1
Question
What is forward and reverse current?
What is forward and reverse current?
Open in App
Solution
Forward Bias Current
- Reverse bias is when the p-side of the diode is connected to the negative voltage of the battery and the n-side is connected to the positive voltage of the battery.
- This causes an increase in the thickness of the depletion layer. This allows very less current to flow through the PN junction
- The current that flows in the forward direction when the diode is forward biased is called forward current.
- Forward current is a diffusion current because this current is passing through the junction from higher concentration to lower concentration.
Reverse bias current
- Reverse bias is when the p-side of the diode is connected to the negative voltage of the battery and the n-side is connected to the positive voltage of the battery.
- This causes an increase in the thickness of the depletion layer.
- This allows very less current to flow through the PN junction.
- The current that flows in the reverse direction when the diode is reverse bias is called Reverse current.
- The reverse current is designed to be smaller than the forward current.
- The graph is drawn for voltage and current for forward and reverse bias.
- When a diode is forward biased it conducts current (IF) in forward direction. The value of IF is directly dependent on the amount of forward voltage.
- Forward Voltage is measured across the diode and Forward Current is a measure of current through the diode.
- When the forward voltage across the diode equals 0V, forward current (IF) equals 0 mA.
- When the value starts from the starting point (0) of the graph, if is progressively increased in 0.1-V steps, IF begins to rise.
- When the value of is large enough to overcome the barrier potential of the P-N junction, a considerable increase in IF occurs. The point at which this occurs is often called the knee voltage.
- The vertical reverse current line in this graph has current values expressed in microamperes.
- The amount of minority current carriers that take part in conduction of reverse current is quite small. In general, this means that reverse current remains constant over a large part of reverse voltage.
- When the reverse voltage of a diode is increased from the start, there is a very slight change in the reverse current. At the breakdown voltage (VBR) point, current increases very rapidly. The voltage across the diode remains reasonably constant at this time.
- This constant-voltage characteristic leads to a number of applications of diode under reverse bias condition. The processes which are responsible for current conduction in a reverse-biased diode are called as Avalanche breakdown and Zener breakdown.
Forward Bias Current
- Reverse bias is when the p-side of the diode is connected to the negative voltage of the battery and the n-side is connected to the positive voltage of the battery.
- This causes an increase in the thickness of the depletion layer. This allows very less current to flow through the PN junction
- The current that flows in the forward direction when the diode is forward biased is called forward current.
- Forward current is a diffusion current because this current is passing through the junction from higher concentration to lower concentration.
Reverse bias current
- Reverse bias is when the p-side of the diode is connected to the negative voltage of the battery and the n-side is connected to the positive voltage of the battery.
- This causes an increase in the thickness of the depletion layer.
- This allows very less current to flow through the PN junction.
- The current that flows in the reverse direction when the diode is reverse bias is called Reverse current.
- The reverse current is designed to be smaller than the forward current.
- The graph is drawn for voltage and current for forward and reverse bias.
- When a diode is forward biased it conducts current (IF) in forward direction. The value of IF is directly dependent on the amount of forward voltage.
- Forward Voltage is measured across the diode and Forward Current is a measure of current through the diode.
- When the forward voltage across the diode equals 0V, forward current (IF) equals 0 mA.
- When the value starts from the starting point (0) of the graph, if is progressively increased in 0.1-V steps, IF begins to rise.
- When the value of is large enough to overcome the barrier potential of the P-N junction, a considerable increase in IF occurs. The point at which this occurs is often called the knee voltage.
- The vertical reverse current line in this graph has current values expressed in microamperes.
- The amount of minority current carriers that take part in conduction of reverse current is quite small. In general, this means that reverse current remains constant over a large part of reverse voltage.
- When the reverse voltage of a diode is increased from the start, there is a very slight change in the reverse current. At the breakdown voltage (VBR) point, current increases very rapidly. The voltage across the diode remains reasonably constant at this time.
- This constant-voltage characteristic leads to a number of applications of diode under reverse bias condition. The processes which are responsible for current conduction in a reverse-biased diode are called as Avalanche breakdown and Zener breakdown.
Suggest Corrections
2
