Anushiya Pn Junction

P-N JUNCTION
A p-n junction is formed by combining P-type and N-

type semiconductors together in very close contact.
Normally they are manufactured from a single crystal
with different dopant concentrations diffused across
it. Creating a semiconductor from two separate
pieces of material introduces a grain boundary
between them which would severely inhibit its utility
by scattering the electrons and holes. The term
junction refers to the region where the two regions of
the semiconductor meet. It can be thought of as the
border region between the p-type and n-type blocks
as shown in the following diagram:
A silicon p-n junction with no applied voltage.
The p-n junction possesses some interesting

properties which have useful applications in modern
electronics. A p-doped semiconductor is relatively
conductive. The same is true of an n-doped
semiconductor, but the junction between them is a
nonconductor. This no conducting layer, called the
depletion zone, occurs because the electrical charge
carriers in doped n-type and p-type silicon (electrons
and holes, respectively) attract and eliminate each
other in a process called recombination. By
manipulating this nonconductive layer, p-n junctions
are commonly used as diodes: electrical switches
that allow a flow of electricity in one direction but not
in the other (opposite) direction. This property is
explained in terms of the forward-bias and reverse-
bias effects, where the term bias refers to an
application of electric voltage to the p-n junction.
In a p-n junction, without an external applied voltage,
an equilibrium condition is reached in which a
potential difference is formed across the junction.
This potential difference is called built-in potential Vbi.
In an equilibrium PN junction, electrons near the PN
interface tend to diffuse into the p region. As
electrons diffuse, they leave positively charged ions
(donors) on the n region. Similarly holes near the PN
interface begin to diffuse in the n-type region leaving
fixed ions (acceptors) with negative charge. The
regions nearby the PN interfaces lose their neutrality
and become charged, forming the space charge
region or depletion layer
A p-n junction in thermal equilibrium with zero bias
voltage applied. Electrons and holes concentration
are reported respectively with blue and red lines.
Gray regions are charge neutral. Light red zone is
positively charged. Light blue zone is negatively
charged. The electric field is shown on the bottom,
the electrostatic force on electrons and holes and the
direction in which the diffusion tends to move
electrons and holes.
The electric field created by the space charge region
opposes the diffusion process for both electrons and
holes. There are two concurrent phenomena: the
diffusion process that tends to generate more space
charge and the electric field generated by the space
charge that tends to counteract the diffusion. The
carrier concentration profile at equilibrium is shown
above. Also shown are the two counterbalancing
phenomena that establish equilibrium.
A PN junction in thermal equilibrium with zero bias

voltage applied. Under the junction, plots for the
charge density, the electric field and the voltage are
reported.
The space charge region is a zone with a net charge
provided by the fixed ions (donors or acceptors) that
have been left uncovered by majority carrier
diffusion. When equilibrium is reached, the charge
density is approximated by the displayed step
function. In fact, the region is completely depleted of
majority carriers (leaving a charge density equal to
the net doping level), and the edge between the
space charge region and the neutral region is quite
sharp. The space charge region has the same charge
on both sides of the PN interfaces, thus it extends
farther on the less doped side.
Forward-bias
Forward-bias occurs when the P-type semiconductor
material is connected to the positive terminal of a
battery and the N-type semiconductor material is
connected to the negative terminal, as shown below.
A silicon p-n junction in Forward-bias.
Reverse-bias
Connecting the P-type region to the negative
terminal of the battery and the N-type region to the
positive terminal produces the reverse-bias effect.
The connections are illustrated in the following
diagram:
A silicon p-n junction in Reverse-bias.
The forward-bias and the reverse-bias properties of

the p-n junction imply that it can be used as a diode.
A p-n junction diode allows electric charges to flow in
one direction, but not in the opposite direction;
negative charges (electrons) can easily flow through
the junction from n to p but not from p to n and the
reverse is true for holes. When the p-n junction is
forward-biased, electric charge flows freely due to
reduced resistance of the p-n junction. When the p-n
junction is reverse-biased, however, the junction
barrier (and therefore resistance) becomes greater
and charge flow is minimal.

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P-N JUNCTION

A p-n junction is formed by combining P-type and N-

A silicon p-n junction with no applied voltage.

The p-n junction possesses some interesting

A PN junction in thermal equilibrium with zero bias

A silicon p-n junction in Forward-bias.

A silicon p-n junction in Reverse-bias.

The forward-bias and the reverse-bias properties of

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