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When a P-N junction diode is reverse biased, the flow of current across the junction is mainly due to
  • a)
    diffusion of charge
  • b)
    drift charges
  • c)
    depends on the nature of material
  • d)
    both drift and diffusion of charges
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
When a P-N junction diode is reverse biased, the flow of current acros...
Explanation:
When a P-N junction diode is reverse biased, the following phenomena occur:

1. Depletion region widens:
Reverse biasing means that the negative terminal of the battery is connected to the P-type region and the positive terminal is connected to the N-type region of the diode. This causes the depletion region to widen as the majority carriers (holes in P-type and electrons in N-type) move away from the junction.

2. Electric field strength increases:
As the depletion region widens, the electric field strength across the junction increases. This electric field opposes the flow of majority carriers across the junction.

3. Drift current becomes dominant:
As the electric field strength across the junction increases, the minority carriers (electrons in P-type and holes in N-type) are accelerated towards the junction. This results in a small amount of drift current across the junction, which becomes the dominant current in reverse biasing.

4. Negligible diffusion current:
In reverse biasing, the diffusion current (due to the concentration gradient of majority carriers) is negligible because the majority carriers are pushed away from the junction by the electric field.

Therefore, the flow of current across the junction in reverse biasing is mainly due to the drift of minority carriers, making option 'B' the correct answer.
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When a P-N junction diode is reverse biased, the flow of current across the junction is mainly due toa)diffusion of chargeb)drift chargesc)depends on the nature of materiald)both drift and diffusion of chargesCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
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