Course Outline

1. Chapter 1: Signals and Amplifiers

2. Chapter 3: Semiconductors
3. Chapter 4: Diodes
4. Chapter 5: MOS Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET)
5. Chapter 6: Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)
6. Chapter 2 (optional): Operational Amplifiers
EE 3110 Microelectronics I

Suketu Naik

Chapter 4:
Diodes
Part II

EE 3110 Microelectronics I

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4.5 Rectifier Circuits

Figure 4.20: Block diagram of a dc power supply

The primary application of diode is the rectifier

Electrical device which converts alternating current
(AC) to direct current (DC)
One important application of rectifier is dc power supply.

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step #1: increase / decrease rms

magnitude of AC wave via power
transformer
step #2: convert full-wave AC to halfwave DC (still time-varying and
periodic)
step #3: employ low-pass filter to
reduce wave amplitude by > 90%

step #4: employ voltage regulator to

eliminate ripple
step #5: supply dc load
.

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4.5.1 The Half-Wave Rectifier

Half-wave rectifier
utilizes only alternate
half-cycles of the input
sinusoid
Constant voltage
drop model is
employed.

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4.5.1 The Half-Wave Rectifier

Small inputs?
Regardless of the
model employed,
one should note that
the rectifier will not
operate properly
when input voltage
is small (< 1V)
Those cases require
a precision rectifier
(diode with op
amps).

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4.5.2 Full-Wave Rectifier

Center-tapping of the transformer, allowing reversal

of certain currents
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4.5.2. Full-Wave Rectifier

When instantaneous source voltage is positive, D1

conducts while D2 blocks
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4.5.2 Full-Wave Rectifier

when instantaneous source voltage is negative, D2

conducts while D1 blocks
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Center-tapped Transformer

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4.5.3 Bridge Rectifier

An alternative implementation of the full-wave rectifier

is bridge rectifier
Does not require center-tapped transformer
Four diodes instead of two

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4.5.3 Bridge Rectifier

when instantaneous source voltage is positive,

D1 and D2 conduct while D3 and D4 block
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4.5.3 Bridge Rectifier

13

when instantaneous source voltage is negative,

D3 and D4 conduct while D1 and D2 block
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4.5.4. The Rectifier with a Filter Capacitor

Why is this example unrealistic?

Because for any practical application,
the converter would supply a load
(which in turn provides a path for capacitor discharging)
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4.5.4. The Rectifier with a Filter Capacitor

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4.5.4. The Rectifier with a Filter Capacitor

16

output voltage for state #1

6 44 7 4 48
vO t vI t

t
RC

vO t Vpeake
1 4 42 4 43

output voltage for state #2

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4.5.4. The Rectifier with a Filter Capacitor

Precision rectifier is a device which facilitates

rectification of low-voltage input waveforms
How?

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4.6: Limiting and Clamping Circuits

18

Q: What is a limiter or
clamping circuit?
A: One which limits
voltage output.

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single limiters
employ one diode
double limiters
employ two
diodes of
opposite polarity
linear range may
be controlled via
string of diodes
and dc sources
zener diodes may
be used to
implement soft
limiting
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4.6: Soft vs Hard limiter

soft vs. hard limiter

Q: How are limiter

circuits applied?
A: Signal processing,
used to prevent
breakdown of
transistors within
various devices.
Why use soft?

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4.6.2 The Clamped Capacitor or DC Restorer

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Q: What is a DC restorer?
A: Circuit which provides the dc
component of an AC without DC
value.
Q: Why is this ability important?
A:
1) Average value of the output is
effective way to measure duty
cycle
2) Duty cycle is modulated to
carry digital data (PWM): use
DC restorer followed by RC low
pass filter
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4.6.3 The Voltage Doubler

dc restorer

peak rectifier

Q: What is a voltage
doubler?
A: One which
multiplies the
amplitude of a wave or
signal by two.
How?

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4.7 Special Diodes

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Schottky-Barrier Diode or
Schottky Diode
metal and moderately doped
semiconductor junction
current flows from metal to
semiconductor
current is conducted by
majority carriers: can switch it
on and off faster than p-n
junction
forward voltage drop is lower
than p-n junction
(0.3-0.5 V)
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4.7 Special Diodes

Varactors

reverse-biased p-n junction

junction capacitance is a
function of reverse bias voltage
how?
voltage variable capacitor
tuning of receivers, Phase
locked loops

Anode

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Cathode

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4.7 Special Diodes

Photodiodes
Anode

Cathode

reverse-biased p-n junction

expose to light: covalent bonds
break, electron-hole pairs are created
free electrons sweep to n side and
holes to p side
reverse current is created
photocurrent is proportational to
intensity of incident light
convert light into electric signal
applications: CD-ROM, fiber-optic
what happens when you don't
reverse bias the photodiode and
expose it to light?
Po...P2= light levels
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4.7 Special Diodes

LEDs
convert forward current into light
forward bias region: when minority
carriers diffuse into p and n sides,
they recombine with majority
carriers, e.g. electrons with holes.
recombination: emission of light
special semiconductor material:
direct band-gap
known spectra of light when
electrons leave orbit
emitted light is proportional to
number of recombinations which is
proportional to the forward current
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Anode

Cathode

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