# Silicon Diode

Discussion in 'Homework Help' started by dcar2013, Jan 19, 2013.

1. ### dcar2013 Thread Starter New Member

Jan 18, 2013
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If a silicon diode has a saturation current of 10nA at 25 to 75 degrees C, what are the minimum and maximum values of saturation current?

2. ### WBahn Moderator

Mar 31, 2012
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4,795
Gee, this identical (and I mean exact word for word) question was asked on Yahoo answers by "Andrew" a year ago.

Do have some kind of a model for the saturation current as a function of temperature? Min and max over what temprature range? Without more in the way of context, the question is meaningless.

3. ### Audioguru New Member

Dec 20, 2007
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896
A diode does not saturate. Instead it conducts or it does not conduct depending on the polarity. The forward voltage drop increases exponentially with increased current.

10nA is an extremely low current which is probably its reverse-biased leakage current.

4. ### WBahn Moderator

Mar 31, 2012
17,743
4,795
In the Shockley(sp?) diode equation,namely

$
i(v) = I_S(e^{\frac{v}{nV_T}} - 1)
$

The parameter $I_S$ is the saturation current (though it is aften called the scale current). It is the reverse saturation current (what is often called the leakage current).