The p-n Junction

Also called

pn junction · p-n junction · p n junction · semiconductor junction · junction diode · p-n junction diode · semiconductor diode · diode · depletion region · depletion layer · potential barrier · barrier potential · built-in field · space charge region · forward bias · reverse bias · biasing · i-v characteristics · v-i characteristics · diode characteristics · majority carriers · minority carriers · holes and electrons · hole · free electron · diffusion current · drift current · recombination · p-type semiconductor · n-type semiconductor · extrinsic semiconductor · doping · acceptor · donor · semiconductor electronics

Topics

• In p-type silicon the trivalent acceptor atoms create holes, so holes are the majority carriers and free electrons the…
• A hole is a vacancy in the bonds. It moves when a neighbouring bond electron jumps into it…
• Each region is electrically neutral overall: the fixed ion charges are balanced by the mobile carriers.
• When p and n regions meet, electrons diffuse from n to p and holes from p to n, recombining near the junction.
• The fixed donor ions (+) on the n side and acceptor ions (-) on the p side that are left uncovered form the depletion…
• The space charge sets up a built-in electric field pointing from the n side to the p side and a potential barrier.
• At equilibrium carriers keep moving: the diffusion current of majority carriers is balanced by the drift current of…
• Forward bias (p to +, n to -) lowers the barrier and narrows the depletion region…
• Reverse bias (p to -, n to +) raises the barrier and widens the depletion region…
• The I-V curve is strongly non-linear: a small, nearly constant reverse current and an exponentially rising forward…

About this model

A GLB file of about 1761 KB, shown in Lably's 3D viewer and, on a phone, placed in your room with AR. Credit: Made for Lably. Letter shapes from Droid Sans Bold by Google (Apache License 2.0), via the three.js typeface collection. Physics follows NCERT Class 12 Physics, Semiconductor Electronics. | Original work: all geometry and animation were newly authored for Lably AR (no downloaded or third-party mesh). Letter shapes: Droid Sans Bold, Apache-2.0.

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