Shockley diode equation
diode law

A more specific definition can be found in the Shockley diode equation.

The mathematical description of the current is provided by the Shockley diode equation.

The reverse breakdown region is not modeled by the Shockley diode equation.

By the Shockley diode equation, the current diverted through the diode is:

The Shockley diode equation has an exponential of , which would lead one to expect that the forward-voltage increases with temperature.

The Shockley diode equation models the forward-bias operational characteristics of a p-n junction outside the avalanche (reverse-biased conducting) region.

The DC current-voltage behavior of the ideal p-n diode is governed by the Shockley diode equation:

The Shockley diode equation relates the diode current of a p-n junction diode to the diode voltage .

The current-voltage characteristic of an LED is similar to other diodes, in that the current is dependent exponentially on the voltage (see Shockley diode equation).

Current is approximately an exponential function of voltage according to the Shockley diode equation, and a small voltage change may result in a large change in current.

The latter approximation assumes that the bias current is large enough so that the factor of 1 in the parentheses of the Shockley diode equation can be ignored.

To first approximation this current should be constant (as in the Shockley diode equation); however, current rises gradually with reverse bias due to a weak barrier lowering (similar to the vacuum Schottky effect).