Question

Find the change in the charge carriers of a p-n junction diode if its temperature is increased?

Answer 1

When the temperature of a p-n junction diode is increased, the behavior of charge carriers can be summarized as follows:

Increase in carrier concentration: The number of thermally generated electron-hole pairs increases with temperature. As a result, both the concentration of electrons in the n-region and the concentration of holes in the p-region increase.

Increase in carrier mobility: The mobility of charge carriers generally decreases with temperature due to increased lattice vibrations and increased scattering. This results in reduced movement of both electrons and holes in the diode.

Forward and reverse current changes: With the increased carrier concentration, the forward current of the diode increases. On the other hand, the reverse current (leakage current) may also increase due to the higher number of thermally generated carriers.

Note: The specific change in charge carriers and resulting effects can vary depending on the characteristics and materials of the p-n junction diode. Additionally, temperature changes can also impact other factors such as bandgap energy, depletion region width, and junction voltage, influencing the overall diode behavior.