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When a P- N junction is reversed biased, the flow of current across the junction is mainly due to
- a)both drift and diffusion of the charges
- b)depends upon the nature of material.
- c)diffusion of charge carriers
- d)drift of charges
Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?
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When a P- N junction is reversed biased, the flow of current across th...
When p-n junction is reverse biased, the flow of current is due to drifting of minority charge carriers across the junction.
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When a P- N junction is reversed biased, the flow of current across th...
Understanding Reverse Bias in P-N Junctions
When a P-N junction is reverse biased, there are significant changes in the behavior of charge carriers. Here's a detailed explanation of why the flow of current is mainly due to the drift of charges.
Nature of Reverse Bias
- In reverse bias, the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the N-type material and the negative terminal to the P-type material.
- This setup increases the width of the depletion region at the junction and creates an electric field.
Charge Carrier Movement
- Drift of Charges: In reverse bias conditions, the electric field across the depletion region causes minority charge carriers (holes in N-type and electrons in P-type) to drift towards the junction.
- The majority carriers (electrons in N-type and holes in P-type) are pushed away from the junction, thus preventing them from contributing to the current.
Current Flow in Reverse Bias
- The current that flows in reverse bias is primarily due to the minority carriers that are swept across the junction by the electric field.
- This results in a very small leakage current, which is typically in the microampere range for silicon diodes.
Conclusion
- In summary, while diffusion does occur in P-N junctions under normal conditions, during reverse bias, the significant flow of current is predominantly due to the drift of minority charge carriers caused by the electric field.
- Hence, the correct answer is option 'D' - the flow of current across the junction is mainly due to the drift of charges.
When a P-N junction is reverse biased, there are significant changes in the behavior of charge carriers. Here's a detailed explanation of why the flow of current is mainly due to the drift of charges.
Nature of Reverse Bias
- In reverse bias, the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the N-type material and the negative terminal to the P-type material.
- This setup increases the width of the depletion region at the junction and creates an electric field.
Charge Carrier Movement
- Drift of Charges: In reverse bias conditions, the electric field across the depletion region causes minority charge carriers (holes in N-type and electrons in P-type) to drift towards the junction.
- The majority carriers (electrons in N-type and holes in P-type) are pushed away from the junction, thus preventing them from contributing to the current.
Current Flow in Reverse Bias
- The current that flows in reverse bias is primarily due to the minority carriers that are swept across the junction by the electric field.
- This results in a very small leakage current, which is typically in the microampere range for silicon diodes.
Conclusion
- In summary, while diffusion does occur in P-N junctions under normal conditions, during reverse bias, the significant flow of current is predominantly due to the drift of minority charge carriers caused by the electric field.
- Hence, the correct answer is option 'D' - the flow of current across the junction is mainly due to the drift of charges.
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