Prof.

Jasprit Singh Fall 2001

EECS 320

SOLUTIONS TO THE MIDTERM EXAM II

You may use any relevant piece of information from the textbook
or any other source. Any reasonable approximations may be made.
Temperature is 300 K.
Problem 1: (6 points) Consider a long ideal Si p-n diode in which the n-side
and p-side dopings have to be equal. It is to be used in an application where
the turn-on voltage (where the forward current density is 1000 A/cm2 ) is 0.8 V.
 Calculate the n- and p-dopings needed for the diode.
 Calculate the maximum reverse bias voltage the diode can tolerate without
breaking down if the maximum eld in the depletion region for breakdown is
300 kV/cm.

minority carrier lifetime n = p = 10;8 s

electron diffusion constant = 25 cm2 =s
hole diffusion constant = 10 cm2 =s
We start with the calculation of the current density prefactor
1000 A=cm2 = J0 exp(0:8=0:026)
This gives
J0 = 4:36  10;11 A=cm2
From the information given we nd that the diusion lengths are
Ln = 5  10;4 cm; Lp = 3:16  10;4 cm
Since the n-side and p-side dopings are the same we have
np = pn
We now use the relation derived in the class for the current density prefactor
 10cm2=s 2=s 
4:36  10;11 A=cm2 = e 25cm
3:16  10;4cm + 5  10;4cm pn
This gives
pn = np = 3:33  103 cm;3

1
 The needed doping is now
2  1020 = 6:74  1016 cm;3
Nd = Na = np i = 3:332:25
 103 cm;3
n
The built-in voltage is then given by
N 
Vbi = 0:026ln p d = 0:8 V
n
The maximum eld in the depletion region for this diode with equal n- and
p- dopings is  1=2
Fm = eN d (VeNbi ; V )
d
This gives r
3  105V=cm = eNd(Vbi ; V )

Taking the square of both sides
1010 V=cm)(11:9  8:84  10;14 F=cm) = 8:78 V
Vbi ; V = (9  (1:6  10;19C )(6:74  1016cm;3 )
This gives
;V = 8:78 ; 0:8  8 V olts
The diode can operate upto 8 volt reverse bias.
Problem 2: (6 points)
Consider a short (or narrow) p+ -n diode. Assume that the reverse current is
dominated by generation-recombination current (i.e the non-ideal current) and
at turn-on the forward current is dominated by ideal diode current.
The reverse current density at a total bias (built-in plus reverse bias) of 5
volt is to be 10;6 A/cm2 .
 Calculate the n-side doping of the diode.
 Calculate the turn-on voltage of the diode (forward current density is 1000
A/cm2 .

n ; side length = 2:0  10;4 cm

p ; side length = 2:0  10;4 cm
minority carrier lifetime in the depletion region n = p = 1:0  10;7 s
minority carrier lifetime in the neutral region n = p = 1:0  10;6 s
electron diffusion constant = 25 cm2 =s
hole diffusion constant = 10 cm2 =s

2
 In this problem we will need to make two approxiamtions: (i) The p-side
doping is much larger than n-side doping; (ii) the depletion width in forward
bias is small compared to the width of the n-side. The second approximation
can be easily veried for the diode after the rst part is solved.
Since we know that the reverse current is dominated by the G-R term we
have
J0 (G ; R) = eWn i ;6
2 = 10 A=cm
2
where W is the depletion width and  is the lifetime in the depletion region.
This gives us
;6A=cm2 )(2  10;7s)
W = (1:6(10  10;19C )(1:5  1010cm;3 )
= 0:833m
Equating this to the depletion width at Vbi + jVr j = 5:0 V we get (using
Na >> Nd ) s
W = 2(5V )eNd

Nd = 2 (1(11 :9  8:84  10;14F=cm)  5V = 9:47  1015 cm;3

:6  10;19 C )(8:33  10;4cm)2
The hole density on the n-side is now
2
pn = Nni = 2:37  104 cm;3
d
The ideal current density can be calculated using only the hole injection
current since we have a p+ n diode.
J0  eD
W
p pn
ln
Note that we have neglected the depletion width on the n-side since in forward
bias, especially near turn-on where the forward bias is almost equal to the built-
in voltage the depletion width is essentially zero.
The prefactor of the current density is
;19 cm2 =s)(2:37  104 cm;3 ) = 1:9  10;10 A=cm2
J0 = (1:6  10 C )(10 2  10;4cm
The turn-on voltage is now
3
Von = kBeT ln 1:9 1010;10 = 0:76 V
using kBeT = 0:026 V .