AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY–BANGLADESH (AIUB)

FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Summer 2023-24

ELECTRONIC DEVICES LAB: 01

Section: L (GROUP-7)

LAB REPORT ON:

Determination of Characteristic Curve of a Diode.

Supervised By
BISMOY JAHAN

Submitted By: MOHSIN IBNA HOSSAIN

Name ID
1. ALIF HASAN KHAN 23-50186-1
2. MD. YEAHYEA JAM 23-50187-1
3. MOHSIN IBNA HOSSAIN 23-50194-1
4. SHADMAN SHAKIB 23-50200-1
5. MD. SHAJEDUL ISLAM 22-46842-1

Date of Submission: Jun 09, 2024

(1) Objectives:
The objectives of this experiment are to
1. Become familiar with semiconductor diodes.
2. Determine the characteristic curve of a semiconductor diode.
3. Find the different parameter values of a semiconductor diode.

(2) Theory:
Diode structure:
Joining together an n-type material made by doping with a pentavalent element and a p-type
material made by doping with a trivalent element, creates a semiconductor diode. Basically, it is
a p-n junction just like what is shown in Figure 1.

Diode Characteristics:
In forward bias condition, a cut-in voltage has to be overcome for the diode to start conduction.
In silicon, this voltage is about 0.7 volts. In reverse-bias condition, the current is limited to IS
(reverse saturation current). For higher value of reverse voltages, the junction breaks down.
Figure 3 shows the diode I-V characteristics.

Figure 2: Diode IV Characteristics

Circuit Diagram:

Figure 3: Circuit diagram for determining diode characteristic.

(2) Apparatus:
 Diode
 DC Power Supply
 Resistor
 Multimeter
 Breadboard and Connecting Wire

(4) Experimental & Simulation Circuits and Results:

Simulation:

Figure No. 4.1: Simulated circuit in Multisim for 0.4V

 Figure No. 4.2: Simulated circuit in Multisim for 0.7V

Figure No. 4.3: Simulated circuit in Multisim for 2V

Figure No. 4.4: Simulated circuit in Multisim for 15V

 Table No.1: Results of the experimental circuit

Source Voltage, Es (V) Diode Voltage, VD (V) Resistor Voltage, VR (V) Diode Current, Id (mA)
0 0.00 0 0

0.1 0.100 0 0

0.2 0.200 0 0

0.3 0.303 0 0

0.4 0.386 0.016 0.016

0.5 0.442 0.058 0.059

0.6 0.476 0.124 0.126

0.7 0.499 0..201 0.204

0.8 0.516 0.284 0.289

0.9 0.529 0.370 0.377

1.0 0.540 0.459 0.467

2.0 0.597 1.400 1.430

3.0 0.624 2.380 2.420

4.0 0.641 3.359 3.420

5.0 0.653 4.350 4.430

6.0 0.663 5.330 5.430

7.0 0.672 6.350 6.470

8.0 0.678 7.340 7.470

9.0 0.685 8.340 8.490

10.0 0.690 9.330 9.500

12.0 0.700 11.370 11.580

13.0 0.703 12.310 12.540

14.0 0.708 13.320 13.560

15.0 0.710 14.300 14.560

VD vs ID
16
14
12
10
8
ID

6
4
2
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
VD

Figure 5: Diode IV characteristics of the experimental circuit.

 Table No.2: Results of the simulation circuit of Figure no. 4

Source Voltage, Es (V) Diode Voltage, VD (V) Resistor Voltage, VR (V) Diode Current, Id (mA)
0 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.1 0.100 0.00 0.00

0.2 0.200 0.00 0.00

0.3 0.299 0.001 0.001

0.4 0.399 0.005 0.005

0.5 0.485 0.014 0.014

0.6 0.527 0.072 0.072

0.7 0.547 0.152 0.152

0.8 0.559 0.240 0.240

0.9 0.568 0.331 0.331

1.0 0.575 0.424 0.424

2.0 0.609 1.390 1.390

3.0 0.627 2.373 2.373

4.0 0.640 3.360 3.360

5.0 0.650 4.349 4.349

6.0 0.660 5.340 5.340

7.0 0.668 6.331 6.331

8.0 0.676 7.324 7.324

9.0 0.683 8.316 8.316

10.0 0.690 9.310 9.310

12.0 0.703 11.297 11.297

13.0 0.709 12.290 12.290

14.0 0.715 13.284 13.284

15.0 0.721 14.279 14.279

VD vs ID
16
14
12
10
ID(mA)

8
6
4
2
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

VD (v)

Figure 6: Diode IV characteristics of the Simulation circuit.

 (3) Discussion:

After calculating the current through the diode for each voltage the table was completed. From
the calculated values it can be said that, at first the amount of current was very minimal. From
the VD vs ID Graph, it is noticeable that the flow of current increases insignificantly after every
increase in the voltage. But at 2V, a significant increase of the current can be noticed. Here at
2V from the power supply the voltage across the diode VD was 0.597V. So, the knee voltage/
threshold voltage of the diode is 0.597V.
From the graph of the simulated values almost the same result can be found. Also, in this case
the significant jump of the current can be noticed at input voltage 2V. Where the voltage across
the diode VD was 0.609V. In here the knee voltage/ threshold voltage of the diode is 0.609V.
The knee voltage from the measured data and the simulated data is 0.597V and 0.609V
0.609−0.597 .
respectively. There is only × 100% = 1.97% difference between two values. So,
0.609
the determination of the knee voltage/threshold voltage of the diode is fairly accurate.

(5) Answer all the Report Questions:

1. Show the difference between your simulated and measured values. Comment on the results.

 To show the difference between our simulated and measured values, we can create a table of
differences for each parameter:

Source Measured Simulated Difference Measured Measured Difference Measured Simulated Differenc
Voltag VD (V) VD (V) VD (V) VR (V) VR (V) VR (V) Id (mA) Id (mA) e Id (mA)
e (V)
0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0
0.1 0.100 0.100 0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0
0.2 0.200 0.200 0 0.00 0.00 0 0.00 0.00 0
0.3 0.303 0.299 0.004 0.00 0.001 0.001 0.00 0.001 0.001
0.4 0.386 0.399 -0.013 0.016 0.005 0.011 0.016 0.005 0.011
0.5 0.442 0.485 -0.043 0.058 0.014 0.044 0.059 0.014 0.045
0.6 0.476 0.527 -0.051 0.124 0.072 0.052 0.126 0.072 0.054
0.7 0.499 0.547 -0.048 0..201 0.152 0.049 0.204 0.152 0.052
0.8 0.516 0.559 -0.043 0.284 0.240 0.039 0.289 0.240 0.049
0.9 0.529 0.568 -0.039 0.370 0.331 0.039 0.377 0.331 0.046
1.0 0.540 0.575 -0.035 0.459 0.424 0.035 0.467 0.424 0.043
2.0 0.597 0.609 -0.012 1.400 1.390 0.010 1.430 1.390 0.040
3.0 0.624 0.627 -0.003 2.380 2.373 0.007 2.420 2.373 0.047
4.0 0.641 0.640 0.001 3.359 3.360 -0.001 3.420 3.360 0.060
5.0 0.653 0.650 0.003 4.350 4.349 0.000 4.430 4.349 0.081
6.0 0.663 0.660 0.003 5.330 5.340 -0.010 5.430 5.340 0.090
7.0 0.672 0.668 0.004 6.350 6.331 0.019 6.470 6.331 0.139
8.0 0.678 0.676 0.002 7.340 7.324 0.016 7.470 7.324 0.146
9.0 0.685 0.683 0.002 8.340 8.316 0.024 8.490 8.316 0.174
10.0 0.690 0.690 0.000 9.330 9.310 0.020 9.500 9.310 0.190
12.0 0.700 0.703 -0.003 11.370 11.297 0.073 11.580 11.297 0.283
13.0 0.703 0.709 -0.006 12.310 12.290 0.020 12.540 12.290 0.250
14.0 0.708 0.715 -0.007 13.320 13.284 0.036 13.560 13.284 0.276
15.0 0.710 0.721 -0.011 14.300 14.279 0.021 14.560 14.279 0.281
Comment on the results:
 The measured and simulated diode voltages are quite close, with minor differences, typically
within ±0.05V. This indicates that the simulation is accurately modeling the diode's voltage
behavior.

 The differences in resistor voltage are small but consistent. The measured values are generally
slightly higher than the simulated values, especially at higher voltages.

 The differences in diode current follow a similar pattern to the resistor voltage, with measured
values being slightly higher. The differences are more pronounced at higher currents.

2. Plot the VD - Id characteristic curve for the diode and comment on the graph.

VD vs ID
16
14
12
10
8
ID

6
4
2
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
VD

Figure 7.1: Diode IV characteristics of the experimental circuit.

VD vs ID
16
14
12
10
ID(mA)

8
6
4
2
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

VD (v)

Figure 7.2: Diode IV characteristics of the Simulation circuit.

 Comment on the graph:

 Both curves show the expected exponential relationship between diode voltage and current,
characteristic of a diode.
 The measured values show a slightly higher current for the same voltage compared to the simulated
values, indicating possible differences in diode characteristics or experimental conditions not accounted
for in the simulation.

3. Compute the knee voltage and dynamic and static resistances of the diode from the plotted
graph.

 Knee Voltage: The knee voltage, also known as the turn-on voltage, is the voltage at which the
diode current starts to increase significantly. From the plot, it appears to be around 0.6V for
both measured and simulated data.

 Dynamic Resistance (rd): Dynamic resistance is the change in voltage divided by the change
in current in the linear region of the forward bias curve. We can approximate it using two points
in the linear region:

r ∆V D
d =¿ ¿
∆I D

Using points (0.7V, 0.204mA) and (0.8V, 0.289mA) for measured values:

 r d =¿ 0.8 −0.7
≈1.8 k Ω ¿
( 0.289−0.204 ) mA

Using points (0.7V, 0.152mA) and (0.8V, 0.240mA) for simulated values:

 r d =¿ 0.8−0.7
≈ 1.4 k Ω ¿
( 0.240−0.152 ) mA

 Static Resistance (R): Static resistance is the ratio of the diode voltage to the current at a given
point. At 1V:

For measured values:

V D 0.540 V
 R¿ = ≈ 1.16kΩ
I D 0.467 mA

For simulated values:

V D 0.575 V
 R¿ = ≈ 1.36kΩ
I D 0.424 mA
4. What will happen if the polarity of the supply voltage is reversed in the case of using a diode
with a PIV of 4.8 V?

 If the polarity of the supply voltage is reversed and it exceeds the Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) of
4.8V, the diode will enter breakdown and conduct a large reverse current. This can potentially
damage the diode, leading to failure or destruction. For voltages below 4.8V, the diode will
block current flow as expected in reverse bias.

5. Discuss the overall aspects of the experiment. Did your results match the expected ones? If not,
explain.

Overall Aspects:

 The experiment's results align reasonably well with the expected diode behavior. The exponential
rise in current with increasing voltage is evident in both measured and simulated data.
 The small discrepancies between measured and simulated values are within acceptable ranges and
can be attributed to real-world component tolerances, measurement inaccuracies, or simplifications
in the simulation model.

Matching Expected Results:

 The results match the expected exponential behavior of a diode.

 Small differences in values are normal due to non-ideal characteristics of real components and
slight variations in experimental conditions.

Explanation of Discrepancies:

 Differences between measured and simulated values are mainly due to real-world imperfections in
components (like slight variations in actual diode forward voltage), measurement precision, and
assumptions made in the simulation model.
 Experimental setups often encounter additional resistances, temperature variations, and other
factors not present in ideal simulations.

(6) References:
1. Robert L. Boylestad, Louis Nashelsky, Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory, 9th Edition,
2007-2008
2. Adel S. Sedra, Kenneth C. Smith, Microelectronic Circuits, Saunders College Publishing, 3rd
ed., ISBN: 0-03
051648-X, 1991.
3. American International University–Bangladesh (AIUB) Electronic Devices Lab Manual.
4. David J. Comer, Donald T. Comer, Fundamentals of Electronic Circuit Design, John Wiley &
Sons Canada, Ltd.,
ISBN: 0471410160, 2002.
5. Resistor values: https://www.eleccircuit.com/how-to-basic-use-resistor/, accessed on 20
September 2023.