CHAPTER 5:

BIPOLAR JUNCTION
TRANSISTORS (BJT)
 What is transistor?
• The transistor is a three terminal device, unlike the
diode previously discussed that is a two terminal
device.
• All transistors function on the same basic principle:
using voltage between two terminals to control
current flowing in the third terminal.
• Transistors can be divided into two broad categories:
BJT and FET.
 What is a Transistor?
• Semiconductors: ability to change
from conductor to insulator
• Can either allow current or prohibit
current to flow
• Useful as a switch, but also as an
amplifier
• Essential part of many technological
advances
 The BJT – Bipolar Junction Transistor
The Two Types of BJT Transistors:
npn pnp

E n p n C E p n p C

Cross Section C Cross Section C

B B
B B
Schematic Schematic
Symbol Symbol
E E

• Collector doping is usually ~ 106

• Base doping is slightly higher ~ 107 – 108
• Emitter doping is much higher ~ 1015
IDEAL INPUT (Base) Characteristics
 IDEAL INPUT Characteristics
• The plot is essentially same as forward biased diode.

• We can thus assume VBE  0.6 V -0.7V when

designing our d.c. bias circuits.

• In the ‘non-ideal’ case IB will vary slightly with VCE.

This need not concern us.
IDEAL OUTPUT (Collector) Characteristics
 IDEAL OUTPUT (Collector) Characteristics

• The plots are all parallel to the VCE axis

• The curves strictly obey IC = βIB
• In particular IC = 0 when IB = 0.
Modes of Operation

Active: • Most important mode of operation

• Central to amplifier operation
• The region where current curves (output curves) are practically flat

Saturation: • Barrier potential of the junctions cancel each other out causing a virtual
short

Cutoff: • Current reduced to zero

• Ideal transistor behaves like an open switch
 IDEAL OUTPUT (Collector) Characteristics

Saturation
 IDEAL CE OUTPUT

Avoid this cut-off region where we try to reverse bias both junctions (I C approximately 0)
 Operation region summary

Operation IB or VCE BC and BE Mode

Region Char. Junctions
Cutoff IB = Very Reverse & Open
small Reverse Switch
Saturation VCE = Small Forward & Closed
Forward Switch
Active VCE = Reverse & Linear
Linear Moderate Forward Amplifier
Break- VCE = Large Beyond Overload
down Limits
 How to ensure the transistor is working?

• It need to be biased properly according to the

operating region.
• Transistor working at linear active region.
• Thus, junction biasing must be fully
considered.
BE  FWD
BC  RV
• Transistor Biasing
• When the base-emitter junction is forward-
biased, it is like a forward-biased diode and has a
nominal forward voltage drop of

• Consider the npn transistor below:

KVL clockwise at BE loop:

• KVL counter clockwise at CE loop:

• Finally, the voltage across the collector-base

junction is simply:
• The ratio of the dc collector current (IC) to the dc
base current (lB) is the dc beta (DC).
• DC is the current gain of a transistor.

• The ratio of the dc collector current (IC) to the dc

emitter current (IE) is the dc alpha (DC).

• Typical values of DC are between 0.95 to 0.99.

Hence we usually assume DC = 1.
 Example 1
Determine IB, IC, IE, VBE, VCE , and VCB in the circuit
below. Assume that the transistor has DC = 150.
 Example 2
a) Determine DC if IC = 8.23 mA and IE = 8.69
mA.
b) A certain transistor has IC = 25 mA and IB = 200
A. Determine its DC.
c) What is the DC of a transistor if IE = 20.5 mA
and IC = 20.3 mA?
 Example 3
A base current of 50 A is applied to the
transistor shown below and a voltage of 5 V is
dropped across RC. Determine the DC of the
transistor.
 Example 4
Determine each current in the transistor below.
What is the DC?
 Transistor as a switches
• Can function as single-pole-single throw
(SPST) switch that controlled by a signal from
base terminal.

Mechanically controlled – When the switch is

OPEN, no current flow, bulb is OFF.
 Transistor as a switches
• When applied to a
transistor, the control
signal from based are
zero (IB =0), the transistor
is at cutoff mode.
Resistance at collector
and emitter junction
rises infinitely high to
prevent current flow.
 Transistor as a switches

When the switch is closed, current flow, bulb isWhen applied to a transistor, the control signal
ON. from based having significant value, the
transistor will be ON. Resistance at collector
and emitter junction decrease to allow current
flow.
Designing a Transistor Switching Circuit

Design a transistor switching circuit to control

the ON/OFF of a 12V bulb with 10 Ω load
resistor. When the control signal is equal to 5V
the bulb is ON and when it drop to 0V the bulb
turn OFF. The current flowing to the bulb is
collector current. Given beta is 100.
Transistor switching
Design steps:
• Convert to the transistor parameters (RB ,RC , IB
and etc)
• Calculate the load current ( Output current)
• Calculate the control current ( Input current)
• Determine the base resistance
Design Exercise
Design a transistor circuit to control the
ON/OFF condition of a 50Ω load connected to
30V. The base signal is between 0V to 4V. The
load will be ON when control voltage is 4V and
OFF when 0V. The transistor used in the circuit
will have a beta of 50.
 Transistor as the amplifier
• Amplifier is always related to signal gain, where
amplifier basically work to improve the quality
of the output signal based on the gain value.
(Gain (A) = OUTPUT / INPUT )

• How to adapt this properties to a transistor?

 Biasing the transistor amplifier
• Biasing – process of setting the DC voltage and
current to the proper level so a signal can be
accepted and amplified by the circuit.
• When the biased current is set properly the
transistor amplifier are ready to receive an
input from the signal generator.
• Trying to set the collector current (IC ) to a
constant level when no input signal applied.
 Transistor Biasing
• Fixed Biased Circuit / Base Biased Circuit

• Capacitor will block bias current flow ; anything after

the capacitor are not used in the analysis.
 Transistor Biasing
• The biasing circuit is then simplified as:

• To start the analysis, find the biasing parameters

( VE , VB , VC , IB , IE and IC (Capital Letter)
Transistor Biasing
 Signal Parameters
• A transistor’s signal parameters represent its
electrical properties such as input impedance,
output impedance and gain when there are
supply voltage on the circuit.
• Engineers employ transistor signal parameters
in production-line testing and in circuit design.
• Signal parameters represent by a lower case.
Signal Analysis
 Signal Analysis
• Input Impedance
Zin = RB // β r’e
where r’e is the dynamic resistor
r’e is the = 25 mV / IE
• Output Impedance
Zout = RC
• Voltage Gain = Vout / Vin
Vin = IE r’e
Vout = IC r’c
:. Av = r’c / r’e

r’c = RC // RL
Exercise:
Find all the biasing and signal parameters for
the below circuit.
 Emitter Stabilizer Bias
• The circuit consists of emitter resistor to improve the
stability of the configuration.

• To start the analysis, find the biasing parameters ( VE ,

VB , VC , IB , IE and IC (Capital Letter)
 Signal Analysis
• Zin , Zout, AV

Zin = RB // β re
where re = (RE + r’e )
r’e is the = 25 mV / IE
• Output Impedance
Zout = RC
• Voltage Gain = Vout / Vin
Vin = IE r’e
Vout = IC r’c
:. Av = r’c / r’e

r’c = RC // RL
Exercise
• Find the voltage gain for the circuit below
when beta is 100:
 Voltage Divider Biased
• Consist of 2 input resistances (RB1 & RB2 )
• To minimize the effect of inconsistency of beta
value. (ideal analysis and approximation
analysis)
• Ideal analysis = IB equal to zero
• Approximation analysis = as per ESB
Voltage Divider Biased
 Signal Analysis
• Zin , Zout, AV

Zin = rB // β re
where:
rB = RTH = RB1 //RB2
re = (RE + r’e )
r’e is the = 25 mV / IE
• Output Impedance
Zout = RC
• Voltage Gain = Vout / Vin
Vin = IE r’e
Vout = IC r’c
:. Av = r’c / r’e

r’c = RC // RL
Exercise
Find the voltage gain of the amplifier in ideal
condition. Given beta =100.
Output characteristics curve
• Used to examine the function of the transistor
over the dynamic range.
• To provide the relation of input and output
current (IC = βIB )
• From the curve, load line can be draw to
obtain the q-point as well as the expected
undistorted output of the transistor amplifier.
 Output characteristic curve
Draw the output characteristic curve for the
amplifier below.
 Load Line Analysis
• Load line – line that connect the two
operation point of a transistor ; cutoff and
saturation.
• Q-point can be identify at near center of the
load line (Class A amplifier).
 Load Line Analysis
• Obtain the Q-point for the amplifier below:
 AC Load Line
• Consideration is made to the collector
terminal where not only sees RC but also RL .
• Maximum undistorted output are based the
AC load line.
• AC load line will share the same Q-point with
DC load line.
 Variation of VDB amplifier
• There are 3 variations of VDB amplifier; unbypassed,
bypassed and split emitter.
• This variation will gives different in the signal parameters of
the amplifier which obviously on imput inpedance (Zi ) and
Voltage gain (Av ).
• The different is based on the position of the capacitor on the
circuit to the emitter terminal to justify the existence of the
emitter resistor for the signal analysis.
• Unbypassed – RE + r’e
• Bypassed – r’e
• Split Emitter – RE are divided into two parts
 Unbypassed VDB amplifier
No capacitor across the emitter terminal.

r e = RE + r’e
 Bypassed VDB amplifier
Capacitor across the emitter terminal that will bypass the RE  RE will short
out that leave the emitter leg to the ground.

r e = r’e
 Split Emitter Amplifier
• Compromise between bypassed and
unbypassed VDB.
• The emitter resistor are split into 2 parts
• Unbypassed Resistor (REU ) – has to be smaller
value as possible.
• Bypassed Resistor (RB ) – bigger value which a
difference between the total resistance with
REU
 Split Emitter Amplifier

re = (REU + r’e)
 Multistage Amplifier
• In order for the transistor to be a practical circuit
that having better stability, the collector current
(output current) need to be independent from
beta value  VDB with ideal analysis is the one.
• To obtain the needs of the electronics system, it
is often to connect the amplifier in series or
called as cascade amplifier.
For example : single stage amplifier, two stages
amplifier……..
Multi Stage Amplifier
 Multistage Amplifier
• Coupling or connecting the amplifier by using
a coupling capacitor. (C2 )
• In biasing analysis, coupling capacitor act as
open circuit than the amplifier are treat as an
individual amplifier.
• Analysis can be made according to the
previous content.
 Signal Parmaters
• Remember this facts:
i. The Zi of the total circuit is equal to the Zi of the
first stage.
ii. The Zo of the total circuit is equal to the Zo of the
last stage.
iii. The Av of the total circuit is equal to the product
of the individual stage.
 Capacitor Value
• Rule of thumb for the capacitor:
The value of capacitive reactance is 1/10 of
the series impedance connected to it.