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Tunnel Diode

The document summarizes the tunnel diode, a semiconductor device that exhibits negative resistance. It describes the tunnel diode's construction using heavily doped PN junctions, which reduces the depletion width and voltage barrier. This allows electrons to tunnel through the junction without acquiring energy, producing a region of negative resistance where increasing voltage decreases current. Tunnel diodes can be used as ultrafast switches due to tunneling and in oscillators due to their negative resistance characteristic. They are also used in communications equipment and military applications due to resistance to magnetic fields and radiation.

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Naveen Kumar
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375 views13 pages

Tunnel Diode

The document summarizes the tunnel diode, a semiconductor device that exhibits negative resistance. It describes the tunnel diode's construction using heavily doped PN junctions, which reduces the depletion width and voltage barrier. This allows electrons to tunnel through the junction without acquiring energy, producing a region of negative resistance where increasing voltage decreases current. Tunnel diodes can be used as ultrafast switches due to tunneling and in oscillators due to their negative resistance characteristic. They are also used in communications equipment and military applications due to resistance to magnetic fields and radiation.

Uploaded by

Naveen Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ATTRRA POST GRADUATE COLLEGE ,ATTRRA

BANDA

A Presentation on the topic of


Tunnel Diode

Submitted by :- Guided by :-

Mr. Umesh Kumar A.K


Chaudhary
(msc 1st sem ) (Hod of
Physics Department )
Introduction
O Invented by Dr. Leo Esaki in 1958.
O Also called Esaki diode.
O Basically, it is heavily doped PN- junction.
O These diodes are fabricated from germanium, gallium
arsenide (GaAs), and Gallium Antimonide.
O Symbol:
Description
O Tunnel diode is a semi-conductor with a
special characteristic of negative resistance.

O By negative resistance, we mean that when


voltage is increased, the current through it
decreases.

O Highly doped PN- junction. Doping density of


about 1000 times greater than ordinary
junction diode.
Construction
O Heavy Doping Effects:
i. Reduces the width of depletion layer to about
0.00001 mm.
ii. Produces negative resistance section in
characteristics graph of diode.
iii. Reduces the reverse breakdown voltage to a
small value approaches to zero.
iv. Small forbidden gaps in tunnel diode.
v. Allows conduction for all reverse voltages.
Basic principle of operation:
O The operation depends upon quantum mechanics
principle known as “tunneling”.
O The movement of valence electrons from valence
energy band to conduction band with no applied
forward voltage is called “tunneling”.
O Intrinsic voltage barrier (0.3V for Ge) is reduced
which enhanced tunneling.
O Enhanced tunneling causes effective conductivity.
Working:
O In a conventional diode, forward conduction
occurs only if the forward bias is sufficient to give
charge carriers the energy necessary to
overcome the potential barrier.
O When the tunnel diode is slightly forward biased,
many carriers are able to tunnel through narrow
depletion region without acquiring that energy.
O The carriers are able to tunnel or easily pass
because the voltage barrier is reduced due to
high doping.
Working(contd.)
O Forward Bias operation:
At first voltage begin to increase,
1. Electrons tunnel through pn junction.
2. Electron and holes states become aligned.

Voltage increases further:


3. States become misaligned.
4. Current drops.
5. Shows negative resistance (V increase, I decrease).

As voltage increase yet further:


6. The diode behave as normal diode.
7. The electrons no longer tunnel through barrier.
Working(contd.)
O Reverse Bias Operation:
When used in reverse direction, they are called as
Back Diodes.
In this,
i. The electrons in valence band of p-side tunnel
directly towards the empty states present in the
conduction band of n-side.
ii. Thus, creating large tunneling current which
increases with application of reverse voltage.
I/V Characteristics
After continuous increase of V, the
As forward bias is applied, current achieves its minimum
significant I is produced. value called as Valley Current.
After further increase in V, current
start increasing as ordinary diode.
I/V Characteristic(contd.)
O The Tunnel diode reverse I-V is similar to the Zener
diode.
O The Zener diode has a region in its reverse bias
characteristics of almost a constant voltage regardless of
the current flowing through the diode. 
Applications:
O It is used as an ultra- high speed switch due to
tunneling (which essentially takes place at speed of
light). It has switching time of nanoseconds or
picoseconds.
O Used as logic memory storage device.
O In satellite communication equipment, they are widely
used.
O Due to its feature of –ive resistance, it is used in
relaxation oscillator circuits.
Applications(contd.):
O Tunnel diodes are resistant to the effects of magnetic
fields, high temperature and radioactivity. That’s why
these can be used in modern military equipments -
NMR machines.
O Due to low power requirement, they are used in FM
receivers.
Thank You

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