Previous Year NEET Question- P-N Junction Basics

• (NEET 2018)

A p-n junction is said to be forward biased when the p-side is connected to the positive terminal of the battery. This is because when the p-side is connected to the positive terminal of the battery, the electrons in the p-type semiconductor will be attracted to the positive terminal of the battery and the holes in the n-type semiconductor will be attracted to the negative terminal of the battery. This will create a flow of electrons from the n-type semiconductor to the p-type semiconductor, which is what is known as forward bias.

• (NEET 2019)

The reverse bias current in a p-n junction is due to minority carriers. This is because when the p-side is connected to the negative terminal of the battery, the electrons in the p-type semiconductor will be repelled away from the negative terminal of the battery and the holes in the n-type semiconductor will be repelled away from the positive terminal of the battery. This will create a depletion region in the p-n junction, which is a region that is depleted of both electrons and holes. The width of the depletion region will increase with increasing reverse bias voltage