PN Junction

& Schottky
Diode

Cathode Anode

1
Reverse-Bias PN Junction Charge Density

Electric Field

kT
VT = 26mV
q
Built-In Potential (0 Bias) Reverse-bias
is similar
N AND
bi = VT ln Potential as 0 bias
ni2 condition
kT
VT = 26 mV at 300oK
q
ni is the intrinsic carrier concentration approximates 1.5e-10 cm-3 at 300oK
K is Boltzsmann Constant
2
 * Built-In Potential oppose the diffusion of mobile holes and electrons
across the junction.

* Demand overall charge neutrality.

2V
* Apply Poissons equation = to solve for V
x 2

3
* Maximum field increase as the doping density increase.
* Increase reverse bias voltage will increase maximum field.
* Junction breakdowns when bias exceeds VBREAKDOWN voltage
I

VBREAKDOWN

$ Higher doing will cause

higher or lower
VBREAKDOWN?

4
 * Apply Q C (V = 0 ) for uniform doping in both
C j (V ) = =
V 1
p,n region
V 2
1
bi

Q C (V = 0 ) for graded doping in both

* C j (V ) = =
V 1
p,n region
V 3
Junction Capacitance 1
bi
V is the reverse bias voltage

$ Higher doping will cause

Graded doping
higher or lower
capacitance?
C-V curve for ** C-V for forward bias?
uniform doping

5
I-V Characteristics
Forward
Bias
(Curve of exponential)

Impedance of diode vary with bias point and RF swing level

6
Forward Bias (used to approximate reverse bias too)
qV
I = I S (e nkT
1)
n : ideality factor PN junction is everywhere
I S : reverse saturation current
k : Boltzmann constant
T : absolute temperature
V : bias voltage

CMOS

7
Review:

Junction capacitance resulted from reverse bias and vary with

voltage
Breakdown voltage inversely proportional with doping
Diffusion capacitance resulted from forward bias (hard to
measure C-V curve, more later)
One thing not mentioned is the leakage current through the
the surrounding edge of diode structure for both forward
and reverse bias. Its a OMIC phenomena.
Breakdown phenomena is not modeled in:

qV
I = I S (e nkT
1)

8
9
 q I
N
KT I
V
10
N
11
 kT I
V= log
q IS
For large V

Straight line
in logarithm scale
for large V

12
Series Resistance
(parasitic component)

Accounts for
Ohmic drop,
neglected so far

Current (I) appears

in both side of equations

kT I
V = IRs + log
q IS
For large V

13
 I
Use log here
IS

kT I
V = IRs + log
q IS
For large V

I
If log =6, IS=1.6e-6 A, and V=0.71V
IS

then what is the value of Rs at 300oK? 0.346 OHM

14
 Fabricate PN junction diode in CMOS

This P layer substrate provides isolation Substrate usually is grounded

15
 CMOS

NPN structure is vertical instead of horizontal

(meaning of plug)

16
* pn junction is one kind of diode

17
In Practical!

18
 Cd(V) then Cj(V)?
! Initial large or small Cd(V)?

Cj(V) then Cd(V)

$ Initial large or
small Cd(V)?

Vj can not change abruptly,

need to get rid of minority No trr for
carrier schottky diode

trr is the time required

to neutralize minority
carrier

The mass of Current Spike

P is more heavier
than N
19
 Cd(V)
Cj(V)

P + P
+ + - -
Forward-bias + + + - - - Reverse-bias
- - - + + +
- - + +
-
It takes time
20
 Majority electron

P P
Instant switched
+ + to reverse bias + + -
Forward bias + + + + + +
Vf Vr
- - - - - -
- - - - +

Act like voltage source, so

the resultant voltage sorce
Majority electron is Vf+Vr-(If*Rs)

Generate current spike 21

Switch off
Transient

Vr >> Vf
and
Rs is very small

22
23
24
 Schottky Diode

Metal-Semiconductor junction.
Lower forward turn-on voltage.

Schottky No minority
ID carrier storage!

VD

Steeper I-V curve

Majority-carrier (Electron) device. Not like p-n diode using
minority-carrier charge-storage effects.
Higher cutoff frequency, reproducibility and ease of fabrication.
Exitaxial and ion-implantation.
Rectifying or non-rectifying (ohmic-contact)
25
Gx : Gx1 // Gx2

26
 I-V characteristics

qV
Based on I = I S (e 1)
nkT

n : ideality factor
I S : reverse saturation current
k : Boltzmann constant
T : absolute temperature
V : bias voltage
q (V I D Rs )
GxV : edge leakage current I D = I S (e

nkT

1) + GxV
IRS : voltage drop due to ohmic contact
and bulk resistance of semiconductor channel.
(ohmic contact is a metal-semiconductor contact that has
a linear I-V and non-rectifying characteristics. )

27
 C-V characteristics

C j0
(1 V ) m for V < F V
Vj C j
C D (V ) =
C j0 mv
(1 FC ( m + 1) + ) for V > FCV j
(1 V ) m +1 C Vj
Vj

Semi-empirical equation
m : grating coefficient
V j : built-in potential of the barrier height of junction
C j 0 : zero-bias junction capacitance.
FC : depletion capacitance coefficient.
C j0
approximated by C D (V ) =
V
(1 ) n
G = I D
Vj
D
V 28
Diode modeling

DC I-V measurement

qV
When IDRs << Bias voltage and ignore Is and GxV as compared with I S e
nkT

qV
Total diode current ID approximated by I D = I S e nkT

qV qV
log( I D ) = log( I S ) + log(e nkT
)= log(e) + log( I S )
nkT
q log(e) / kT
By taking the derivation with respect to V n =
log( I ) / V
29
 Is can be calculated from the curve.
knowing n and Is. Gx can be found by curve fitting at low current region
At high current region, ignore GxV and Is as compared with q (V I D RS )
nkT
I S e
q (V I D RS )

ID = ISe nkT

q (V I D RS )
log( I D ) = log( I S ) + log(e)
nkT
= log( I S ) + q (V V ) log(e)
nkT

V = I D RS

For Rs is a weak function of bias voltage V and increase with it

30
 Small signal model

or simplified as

measure S-parameter at particular bias voltage and curve fitting.

measure S-parameter at various bias V and curve fitting to find
C-V relation data. One can use the C-V data and curve fitting to
find C-V semi-empirical equation.

31
Large Signal Model

32
 f T : cutoff frequency
1
fT = (bias and RF power dependent)
2Rs C D
Noise: shot noise and thermal noise are two major source

Shot noise < is > 2 (mean square value)

2q
< is > 2 = ( I D + 2 I s ) f
n
Thermal noise < iT > 2 (mean square value)
4kT
< iT > 2 = f
Rs
f : bandwidth
q : charge of electron
n : ideality factor
T : absolute temperature
K : Boltzmann constant

these two noise sources are statistically uncorrelated.

33
In addition Flicker noise < i f > 2
a
ID
< i f > = k f b f
2

f
A random fashion of generation-recombination effect in the
depletion layer.

Energy concentrated at low frequency.

ID : the diode current.

f : center frequency
f : bandwidth
kf , a, b : constant

(device dependent, a in the range of 0.5-2, and b is close to 1)

flicker noise is in the shunt with shot noise, and is uncorrelated to

thermal noise.

34
 Noise model

CD
< iT > 2
cathode Lp2 ID anode

Rs
Cp2 Cp1
< is > 2

< i f >2

model parameters can be estimated from the measurement

of the diode noise.

35
 Schottky diode as level shift

qV f ID
I D I S (exp 1)
KT
KT ID V
Vf = ln( )
q IS
ID
VD , Drop = V f + I f RS

Both Vf and Rs are function of temperature but temperature coefficient

of Vf dominates.
Temperature coefficient of VD drop typically ranges from -1 to 2 mV/oC
Low diode forward current have temperature coefficient close to 2 mV/oC
High diode forward current have temperature coefficient close to 1 mV/oC

36
 Diode
multiplier
Detector
Mixer
Varactor
Switch
Limiter
Level-Shifting Device

Cathode Anode

Small signal model

37