OUTLINE
Diodes - 1
Basic Structure of Power Semiconductor Diodes
Anode
i
10
P+ 19 -3 microns Vertical current flow gives
N = 10 cm
A
significant increase in
breakdown
v 14 -3 voltage cross-sectional area for
N- epi N = 10 cm
drift region D dependent current flow compared to
horizontal orientation of
19 -3 signal level diode current
N+ substrate N = 10 cm 250
D flow.
microns
Cathode
i anode
1
i
R on
B VBD
v
v
1 V v
cathode
Diodes - 2
Breakdown Voltage Estimate - Step Junction
Non- punch- thr ough di ode. Dr i ft
W(V)
r egi on l ength Wd > W(BV BD) =
l ength of space char ge r egi on at
br eak down. x
c
W(V) = Wo 1+V/c
c + V
2c(Na+Nd )
Wo =
qNaNd 4c
(Emax )2 = (EBD)2 = BV BD
Wo 2
2 c
Emax = 1+V/ c
Wo
Sol ve for W(BV BD) and BV BD
Power di ode at r ev er se br eak down:
Na >> Nd ; E = EBD ; V = BV BD >> c to obtai n (put i n Si val ues)
EBD2 1.3x 1017
Wo 2BV BD 2 c
BV BD = = ; [V]
W2(BV BD) = ; Wo
2= 2qNd Nd
c qNd
2BV BD
W(BV BD) = = 10- 5 BV BD ; [ m]
EBD
Concl usi ons
1. Lar ge BV BD (103 V) r equi r es Nd < 1015 cm - 3
Diodes - 3
Breakdown Voltage - Punch-Through Step Junction
Punch-through step junction - W(BVBD) > Wd
At breakdown:
- V + V1 + V2 = BVBD
+ +
P N- N E1 + E2 = EBD
W qNdWd2
d
Electric
BVBD = EBD Wd -
2
E1 + E 2 field
V
1 (EBD)2
E2 If Nd << (required
V2 2q(BVBD)
x value of Nd for non-punch-thru
diode), then
qNdWd qNdWd2
E1 = ; V1 = BVBD EBD Wd and
2
Wd(Punch-thru)
V2 = E2 Wd 0.5 Wd(non-punch-thru)
Diodes - 4
Effect of Space Charge Layer Curvature
diffusing incident acceptor impurities
acceptor
impurities SiO 2
If radius of curvature is comparable
to depletion layer thickness, electric
field becomes spatially nonuniform.
+
P
R
depletion Spatially nonuniform electric field
layer - reduces breakdown voltage.
N
+
N
R > 6 W(BVBD) in order to limit
breakdown voltage reduction to 10%
Impurities diffuse as fast laterally as vertically or less.
Diodes - 5
Control of Space Charge Layer Boundary Contour
field plates
N+ N+
SiO
2
N-
N-
P+ P+
bonding pad bonding pad
high field
region
QF qAWdna
IF = = ; Current needed
to maintain stored charge QF.
W
d
q[n+p]naAVd x
IF = ;
Wd
Ohms Law (J = E)
+ + -
P N - N+
I F
Wd2
Vd = ; Equate above + V - + V -
[n+p] j d
Cross-sectional
two equations and solve for Vd
area = A
Diodes - 9
Diode On-State Voltage at Large Forward Currents
o
n + p = ; nb 1016 cm-3 .
na i
1+
nb
Mobility reduction due to increased 1
carrier-carrier scattering at large na. R on
v
q n a A Vd o 1 V
IF = ; Ohms Law
Wd na
1+ IfWd
nb
Vd =
with density-dependent mobility. qonbA
Vd = IF Ron
Invert Ohms Law equation to find Vd as
function IF assuming na >> nb.
V = Vj + Vd
Diodes - 10
Diode Switching Waveforms in Power Circuits
Qrr = I t /2
rr rr
di /d t d i /d t
F I F R 0. 25 I
rr
I
rr
t t t
3 4 5 diF diR
dt and dt determined
V on t
V
FP
rr by external circuit.
t Inductances or power
t V
V
R semiconductor devices.
2 rr
t
t 5
1 S =
t
4
Diodes - 11
Diode Internal Behavior During Turn-on
t interval
1
- +
- + di F
P + - + N- N+
Csc(V) =
A
V FP IF R d + L
i (t) - + W(V) dt
F
Wd
Rd = L = stray or
q nNd A wiring inductance
Cs c Rd L
t interval
2
- +
P+ - + N- N+
i (t) - +
F
Vj 1.0 V
time
Injection of excess
time carriers into drift
time
region greatly
reduces Rd.
x
Diodes - 12
Diode Internal Behavior During Turn-off
t - t interval
3 4
i (t)
- + N+
R
P+ - N-
- +
+
Vj 1.0 V R d i ncr eases as ex cess
Rd
car r i er s ar e r emoved vi a
C sc L r ecombi nati on and car r i er
sweep- out (negati ve cur r ent).
time
time time di R
Vr = I r r R d + L
dt
t s i nt e r v a l
I nsuffi ci ent ex cess car r i er s r emai n to suppor t I r r , so
Diodes - 13
Factors Effecting Reverse Recovery Time
Diodes - 14
Carrier Lifetime-Breakdown Voltage Tradeoffs
Diodes - 15
Schottky Diodes
anode
aluminum
SiO2 contact -
Characteristics rectifying
aluminum
cathode
contact -
ohmic
Diodes - 16
Physics of Schottky Diode Operation
Diodes - 17
Schottky Diode Breakdown Voltage
Diodes - 18
Schottky Diode Switching Waveforms
Schottky diodes switch much
faster than pn junction diodes. No Current
minority carrier storage.
I
F
Foreward voltage overshoot VFP
t
much smaller in Schottky diodes.
Drift region ohmic resistance R. V
FP
Diodes - 19
Ohmic Contacts
E
Contact potential and rectifying Si
junction completely masked by Accumulation layer
i(t)
enhanced conductivity. So-called P-Si or
-
Al
ohmic contact. - N+-Si
Diodes - 20
Si PN Vs Si Schottky Diodes at Large BVBD
Minority carrier drift region Majority carrier drift region
relationships relationships
q [n + p] na A Vd q [n + p] Nd A Vd
IF IF
Wd Wd
Desired breakdown voltage
Maximum practical value of na =1017 1.3x1017
requires Nd = and
cm-3 and corresponding to BVBD
n + p = 900 cm2/(V-sec) Wd 10-5 BVBD
Anode
Depletion layer shields Schottky
P+ P+ P+ junction from applied reverse
voltage.
N PN junction
depletion layer Prevents large reverse currents
N+ (compared with pn junctions)
typical of Schottky junctions.
Cathode
Two principal applications of JBS
diodes.
Lateral growth of pn junction depletion
layers result in merger of adjacent * Low on-state voltages for low
depletion layers as shown. voltage applications
Diodes - 23
Low Voltage JBS Diodes Forward Bias Operation
Excess carrier density (stored charge) much less than comparable P-I-N
diode. Reverse recovery time of JBS diode much shorter.