Diode component

The following are the circuit components supported as of SimLab:

Component Icon Description
Diode

Semiconductor component, orientation affects the computation.

Introduction

The behaviour of a diode, as well as the diode operation, can be deduced from the current-voltage characteristic:

This characteristic is represented on the figure below:



Diode exponential model

The exponential model given by SimLab for the diode is the same as the one that was previously provided. SimLab uses the value of the threshold voltage or knee voltage VF0 for the exponential model because the value of the temperature voltage UT is difficult to get.

The relation linking UT,VF0 and IS. is the following:

The parameters necessary for the definition of a diode using this model are represented in the figure below:



These are:
  • the knee forward voltage: VF0 (in V)
  • the extrinsic resistance: RS (in Ω) (or bulk resistance)
  • the saturation current: IS (in A)

Typical values for these three parameters are proposed by default:

VF0 = 0.7V ; RS = 0.1Ω ; IS = 10-6A

Dialog box

The dialog box of Diode is represented in the figure below:



Saturation current Is: The maximum current that can be allowed to flow through a diode without causing significant degradation in its performance

Bulk resistance Rb: Total resistance present in diode

Knee forward voltage: The minimum forward bias voltage required for a diode to conduct