Jae Pak, Devanshu Derashri

10/20/2010

Lab #3

The
Semiconducto
r Junction
Diode
Instructor : Rui
Purpose

1) To find the relationship between current and voltage in a diode graphically.

2) To observe the behavior of a rectified differentiator; compare the waveforms of the input
and output voltage and to observe the relationship of a voltage controlled attenuator,
noting the relationship between the attenuations and the dc voltage source.

Activity 1

Theory:
The circuit used in activity 1 is a simple setup used to show the IV characteristic of a diode. The
circuit has a DC source in series with a resistor and diode. Because parallel voltages are equal, a
voltmeter is set parallel with the diode to measure the diode voltage. Conversely, the ampere
meter is set in series to measure the diode current because current is uniform in series.

Procedure:
1. Make the following circuit.
2. Change the total current:
0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6,
0.8, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0
mA.
3. Record the value on ID and
VD to plot them.

Data Tables:
VS (V) ID (mA) VD (V) Curve Tracer Curve Tracer
VD ID
.58 .1 .48 480 mV 92 µA
.73 .2 .51 560 mV 200 µA
.86 .3 .53
.99 .4 .54
1.1 .5 .56
1.22 .6 .56
1.46 .8 .58
1.69 1 .59 560 mV 1 mA
2.65 2 .63
4.69 4 .66
6.74 6 .68
8.81 8 .7
ID (mA) VD (V)
.12 3.2
.2 3.6
.32 3.76
.4 3.84 Reverse Biased Diode Characteristics
.52 4 Graphs and Pictures:
.6 4.08
.8 4.16
1.04 4.24
2 4.48
4 4.72 The above graph shows the forward bias as well
6 4.8 as reverse bias characteristics of a real diode.
8 4.88 When we compare the breakdown regions of
this regular diode to that of a zener diode we
can see that the zener diode has a much higher breakdown voltage (around 17V-
20V as observed during lab)

Analysis:

Assuming IS = 10-10A, VT = 25mV, and n = 1.5, we can calculate theoretical values

for VD.
Experimenta Theoretical % error The theoretical values for VD were
l Vd Vd obtained using the following equation:

0.48 0.518 7.335 VD=nVTlnIDIS

0.51 0.544 6.250 Conclusion:
This activity was basically to make us
0.53 0.559 5.187
aware of a real diode. As compared to an
0.54 0.57 5.263 ideal diode, the real diode has many
more complications which depend on
0.56 0.578 3.114 external factors like its operating
temperature.
0.56 0.585 4.273 The real diode also has a cut-in voltage
at around 0.5V which the ideal diode
0.58 0.596 2.684 doesn’t. This circuit worked as expected.
0.59 0.604 2.317

0.63 0.63 0

0.66 0.656 -0.609 Activity 2

0.68 0.672 -1.190

Theory:
0.7 0.682 -2.639 Activity 2 uses a rectified differentiator, which
returns an output which is the differentiated
result of the positive input. The differentiating effect comes from the capacitor, whose current is
dependent on the change in its voltage. The rectifier effect is due to the diode, which filters the
negative input voltage.

Procedure
1. Make the following
circuit with 500Hz,
4V peak to peak
square wave
source.
2. Record the full
cycle of input and
output waveforms.

Pictures:
Analysis:
Both input and output waveforms have same period and 0 degree shift change. The
output waveforms (number 2 in the graphs) are looked like only positive part of
differentiated wave from input waveform (number 1).
Since this circuit is a differentiator, the output should have peak for positive as well
as negative part of the wave: 1 positive peak and 1 negative peak. But the output
has only the positive peak which means the circuit cuts out the negative peak
because the diode was reverse biased that is like AC to DC rectifier circuit. Hence,
output considered rectified
The reason why the circuit is a differentiator is explained below.

Activity 3: The Inverting Operational Amplifier

Theory

Activity 3 involves a voltage controlled attenuator, a circuit that attenuates the output AC signal
by increasing the DC signal. In the circuit, VC is a DC voltage source and VI is a small signal AC
source. Due to the nature of the setup, the attenuation ideally varies linearly with VC.

Procedure

1. Build the following circuit.

2. Be sure the ground of the
power supply is connected to
the circuit ground.
3. Set VC to 0 volts and use a
1kHz triangular wave as Vi.
4. Make sure to maintain output
VO at 20mVPP by increasing the
amplitude of Vi while also
incrementing VC in steps of 2
volts until it is at 20 volts.
5. Record these 10 values for VC and Vi.
Data Tables and Graphs:

Vc (V) Vi (mV)
2 70
4 100
6 130
8 190
10 240
12 320
14 400
16 550
18 700
20 900

Analysis

Was just wondering if this is anything like the small signal model we did in class ….
Q: What is the purpose of the 1K resistor and the 10uF capacitor?
A: As we are using a fairly high frequency input (1KHz) the capacitor would act like
a short circuit. For this reason there is a resistor in series to add to the low
impedance offered by the capacitor(around j16 ohm).

Q: Will the impedance increase or decrease with frequency?

A: Impedance of the capacitor and the frequency of the input signal are inversely
related.

Q: How does rd depend on current?

A: According to the following equation, rd=nVTID, the resistance of the diode and
the current are inversely related.

Q: What happens to the current through the diode as VC is increased?

A: The current though the diode will increase as VC is increased.
Q: How does the circuit perform voltage attenuation?
A: In this circuit as the DC voltage VC is increased the current through the diode
increases because the resistance of the diode decreases. Also the small signal input
Vi which is offset by the value of the DC input has to be adjusted in order to
maintain a constant VO, which means that as the voltages are increased, the current
through the diode increases. … talk some more bullshit about how the diode
grounds all that current. As I increases the rd decreases which means vd will have
to increase along with the diode….. if I do node voltage … and voltage across the
diode is .7V then the node Vo should also be .7 volts …. Maybe that was the dc
offset and the 20 mV was the Vo which could be explained from that above figure.
Iunno too tired now …. Going to sleep check this in the morning pak as this is all I
can do 
GOOD NIGHT !!!

Conclusion:

The circuit in activity 1 did work as expected; it displayed properties and behavior as expected
from what was taught in lecture about diodes. Beyond a cutoff voltage, between 0.65V and 0.7V,
the current experiences great increases while is low in value to the left of the cutoff because of an
exponential nature. This behavior gives diodes their reverse and forward behavior, which gives
them usage in the circuits in activity 2 and 3.
The second circuit, activity 2, functions true to its name; the output is a rectified and
differentiated function of the input. When the input square wave rises, the output spikes similar
to an impulse, and the output is zero everywhere the input it flat. Additionally, because of the
diode, the negative input is filtered out. Differentiating rectifiers have their usage; rectifiers
particularly are used when only positive voltage is desired.
The circuit in activity 3 uses a relatively large DC source to maintain that the input voltage yields
a smaller output. In this lab, the output value to be maintained was 20mV; though this value
varied marginally because of the physical circuit limitations. It is also worth noting that the
attenuation grows proportionally with the DC source. This type of circuit is used in situations
where a consistent small voltage stream is necessary, but practically speaking, this is a very
inefficient use of power.