6.

012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-1

Lecture 16 - The pn Junction Diode (II)

Equivalent Circuit Model

November 3, 2005

Contents:

1. I-V characteristics (cont.)

2. Small-signal equivalent circuit model
3. Carrier charge storage: diffusion capacitance

Reading assignment:

Howe and Sodini, Ch. 6, §§6.4, 6.5, 6.9

Announcements:

Quiz 2: 11/16, 7:30-9:30 PM,

open book, must bring calculator; lectures #10-18.
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-2

Key questions

• How does a pn diode look like from a small-signal

point of view?
• What are the leading dependences of the small-signal
elements?
• In addition to the junction capacitance, are there any
other capacitive effects in a pn diode?
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-3

1. I-V characteristics (cont.)

Diode current equation:

qV
I = Io(exp − 1)
kT

Physics of forward bias:

Fp
p n
Fn

• potential difference across SCR reduced by V ⇒ mi-

nority carrier injection in QNR’s
• minority carrier diffusion through QNR’s
• minority carrier recombination at surface of QNR’s
• large supply of carriers available for injection
⇒ I ∝ eqV /kT
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-4

Fp
p n
Fn

Physics of reverse bias:

• potential difference across SCR increased by V

⇒ minority carrier extraction from QNR’s
• minority carrier diffusion through QNR’s
• minority carrier generation at surface of QNR’s
• very small supply of carriers available for extraction
⇒ I saturates to small value
 6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-5

I-V characteristics: I = Io(exp qV

kT
− 1)

I log |I|

0.43 q
kT
=60 mV/dec @ 300K
Io

0
0 V 0 V
Io
linear scale semilogarithmic scale
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-6

Source/drain-body pn diode of NMOSFET:

6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-7

Key dependences of diode current:

1 Dn 1 Dp qV
I = qAn2i ( + )(exp − 1)
Na Wp − xp Nd Wn − xn kT

n2i qV
•I∝ N (exp
− 1) ≡ excess minority carrier concen-
kT
tration at edges of SCR
n2i
– in forward bias: I ∝ exp qV kT : the more carrier
N
are injected, the more current flows
n2i
– in reverse bias: I ∝ −N :
the minority carrier
concentration drops to negligible values and the
current saturates

• I ∝ D: faster diffusion ⇒ more current

1
• I ∝ WQNR : shorter region to diffuse through ⇒ more
current

• I ∝ A: bigger diode ⇒ more current

6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-8

2. Small-signal equivalent circuit model

Examine effect of small signal overlapping bias:

q(V + v)
I + i = Io[exp − 1]
kT

If v small enough, linearize exponential characteristics:

qV qv qV qv
I + i = Io(exp exp − 1) ' Io [exp (1 + ) − 1]
kT kT kT kT

qV qV qv
= Io(exp − 1) + Io(exp )
kT kT kT

Then:

q(I + Io)
i= v
kT

From small signal point of view, diode behaves as con-

ductance of value:

q(I + Io)
gd =
kT
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-9

Small-signal equivalent circuit model, so far:

gd

gd depends on bias. In forward bias:

qI
gd '
kT

gd is linear in diode current.

6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-10

Must add capacitance associated with depletion region:

gd Cj

Depletion or junction capacitance:

Cjo
Cj = s
1 − φVB
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-11

3. Carrier charge storage: diffusion capaci-

tance

What happens to the majority carriers?

Carrier picture so far:

log p, n

Na
po Nd
no

p
n
ni2
ni2 Nd
Na

0 x

If in QNR minority carrier concentration ↑ but majority

carrier concentration unchanged
⇒ quasi-neutrality is violated.
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-12

Quasi-neutrality demands that at every point in QNR:

excess minority carrier concentration
= excess majority carrier concentration
n n-QNR

n(xn)
n(x)

qNn
Nd

p(xn)
p(x)

qPn
ni2
Nd
xn x
0 Wn

Mathematically:

p0 (x) = p(x) − po ' n0 (x) = n(x) − no

Define integrated carrier charge:

qP n = qA 12 p0 (xn)(Wn − xn) =
2
Wn −xn ni
= qA 2 Nd (exp qV
kT − 1) = −qN n
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-13

Now examine small increase in V :

n n-QNR V
+-

n(xn) -
∆qNn=-∆qPn I

n(x) p n

Nd

p
p(xn) + ∆qPn

p(x)
ni2
Nd
xn x
0 Wn

Small increase in V ⇒ small increase in qP n ⇒ small

increase in |qN n|

Behaves as capacitor of capacitance:

dqP n
Cdn = |V
dV
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-14

Can write qP n in terms of Ip (portion of diode current

due to holes in n-QNR):

(Wn − xn)2 n2i Dp qV

qP n = qA (exp − 1)
2Dp Nd Wn − xn kT
(Wn − xn)2
= Ip
2Dp

Define transit time of holes through n-QNR:

(Wn − xn)2
τT p =
2Dp

Transit time is average time for a hole to diffuse through

n-QNR [will discuss in more detail in BJT]

Then:

qP n = τT p Ip

and
q
Cdn ' τT pIp
kT
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-15

Similarly for p-QNR:

qN p = τT nIn

q
Cdp ' τT nIn
kT
where τT n is transit time of electrons through p-QNR:

(Wp − xp)2
τT n =
2Dn

Both capacitors sit in parallel ⇒ total diffusion capaci-

tance:
q q
Cd = Cdn + Cdp = (τT nIn + τT pIp ) = τT I
kT kT
with:
τT nIn + τT p Ip
τT =
I
Note that

qP n + qN p = τT nIn + τT p Ip = τT I
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-16

Complete small-signal equivalent circuit model for diode:

gd Cj Cd
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-17

Bias dependence of Cj and Cd :

C

Cd
C
Cj
2Cjo

0
0 φB/2 V

• Cd dominates in strong forward bias (∼ eqV /kT )

dominates in reverse bias and small forward bias

• Cj √
(∼ 1/ φB − V )

- For strong forward bias, model for Cj invalid (doesn’t

blow up)

- Common ”hack”, let Cj saturate at value corre-

sponding to V = φ2B
√
Cj,max = 2Cjo
6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits - Fall 2005 Lecture 16-18

Key conclusions

Small-signal behavior of diode:

• conductance: associated with current-voltage charac-

teristics

gd ∼ I in forward bias, negligible in reverse bias

• junction capacitance: associated with charge modu-

lation in depletion region
r
Cj ∼ 1/ φB − V

• diffusion capacitance: associated with charge storage

in QNR’s to keep quasi-neutrality

Cd ∼ eqV /kT

Cd ∼ I