction at T = 300 K with doping concentrations of Na = 1016
cm-3 and Nd = 1015 cm-3, calculate the space charge width and the peak electric
field at zero bias.

12
Reverse Applied Bias

Reverse-biased voltage
13
Reverse Applied Bias
The space charge width under reverse applied bias becomes

14
Example
Consider a silicon pn junction at T = 300 K with doping concentrations of Na = 1016
cm-3 and Nd = 1015 cm-3, calculate the space charge width. Assume that ni = 1.5 ×
1010 cm-3 and VR = 5 V.

15
Reverse Applied Bias
The maximum electric field at the junction is given by

Replacing Vbi with total potential barrier in

16
Example
Consider a silicon pn junction at T = 300 K with a p-type doping concentration of
Na = 2 × 1017 cm-3. Determine the n-type doping concentration such that the
maximum electric field is |Emax| = 2.5 × 105 V/cm at a reverse-biased voltage of VR
= 25 V.

17
Junction Capacitance
The junction capacitance can be defined as

Recall that

Therefore

18
Example
Consider a silicon pn junction at T = 300 K with doping concentrations of Na = 1016
cm-3 and Nd = 1015 cm-3, calculate the junction capacitance. Assume that ni = 1.5 ×
1010 cm-3 and VR = 5 V.

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One-Sided Junction
If Na >> Nd (p+n junction)

• Extrapolate to (1/C’)2 = 0  -Vbi

• Slope  Doping concentration of
the low-doped region

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Example
Assume that the intercept and the slope of the curve are Vbi = 0.725 V and 6.15 ×
1015 (F/cm2)-2 (V)-1, respectively, for a silicon p+n junction at T = 300 K, determine
the impurity doping concentrations.

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Junction Breakdown

Avalanche Breakdown
Zener Breakdown

22
Junction Breakdown
Consider one-sided p+n

The breakdown voltage can be expressed as

Doping concentration of the low-doped region

23
Junction Breakdown

24
Junction Breakdown

25
Problems
7.1, 7.9, 7.13, 7.17, 7.19, 7.21, 7.29, 7.35

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