VARACTOR AND

OPTICAL DIODE
Presented by :Bisma Pari Memon (20TL034)
 <Context>
■ VARACTOR DIODE :
• DEFINITION
• WORKING PRINCIPAL
• CHARACTERISTIC CURVE
■ OPTICAL DIODES :
• TYPES :
•LED , QUANTUM DOTS
•PHOTODIODE
 <DEFINTION>
■ A varactor diode is one kind of semiconductor microwave solid-state device.
■ The diode whose internal capacitance varies with the variation of the reverse
voltage such type of diode is known as the Varactor diode.
■ It is used for storing the charge.
■  it is a voltage-dependent semiconductor device.
o The voltage-dependent device means the output of the diode depends on
their input voltage. 
■ The Varactor diode is also known as the Varicap, Voltcap, Voltage variable
capacitance or Tunning diode.
■ A varactor is a diode that always operates in reverse bias and is doped to
maximize the inherent capacitance of the depletion region.
■ The depletion region acts as a capacitor dielectric because of its
nonconductive characteristic.
■ The p and n regions are conductive and act as the capacitor plates.
 <WORKING PRINCIPAL>
■ Varactor diode is the one which
works on the principle of variation
in capacitance by changing the
width of the depletion region of P-
N junction. The P-N Junction diode
creates capacitor effect.
■ The capacitance is controlled by
applied voltage.
■ It works on reverse biased mode.
<FORMULA>
<CHARACTERISTIC CURVE>
■ The graph shows that when the reverse bias voltage increases the
depletion region increases, and the capacitance of the diode reduces.
 <Optical diodes>
■ The three types of optoelectronic devices are introduced:
1. The photodiode (the photodiode is a light detector).
2. The light-emitting diode (the light-emitting diode is a light emitter).
3. Quantum dots (Quantum dots are very tiny light emitters made from
silicon with great promise for various devices, including light-emitting
diodes).
 <LED (LIGHT-EMITTING
DIODE)>
■ A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source that emits light
when current flows through it.
■ It is heavily dopped p-n junction diode which converts electrical energy
into light energy.
■ This diode emits light under forward biasing.
 <Working>
■ LED (Light Emitting Diode) is an
optoelectronic device which works on
the principle of electro-luminance.
■ Electro-luminance is the property of the
material to convert electrical energy into
light energy and later it radiates this light
energy.
■ The electrons are majority carriers in N-
type and holes are majority carriers in P-
type. The electrons of N-type are in the
conduction band and holes of P-type are in
the valence band. The energy level of the
Conduction band is higher than the energy
level of the Valence band. Thus, if
electrons tend to recombine with holes
they have to lose some part of the energy
to fall in lower energy band.
■ The electrons can lose their energy either
in the form of heat or light. The electrons
in Silicon and Germanium lose their
energy in the form of heat. Thus, they are
not used for LEDs as we want
semiconductor in which electrons lose
their energy in the form of light.
 <Characteristic curve>

• Forward current conducted by junction determined by the intensity of

light emitted.
<Uses>

■ In burglar alaram system.

■ In calculators,Digital watches.
■ In traffic light.
■ In remote control appliances.
<PHOTODIODE>
■ It is a device used to detect and convert light energy into
electrical energy.
■ It is operated under reverse bias below breakdown voltage.
 <WORKING>
■ When photodiode is illuminated with
light (photons) , with energy greater than
the energy gap of the semiconductor, the
electron-hole pairs are generated due to
the absorption of photons, thus charge
carriers contribute to the reverse current.
■ When a photon of certain energy strikes
the diode, it generates a couple of an
electron-hole. This generated holes in the
region move towards the anode and
electrons produced move toward the
cathode also. Hence a photocurrent will
be generated.
<CHARACTERISTIC CURVE>

• On increasing the intensity, reverse current also increases.

<DARK CURRENT>

■ When the photodiode is reverse biased with a voltage less than

its breaking down voltage and no light is incident on its
junction , the reverse current is extremely small. This current is
known as dark current.
<USES>

■ In photo-detection for optical signals.

■ In optical communication equipment.
■ In counting machine.