ECEG-2131 Applied Electronics I

Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAIT) School of Electrical and Computer

Engineering
Learning Outcomes

 At the end of the lecture, students should be

able to know about:
 Introduction to 3 terminals device – BJT.
 Construction, Characteristics, Operation and
different Configurations of BJT.
 Limits of Operation.
 BJT Specification Sheet.

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Bipolar Junction Transistors
What is the importance of BJT?
 Introduction on devices of three-terminal
(BJT), basically constructed from the basic
semiconductor device, namely diode.
 Used in many applications, ranging from
signal amplification to the design of digital
logic and memory circuits.
 The basic principle is the use of voltage
between two terminals to control the current
flowing in the third terminal.
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Transistor Construction
E P N P C E N P N C

B B

PNP transistor NPN transistor

 A 3 terminal device, (E) Emitter, (B) Base, (C) Collector.
 2 types, PNP and NPN.
 Bipolar  è and holes participate in the injection process.
 E  Heavily doped, B  lightly doped, C  only lightly
doped.
 Consists of 2 pn junction, Emitter-Base junction (EBJ) and
Collector-base junction (CBJ).
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 Transistor Operation
 (Holes/è Flow): PNP  Holes, NPN  è
 E.g: PNP Transistor. (Similar for NPN, replace the
role of holes with electrons.)
 FB junction is E-B (emitter-base junction)
 Thin depletion region. Majority carriers flow
(holes)
 Heavy majority carrier flow P N P

from P to N.

FB ThinDepletion
region

VEE

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Transistor Operation
Minority carriers flow
(holes)

P N P

Thick Depletion RB
region

VC C
 RB junction is BC (base-collector).
 Thick depletion region.
 Minority carrier flow from N to P.

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Transistor Operation

 Majority carriers diffuse from p to n. Some holes combine

with electrons in n-side but most holes managed to cross
over into p-side. Some holes flow out from the base due
to low conductivity in n-side.
ICO leakage
I E  I C  I B I C  I Cmaj  I CO min
current
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Transistor Symbol

 In both symbols the emitter is distinguished by an

arrowhead.
 This arrowhead points in the direction of normal current
flow in the emitter, which is also the forward direction of
the base–emitter junction.

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Transistor Symbol

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Transistor Configuration

Three configurations
 Common-Base
 Common-Emitter
 Common-Collector

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Transistor Symbol
Common-Base Configuration

PNP NPN

 ICO normally small and can be neglected.

 What is ICO again?

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Base Configuration
E C E C
NPN
IE IC IE IC

B B
IB IB
PNP
V EE VCC VEE VCC

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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Base Configuration
 Can obtain 2 sets of characteristics using CB configuration.

A) Input Characteristic
 Relates an input current, IE
to input voltage, VBE.
 At certain VBE, IE will
vary depending on VCB.

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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Base Configuration
B) Output Characteristic
 Relates an Output current,
IC to Output voltage, VCB.
 At certain VCB, IC will vary
depending on IE.
 Has 3 common
regions/modes:
® Active

® Cutoff

® Saturation

 Different modes depend

on the bias condition of
each junctions.
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BJT Modes of Operation

Mode EBJ CBJ

Cutoff Reverse Reverse

Active Forward Reverse

(forward)
Reverse Reverse Forward
Active
Saturation Forward Forward

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Transistor Configuration
Application in linear amplifiers
Achieved by shown biasing arrangement b4
 Active region:
 The effect of VCB can be neglected.
IC  IE , whatever value of VCB.
 BE junction forward-biased, CB junction is RB.
 ICO or ICBO can be neglected (too small effect).
 Cutoff region:
 Application in Switching circuit.
 IC = 0A when IE=0A.
 BE and CB junctions are reverse-biased.
 Saturation region:
 Application in Switching circuit.
 Defined as the region left of VCB = 0V.
 BE and CB junctions are forward-biased.
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Transistor Configuration
Common-Base Configuration

 Develop equivalent model for the BE region.

 When the transistor is “on”, or in active state.

Ie (mA)
VCB=20V

VCB=10V
5
VCB=1V
VBE 0.7V
4

3 For Ie > 0mA

2

V BE (V)
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

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 Transistor Configuration
Alpha(), Common-Base Current Gain

In DC Mode:
® Relation between the level of IC and IE.
® Ideally  = 1, practically between 0.90 to 0.998.
IC I C  I Cmaj  I CO min
 dc  and
IE I C  I C  I CBO
Finally, I C  I E  ICBO  Normally ICBO can be neglected

In AC Mode:
® Common-base, short-circuit, amplification factor.
I C
 ac 
I E VCB constant  Normally, dc  ac

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter

IC IC

PNP NPN

C C

B B V CC

VBB IB V CC VBB IB
E E

IE IE

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter Configuration
 The most frequently used.
 Can still use, I E  IC  I B and I C  I E

 2 sets of characteristics
using CE configuration.

A) Input Characteristic
 Relate input current, IB to
input voltage, VBE.
 At certain VBE, IB will vary
depending on VCE (for Si).

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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter Configuration
B) Output Characteristic
 Relate Output current, IC
to Output voltage, VCE.
 At certain VCE, IC will vary
depending on IB.
 VCE has influence on IC.
(curve IB not horizontal)
 Has 3 different regions:
 Active
 Cutoff
 Saturation
 Remember what they are!
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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter Configuration
 Active region:
 Application in Linear Amplifiers.
 Achieved by the biasing arrangement shown previously.
 BE junction forward-biased, CB junction is reverse-biased.
 Cutoff region:
 Application in Switching circuit.
 BE and CB junctions are reverse-biased.
 IC  0A when IB=0A.

 I B I CBO
I C  I C  I CBO IC  
1  1  I C  I CEO
I C  I E  ICBO
I CBO  at IB=0A
I C   I C  I B   I CBO I CEO 
1  I B 0  A

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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter
Configuration
 Saturation region:
 Application in Switching circuit.
 Defined as the region left of VCEsat.
 BE and CB junctions are forward-biased. Similar to CB config
 Approx for the input set of characteristics.
 When the transistor is “on”, or in active state.
IB (uA) IB (uA)
VCE=1V

VCE=10V
5
VCE=20V
50
VBE 0.7V
4 40

3 30 For IB > 0A

2 20

1 10
0.7V
V BE(V) V BE(V)
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

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 Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter
Configuration
Beta(), Common-Emitter Current Gain.
In DC Mode:
® Relation between the level of IC and IB.
® Typically between 50 to over 400.
IC
 dc  • Also known as
IB hFE
In AC Mode:
® common-emitter, forward-current, amplification factor.

I C
 ac  • Also known as
I B VCE constant hfe

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter Configuration
 Relation between Beta( ) and Alpha( )
I IC
  C --- (1)  --- (2) I E  IC  I B --- (3)
IB IE
Substitute (1) and (2) into (3),
IC IC
 IC 
 
Dividing both side by IC, and rearranging the equation
gives,
 
 --- (4)  --- (5)
1  1 

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Emitter Configuration
I CBO 1
Also, I CEO  and deriving eqn 5 gives   1
1  I B 0  A 1 

We will get, I CEO   I CBO --- (6)

From, IC  I B and I E  IC  I B

We will get, I E    1 I B --- (7)

 Has high input impedance and low output impedance.

 Used for impedance-matching.
 Can be designed using CE characteristics.

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Collector
Configuration
PNP NPN
IE IE

E E
B V EE B V EE

IB IB
VBB C VBB C
IC IC

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Transistor Configuration
Common-Collector
Configuration
 Has high input impedance and low output impedance.
 Used for impedance-matching.
 Can be designed using CE characteristics.

Output and Input Characteristics

of CC are the same for CE
configuration

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 Limits of Operation
 To ensure maximum rating are not being exceeded.
 To avoid output signal distortion.
 Max collector current  continuous collector current (ds).
 Max collector-to-emitter voltage  VCEO or V(BR)CEO.(ds)

Example of a transistor referring to next figure:

I C max 50mA VCEO 20V VCEsat 0.3V

PC max VCE I C 300mW Max Power dissipation

 Should operate below PCmax. Draw estimation curve.

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Limits of Operation

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Limits of Operation

At IC = ICmax = 50mA, At VCE = VCEmax = 20V,

VCEIC=300mW (20V)IC=300mW

VCE(50mA)=300mW IC=300mW/20V = 15mA

VCE=300mW/50mA =6V

 Range of operation I CEO  I C  I C max

VCEsat VCE VCE max

VCE I C  PC max
For common-base,
PC max VCB I C

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 Transistor Specification Sheet
(sample) V V 30V
CE max CEO

I C max 200mA
PC max  PD 625mW

VCEsat 0.3V
I CEO  I CBO (150)(50nA)
I CEO 7.5A
Limits of Operation
7.5A  I C 200mA
0.3V VCE 30V
VCE I C 625mW
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What to Do This Week?

 Reading Assignment
 DC Biasing of BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistors).

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