Zener Diode

← EDC

Heavily-doped pn. Reverse breakdown via Zener tunneling (low V_Z) or avalanche impact ionization (high V_Z).

Material & Doping

N_A (cm⁻³) — heavy

N_D (cm⁻³) — heavy

V_reverse (V) — negative

Temperature (K)

E_c E_v E_f

✍ Derivation — click to expand ▶

Depletion Approximation — Visualised

Charge density ρ(x) and electric field E(x). For a Zener diode, the depletion region is very narrow (W < 100 nm) due to heavy doping, which enables Zener tunneling.

Sweep: Speed idle

V_bi vs Temperature (at current N_A, N_D)

W, E_max vs V_bias (at current T)