JUNCTION CAPACITANCE

Under conditions of reverse bias, a p-n junction can act as a capacitor. A special type of diode called a varactor (a contraction of the words variable reactor) is manufactured with this property specifically in mind. The junction capacitance of a varactor can be varied by changing the reverse-bias voltage because this voltage affects the width of the depletion region. The greater the reverse voltage, the wider the depletion region gets, and the smaller the capacitance becomes. A good varactor can exhibit a capacitance that fluctuates rapidly, following voltage variations up to high frequencies.