INSTITUTION: MURANG’A UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIT TITLE: PRACTICAL PHYSICS

UNIT CODE: APH 305

NAME: BRIAN OGEGA OUKO

REG NO: EH200\0062\2021

VENUE: PHYSICS LAB 1

SUPERVISOR:MR MACHARIA

LECTURER:MR KIMITI

DATE DONE: 20.02.2024

DATE SUBMITTED: 5.03.2024

TEL NO: 0111555234

EMAIL: brianouko25gmail.com

SIGNTURE:

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AIMS
To draw the characteristic curves of a diode in forward and reverse bias direction

To use the diode to rectify the alternating current to direct currents by studying the load characteristics of half-wave and full-wave rectification

THEORY

When diode is under forward bias conditions as shown above positive charges are urged across the P-N junction from P to N and negative charge move

from N to P. An appreciable current is realized. The resistance exhibited by the diode under these conditions is relatively low.

When a diode is under reverse bias conditions as shown above the free electrons in the N-type material rush towards the positive while the holes rush

towards the negative. Very little current flows through the junction due to the high resistance exhibited by the diode. Because of this the P-N acts as a

rectifier allowing the current to flow in one direction only. It can also be used as switch.

When the diode is in the forward bias mode, the forward current starts increasing in a non-linear manner and at a very slow rate until it reaches to voltage

known as the barrier potential when the increase is noticeable large.

EXPERIMENT A (DIODE CHARACTERISTICS)

Aims are; to draw the diode characteristics in both forward and reverse characteristics and then determine the potential barrier of the diode

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APPARATUs

Silicon junction diode

Multimeter

Voltmeter

Rheostat

A variable DC power supply

PROCEDURE
The apparatus were connected as shown below for both forward and reverse bias respectively

The voltage was adjusted so that the voltmeter read zero. The voltage was increase by varying the resistance in step of 5 ohms

respectively. The multimeter and ammeter reading were recorded respectively.

For reverse bias the circuit used in forward bias was modified by replacing the milliammeter with a multimeter and the mA range was

adjusted to zero. The terminals in the power supply were also interchanged and then starting from OV the voltage was adjusted

accordingly in steps of 0.2 or 0.5v.

DATA

FORWARD BIAS

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Voltmeter reading(V) Multimeter reading(mA) Voltmeter reading(V) Milliammeter reading(mA)

0.8 22 -1.4 -6
0.7 21 -1.1 -5
0.6 20 -0.7 4
0.5 19 -0.5 -2
0.4 18 -0.2 -1
0.3 17 -0.1 0
0.2 16 0.0 0

DATA ANALYSIS

FORWARD BIAS
25

20
CURRENT (mA)

15

10

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
VOLTS(V)
 REVERSE BIAS
6

2
CURRENT MA
0
-1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0
-2

-4

-6

-8
VOLTS V

DISCUSSION

The potential barrier for the diode is 1.4 V. On reverse bias no current is recorded since there is no direct flow of
current. The flow of current is in the direction as the charge and since no charge is flowing then no current is
recorded. But the current is assumed to deviate in the opposite direction

EXPERIMENT B (APPLICATIONS OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE)

Rectification is a crucial process in electronics that involves converting alternating current to direct current. Two
commonly used ways are the half-wave and full-wave rectification. Half wave is achieved through using one diode
which allows current floe during one half-cycle and blocks it during the other. Full wave rectification on the other
hand is achieved through two methods such as, center-tap and bridge rectifiers. Center-tap uses a transformer
with a center-tapped secondary winding while the bridge uses 4diodes arranged in a bridge configuration.

An elementary rectifier consists of a diode connected in series with an AC source and a resistive load. When the
polarity of the voltage source makes the anode of the diode to be positive with respect to the cathode, the diode
conducts and current flows in the load. During the next half cycle the diode does not conduct and the current is
zero. In this case the resulting output current is a half-sine wave successions and the circuit is thus a half-wave
rectifier

PROCEDURE

The circuit was connected as shown below.

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The CRO was used to display both the input and output voltages. The vertical position knob was moved slightly
two discriminate between the two signals. For full wave rectification the circuit was connected as shown below
Fig-3 Full Ware bridge rectifier

DATA For the half wave rectification the following half-sine wave was observed and recorded
CONCLUSION

In conclusion the by exploring the diode's non-linear voltage-current relationships, forward and reverse biasing effects we have

gained a comprehensive understanding of its intrinsic poperties.From rectification diodes play a crucial role in shaping

thefunctionality of electronic circuits. Its clear to conclude that full-wave rectification is most preferably compared to half-wave

rectification for the avoidance of rippling factor.

REFFERENCES

Solid State Electronic Devices" by Ben G. Streetman and Sanjay Kumar Banerjee.

"Semiconductor Physics and Devices: Basic Principles" by Donald A. Neamen