Enter the saturation current, voltage across the diode, ideality factor, and temperature into the calculator to determine the diode current. This calculator uses the Shockley diode equation to calculate the current through a diode for a given voltage.

Diode Equation

The Shockley diode equation is used to calculate the current through a diode and is given by:

I = I<sub>S</sub> * (e<sup>(qV / (nKT))</sup> - 1)

Variables:

  • I is the diode current (A)
  • IS is the saturation current (A)
  • V is the voltage across the diode (V)
  • n is the ideality factor (unitless)
  • K is the Boltzmann constant (J/K)
  • T is the temperature in Kelvin (K)
  • q is the charge of an electron (C)

To calculate the diode current, you need to know the saturation current, the voltage across the diode, the ideality factor, and the temperature. The ideality factor typically ranges from 1 to 2 and accounts for the deviation of the diode’s behavior from the ideal p-n junction.

How to Calculate Diode Current?

The following steps outline how to calculate the diode current using the Shockley diode equation.

  1. First, determine the saturation current (IS) in amperes.
  2. Next, determine the voltage across the diode (V) in volts.
  3. Next, determine the ideality factor (n), which is typically between 1 and 2.
  4. Next, determine the temperature (T) in Kelvin.
  5. Use the Shockley diode equation to calculate the diode current (I).
  6. After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem :

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Saturation current (IS) = 1e-12 A

Voltage across the diode (V) = 0.7 V

Ideality factor (n) = 1.5

Temperature (T) = 300 K