MODULE 4.

1
Semiconductors - Diode

Syllabus for Diode

Diode Diode

symbols characteristics and properties in series and parallel

Diodes Main

characteristics and use of silicon controlled rectifiers (thyristors), light emitting diode, photo conductive diode, varistor, rectifier diodes; testing of diodes

Functional

Diode and One Way Valve

Diodes

are similar to check

valves.
They

allow fluid to flow in one direction but not the reversed.

How Diode Works

The The

PN junction consists of P and N material joint together. area where P material meets the N material is called the junction.

Current in N-Type Material

The

flow is made up of electron, similar to the current in copper. electrons leave the crystal and flow towards the positive terminals of the battery.

The

Current Flow in P-Type Material

Holes

flow within the semiconductor from +ve terminal to -ve. flow external to the semiconductor is always electron.

The

Junction Barrier
Both

N and P types of semiconductors are electrically neutral. number of electrons and protons is balanced. expected the electrons will neutralize and balance the holes, but that do not happen

The We

What happen, the electrons from N material move to P material, thus creating ++ ions on N material. The hole transferred to N material. This create a field barriers, ++ at N material and -- at P material.

Barrier Junction
Video

Forward Biased PN Junction

Reverse Biased PN junction

Reverse

biased

No current due to majority carrier. small current due to minority carrier.

Resistance

characteristic.
Small resistance in forward bias High resistance in in reversed bias. Refer to the graph.

PN Junction Characteristic
The

resistance is given by ohms law. forward bias, at 1 v point, R=250 ohms. In reverse bias R= 800k.

Example,

Diode Identification

As

there are many types of diode, a system is required to identify it. semi conductor identification is used to distinguish one from the other.

The

Diode Identification
As

there are many types of diode, a system is required to identify it. semi conductor identification is used to distinguish one from the other.

The

The first digit XN X =is the number of junction. N = a semiconductor. YYY Identification Number.

Diode Markings
is the needs to identify anode/cathode cathode is marked as k, + or color code or band.
The There

Diodes Color Code

Example

Brown, orange and white bands

Brown = 1 Orange = 3 White 9

So the diode is 1N139

Diode Maintenance

Diode Maintenance
Diodes

are rugged and design to last a long time. can be due to:
Current overloads can damage the junction Excess voltage High temperature. Heat increases the current flow which in turn produce more heat which will cause higher current.

Damages

 diode maintenance
The

followings are the precautions when working with diodes:

Power off when installing and removing diodes Do not use force to pull the diode from the PCB. Soldering diode need care to avoid excessive heat. Replace of diode must be direct replacement, right direction. Avoid touching the exposed wires to avoid static electricity.

Checking Diodes - analogue

Checking

Diode Positive lead is black

Why?

Checking Diodes digital

Fwd

bias about
Reverse

1K bias open circuit.

Different Types of Diodes

 Different Types of Diodes

Point Contact Diode PN Junction Schottky diodes Schottky Barrier Diode Varicap or varactor diode Zener diode

Different Types of Diodes

Different

types of diodes are manufactured for different purposes:

Laser diode the diode produces laser light. The laser generation function is cheaper than the alternative, however the diode is more expensive than other types of diodes.

LED Light Emitting Diode

Photodiode
When

light strikes, it produces electrons or holes causing current flow. to detect light. photo-diodes are operated under reverse bias conditions where even small amounts of current flow resulting from the light can be easily detected.

Used

Typically

Diode PIN Diode

Thepindiode

acts as an ordinary diode at frequencies up to about 100 megahertz, but above this frequency the operational characteristics change. large intrinsic region increases the transit time of electrons crossing the region. Above 100 megahertz, electrons begin to accumulate in the intrinsic region. The carrier storage in the intrinsic region causes the diode to stop acting as a rectifier and begin acting as a variable resistance.

The

Point Contact Diode

Apoint-contact A

diodeworks the same as the junction diodes, but their construction is simpler. block of n-type semiconductor is built, and a conducting sharp-point contact made with some group-3 metal is placed in contact with the semiconductor. metal migrates into the semiconductor to make a small region of p-type semiconductor near the contact. long-popular 1N34 germanium version is still used in radio receivers as a detector and occasionally in specialized analog electronics.

Some The

Schottky Diodes
Lower

forward voltage drop about 0.15 0.4 v Construction metal to semiconductor contact used for clamping circuit

Different Mainly

Schottky Barrier Diodes

Use

for rectification

Shorter reverse time thus suited for high frequency switching.

Diode Switching Characteristics

When

diode is switched from forward biased to reverse biased state or vice versa, it takes finite time to attain a steady state. time consists of a transient and an interval of time before the diode attain the steady state is attained. behavior of the diode during this time is called switching characteristics of the diode. the forward-bias state, there are a large number of electrons from the n side diffusing to the p side. diffusion process establishes a large number of minority carriers in each material

This

The In

This

Zener Diode

RESOURCES
My Blog
Title Aircraft Electricity and Electronics Art of Electronics Horowitz /Hill Elements of Electronics Modern Aviation Electronics Micro Electronics in Aircraft systems

CAA UK Recommended Books

Author Eisman ISBN 0-02-8018591 0-521-370957 0070286957

Horowit z /Hill Hickey/ Villines Helfrich

0-13-1188038 0-273-08612X

E Pallet