Abstract
This chapter uses insight to explain how PN, Zener, and Schottky diodes and bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) block and conduct current. It starts with how solids and semiconductors behave and how adding impurity dopant atoms alters their behavior. With these concepts in hand, the material then details the operating modalities, characteristics, and response of PN and metal–semiconductor junction diodes and BJTs, including electrostatic behavior, band diagrams, current–voltage translations, capacitances, recovery times, breakdown mechanisms, structural variations, and more. Illustrative figures, equations, examples, and SPICE simulations complement discussions throughout.
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Abbreviations
- BJT:
-
Bipolar-junction transistor
- FET:
-
Field-effect transistor
- MOS:
-
Metal–oxide–semiconductor
- AJ:
-
Junction area
- αT:
-
Base-transport factor
- α0:
-
Baseline transport factor
- β0:
-
Baseline base–collector current gain
- CDEP:
-
Depletion capacitance
- CDIF:
-
Diffusion capacitance
- CJ:
-
Junction capacitance
- CJ0:
-
Zero-bias junction capacitance
- DN:
-
Electron diffusion coefficient
- DH:
-
Hole diffusion coefficient
- e–:
-
Electron
- EB:
-
Energy barrier
- EBG:
-
Band-gap energy
- EC:
-
Conduction-edge energy
- EE:
-
Electron energy
- EF:
-
Fermi energy level
- EV:
-
Valence-edge energy
- gm:
-
Small-signal transconductance
- γE:
-
Emitter injection efficiency
- h+:
-
Hole (missing electron)
- iB:
-
Base current
- iC:
-
Collector current
- iD:
-
Diode current
- iE:
-
Emitter current
- iF:
-
Forward diode current
- iR:
-
Reverse diode current
- iRC:
-
Recombination current
- IS:
-
Reverse saturation current
- KB:
-
Boltzmann’s constant
- LN:
-
Electron’s average diffusion length
- LP:
-
Hole’s average diffusion length
- μN:
-
Electron mobility
- μP:
-
Hole mobility
- nE:
-
Electron density
- nH:
-
Hole density
- nI:
-
Intrinsic carrier concentration/ideality factor
- NA:
-
Acceptor doping concentration
- NB:
-
Base doping concentration
- NC:
-
Collector doping concentration
- ND:
-
Donor doping concentration
- NE:
-
Emitter doping concentration
- qE:
-
Electronic charge
- qFR:
-
Forward-recovery charge
- qRR:
-
Reverse-recovery charge
- tFR:
-
Forward-recovery time
- tR:
-
Recovery time
- tRR:
-
Reverse-recovery time
- TJ:
-
Junction temperature
- τF:
-
Forward transit time
- τH:
-
Hole’s average carrier lifetime
- τN:
-
Electron’s average carrier lifetime
- vB:
-
Base voltage
- vBC:
-
Base–collector voltage
- vBE:
-
Base–emitter voltage
- vC:
-
Collector voltage
- vCE:
-
Collector–emitter voltage
- vCE(MIN):
-
Minimum collector–emitter voltage
- vD:
-
Diode voltage
- vE:
-
Emitter voltage
- vR:
-
Reverse diode voltage
- VBD:
-
Breakdown voltage
- VBI:
-
Built-in (potential) voltage
- Vt:
-
Thermal voltage
- wB:
-
Effective base width
- wB0:
-
Zero-bias base width
- WB:
-
Metallurgical base width
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Rincón-Mora, G.A. (2023). Diodes and BJTs. In: Switched Inductor Power IC Design. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95899-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95899-2_1
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Online ISBN: 978-3-030-95899-2
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