NEET2026PhysicsChapterActual
The figure below shows the V-I characteristics of a semiconductor device under different levels of incident light intensity ( E₁, E₂, E₃ ). Based on the given graph, identify the device and its standard operating condition.
Options
- ALight Emitting Diode operated in forward bias
- BPhotodiode operated in reverse bias
- CSolar cell operated with no external bias
- DZener diode operated in the reverse breakdown region
Correct answer
B. Photodiode operated in reverse bias
Step-by-step solution
Based on the given V-I characteristics graph: 1. The curves are plotted in the third quadrant, which means the device is operating under reverse bias (negative voltage and negative current). 2. The magnitude of the reverse current is in microamperes ( A) and it remains almost constant over a range of reverse voltages. This is known as the reverse saturation current. 3. The reverse saturation current increases as the intensity of incident light increases ( E₃ > E₂ > E₁ ). This behavior is characteristic of a photodi