Formation of the Depletion Region The free electrons in the n region are randomly drifting in all directions. At the instant of the pn junction formation, the free electrons near the junction in the n region begin to diffuse across the junction into the p region where they combine with holes near the junction, as shown in Figure 1–19(b). Before the pn junction is formed, recall that there are as many electrons as protons in the n-type material, making the material neutral in terms of net charge. The same is true for the p-type material. When the pn junction is formed, the n region loses free electrons as they diffuse across the junction. This creates a layer of positive charges (pentavalent ions) near the junction. As the electrons move across the junction, the p region loses holes as the electrons and holes combine. This creates a layer of negative charges (trivalent ions) near the junction. These two layers of positive and negative charges form the depletion region, as shown in Figure 1–19(b). The term depletion refers to the fact that the region near the pn junction is depleted of charge carriers (electrons and holes) due to diffusion across the junction. Keep in mind that the depletion region is formed very quickly and is very thin compared to the n region and p region. After the initial surge of free electrons across the pn junction, the depletion region has expanded to a point where equilibrium is established and there is no further diffusion of
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