Name: diode reverse current and breakdown
Uploaded: 2024-07-08T13:20:19.000Z
Duration: 1 min 14 s
Channel: JoVE

Un diodo tiene polarización inversa cuando su región de tipo n está conectada al terminal positivo del voltaje de suministro y su región de tipo p está conectada al terminal negativo.
A voltajes de polarización inversa más bajos, la pequeña corriente de fuga a través del diodo se debe principalmente a portadores minoritarios, y la curva IV en esta región es casi plana.
A medida que el voltaje de polarización inversa aumenta más allá de un voltaje umbral, conocido como voltaje de ruptura o voltaje de rodilla, se observa un aumento pronunciado en la corriente por una pequeña variación en el voltaje.
En diodos muy dopados a altos voltajes inversos, el campo eléctrico a través de la región de agotamiento es lo suficientemente fuerte como para que los electrones de valencia se liberen de sus enlaces. Esto crea pares electrón-hueco, lo que resulta en un aumento significativo de la corriente.
En diodos ligeramente dopados, los altos voltajes inversos aceleran los portadores minoritarios a través de la región de agotamiento. Chocan con los átomos, creando pares electrón-hueco adicionales. Este proceso se produce en cascada, lo que provoca un rápido aumento de la corriente.
En los diodos ligeramente dopados, la corriente aumenta gradualmente en comparación con los diodos muy dopados.

diodo: polarización inversa

Un diodo tiene polarización inversa cuando el terminal positivo de una fuente de voltaje externa está conectado al material tipo n y el terminal negativo al material tipo p. Esta configuración se opone a la dirección natural del flujo de corriente a través del diodo, aumentando efectivamente el ancho de la región de agotamiento y el potencial de barrera. La condición de polarización inversa produce una corriente de fuga mínima, principalmente debido a los portadores de carga minoritarios. Esta fuga se vuelve significativa cuando el voltaje inverso supera el voltaje térmico en condiciones ambientales estándar, lo que lleva a una curva de respuesta corriente-voltaje (I-V) aplanada. A diferencia del aumento exponencial de la corriente observado en la polarización directa, el aumento en la polarización inversa es insignificante.
Sin embargo, en la práctica, la corriente inversa en los diodos a menudo excede la corriente de saturación prevista. Por ejemplo, los diodos diseñados para señales pequeñas con corrientes de saturación inversa a nivel de femtoamperios pueden exhibir corrientes inversas a nivel de nanoamperios. Si bien esta corriente inversa aumenta ligeramente con el voltaje inverso, estos cambios son demasiado pequeños para afectar notablemente la curva I-V. Esta corriente inversa se origina a partir de la generación de portadores térmicos dentro de la unión, dependiendo de las dimensiones físicas de la unión del diodo.
Se produce un fuerte aumento en la corriente inversa cuando el voltaje inverso aplicado alcanza un umbral crítico conocido como voltaje de ruptura, específico de cada diodo. Este fenómeno, representado por la rodilla en la curva I-V, significa un aumento sustancial de corriente con un aumento mínimo de voltaje.
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/15714/15714_Figure_1.svg" style="height: 200px;">
Es esencial reconocer que la falla del diodo no es inherentemente dañina, siempre que la corriente permanezca dentro de su área operativa segura, generalmente definida por su capacidad máxima de disipación de energía en la hoja de datos. Se necesitan circuitos externos, diseñados para limitar la corriente inversa a niveles seguros, para evitar posibles daños. Los diodos Zener, diseñados para funcionar dentro de la región de ruptura para la regulación de voltaje, son un ejemplo de diodos que operan de manera segura en estas condiciones.

Diodo: Polarización inversa

Un diodo está polarizado inversamente cuando su región de tipo n está conectada al terminal positivo de la tensión de alimentación y su región de tipo p está conectada al ...

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Diode: Reverse bias

diode reverse current and breakdown

A diode in reverse bias blocks current flow and widens its depletion region. In this setup, the positive terminal of the power source connects to the n-type material, and the negative terminal connects to the p-type material. The reverse connection also raises the barrier potential, so current stays very small.

The small reverse current is called leakage current. It comes mainly from minority charge carriers. At room temperature, once the reverse voltage is above the thermal voltage, the diode’s I-V curve becomes nearly flat, unlike the steep rise seen in forward bias.

Real diodes often show more reverse current than the ideal saturation current predicts. Small-signal diodes with femtoampere-level reverse saturation current may still measure nanoampere-level reverse current. This current can rise a little as reverse voltage increases, but the change is usually too small to affect the I-V curve much. It comes from thermal carrier generation in the junction and depends on the junction’s physical size.

A sharp increase in reverse current begins at the breakdown voltage. This is the critical reverse voltage where the I-V curve shows a knee and current rises quickly with little extra voltage. Breakdown is not always damaging if the current stays within the diode’s safe operating area, which is usually tied to the maximum power dissipation listed in the datasheet. External circuitry is used to keep reverse current safe, and Zener diodes are designed to work in the breakdown region for voltage regulation.

Diode Reverse Current and Breakdown

the ideal diode

Ideal Diode I-V Curve and Rectification

An ideal diode is a simple model of a semiconductor diode used to show how current moves through circuits. A diode has two terminals. The anode is positive, and the cathode is negative. In this model, current can flow only in one direction. When a positive voltage is applied to the anode relative to the cathode, the diode is forward-biased. In that state, it conducts current. When the cathode is at a higher potential than the anode, the diode is reverse-biased. It then blocks current and acts...

diode: forward bias

Diode Current in Forward Bias

Diode current in forward bias depends on how the p-type and n-type regions are connected to a battery. When the p-type region is tied to the positive terminal and the n-type region to the negative terminal, the diode is forward-biased. This setup lowers the potential barrier inside the diode and lets current move easily from the p-type side to the n-type side. The current-voltage behavior of a forward-biased diode is described by its I-V characteristics. These characteristics depend on the...

diode: reverse bias

A diode in reverse bias blocks current flow and widens its depletion region. In this setup, the positive terminal of the power source connects to the n-type material, and the negative terminal connects to the p-type material. The reverse connection also raises the barrier potential, so current stays very small. The small reverse current is called leakage current. It comes mainly from minority charge carriers. At room temperature, once the reverse voltage is above the thermal voltage, the...

zener diodes

Zener Diode Voltage Regulation

Zener diodes are semiconductor devices used to hold voltage steady in reverse bias. In reverse breakdown, current flows into the cathode and makes it positive relative to the anode. This behavior is different from a conventional diode and is the reason Zener diodes are useful in voltage regulation. A Zener diode has a nearly vertical current-voltage, or I-V, curve above a threshold called the knee current. That shape lets it keep a fairly stable voltage over a wide range of currents.

modeling of diode forward characteristics

modeling-of-diode-forward-characteristics

Diode Forward Bias: I-V Curve and Models

Diode forward bias is analyzed with the current-voltage, or I-V, curve and two common circuit models. These models help describe how a diode behaves when current flows in the forward direction. They are useful for electronic circuit design and analysis. The exponential diode model is used when the source voltage rises above 0.5 volts. At that point, the diode current increases exponentially above the saturation current. The I-V curve shows this nonlinear response as the forward voltage...

small-signal diode model

Diode Bias and Small-Signal Response

Diode bias and small-signal response describe how a diode behaves when a steady DC voltage and a tiny changing signal act on the same circuit. The DC bias sets the diode’s operating point, or Q point. Around that point, the diode current and voltage follow an exponential I-V relationship. A small time-varying signal can be added on top of the DC bias to study how the diode responds to small changes. When the signal voltage is much smaller than the thermal voltage, the diode’s behavior can be...

modeling of diode reverse characteristics

modeling-of-diode-reverse-characteristics

Zener Diode Load-Line Modeling

Zener diode load-line modeling shows how a reverse-biased diode sets a steady voltage in a circuit. Zener diodes use reverse breakdown in a controlled way, so they can hold a fixed voltage across their terminals. This makes them useful for voltage regulation. When the reverse voltage rises above the Zener voltage, or VZ, the diode enters the breakdown region. In this region, the current-voltage, or I-V, curve becomes nearly vertical after the knee current, IZ, is reached. That means the...

half wave rectifier

Single-Diode AC to DC Conversion

Single-diode AC to DC conversion uses a half-wave rectifier to change alternating current into a unidirectional voltage. The circuit is simple. It uses one diode in series with a load resistor and an AC power source. The diode controls the current because it allows flow in only one direction. During the positive half-cycles of the AC input, the diode is forward-biased. When the input voltage is greater than the diode threshold, current flows and an output voltage appears across the load...

full wave rectifier

AC to DC Conversion with Full-Wave Rectifiers

A full-wave rectifier converts alternating current, or AC, into direct current, or DC. It is more efficient than a half-wave rectifier. The circuit usually uses a center-tapped transformer, two diodes, and a load resistor. The center-tapped transformer is the key part of the circuit. Its secondary winding is split into two equal voltages with opposite polarities. That split lets the rectifier use both halves of the AC input waveform. During the positive half-cycle of the AC signal, diode D1...

bridge rectifier

AC to DC Conversion with Bridge Diodes

A bridge rectifier converts alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) using four diodes arranged in a bridge layout. It is used to turn both halves of the AC waveform into a single-direction output. That makes it an important part of many electronics circuits. During the positive half-cycle, diodes D1 and D2 conduct. Current then flows through the load resistor R. At the same time, D3 and D4 are reverse-biased, so they do not conduct. The action switches during the negative half-cycle.

clipper circuit

Dual Diode Wave Clipping

Dual diode wave clipping uses diodes and biasing batteries to reshape an AC signal. A clipper circuit is a wave-shaping device that changes waveform parts without changing the whole signal. It is commonly used in television and radar communication systems to improve waveform modulation in transmitters and receivers. A dual-clipper setup uses two ideal diodes, two biasing batteries, and a resistor connected in parallel. The circuit works by responding to the phase of the input AC signal. The...

clamper circuit

DC Restorer for Waveform Level Shifting

A clamper circuit, or DC restorer, shifts a waveform up or down by adding a DC level. It is a special form of rectifier circuit. In this setup, the output is taken across the diode instead of across the capacitor. The circuit works well with square wave inputs and other pulse signals. The diode direction lets the capacitor charge to the most negative peak of the input signal. After that, the diode stops conducting. The capacitor then holds that voltage at a steady value. As a result, the...

voltage doubler circuit

How a Voltage Doubler Raises AC Output

A voltage doubler circuit raises the output voltage by using a clamping section and a rectifier section. The clamping section includes a capacitor, C1, and a diode, D1. The rectifier section includes a second diode, D2, and a capacitor, C2. The circuit starts working when a sinusoidal input signal enters the clamping section. Under ideal conditions, this stage clamps the positive peaks at zero volts. It also lets the negative peak reach a magnitude that is twice the input amplitude. That...

schottky barrier diode

Fast Switching in Schottky Diodes

Schottky barrier diodes use a metal-semiconductor junction to control current flow. They are built by combining a metal layer with a moderately doped n-type semiconductor. This contact creates the Schottky barrier, which gives the diode its one-way current behavior. When the metal touches the semiconductor, charge transfer occurs. The Fermi levels of the two materials align, and a depletion region forms near the contact area. In an n-type semiconductor, this region contains uncompensated...

key terms and concepts

Learn how reverse bias creates leakage current, why the diode I-V curve flattens, and what happens at breakdown voltage, including safe use in Zener diodes.

Diode Reverse Current and Breakdown | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Electrical Engineering offers easy-to-understand animated videos that cover fundamental concepts of electric circuits along with circuit analysis techniques. It incorporates first-order and second-order circuits using operational amplifiers and circuit transformation concepts. The inclusion of practical design examples and real-world applications through scientist-in-action videos adds significant educational value, making complex concepts accessible.

electrical engineering

Diode Reverse Current and Breakdown

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