Bipolar Junction Transistors

(BJT)
Bipolar junction transistors are in fact the most important devices of
all they bought the technological revolution. So to understand their
characteristics we have the collector characteristics curves.
Collector characteristics curves are a graphical representation of
how collector current (IC) changes or varies with change in collector
to emitter voltage (VCE), for specific values of base current (IB).
Now given below is a simple circuit diagram but it is supposed to be
understood in great detail. The denotations it has should be define
perfectly well because this is a core diagram and it is of a NPN
transistor.
Please do not freak out this is
a NPN transistor
they have the arrow coming
out from the emitter
region. The PNP are also

I am now defining the meaning of all the denotations, please this is

beyond important to us.
RB is the limiting resistance attached to the p region of the transistor
RC is the limiting resistance attached to the collector region (the
upper n region)
IE is the current that flows into the emitter region
IB is the base current
IC is the collector current
VBE is the dc voltage at base with respect to emitter
VCB is the dc voltage at collector with respect to base
VCE is the dc voltage at collector with respect to emitter
VBB is the dc voltage connected in forward bias to the Base-Emitter
pn junction
VCC is the dc voltage connected in reverse bias to the Base-Collector

pn junction

Now look at those graphs and that figure and try to imagine this
You set the VCC to zero (it is variable). Now the BE (Base-Emitter)
junction is set to forward bias but due to the zero voltage at VCC the
BC (Base-Collector) junction is set in forward bias too because base
has a voltage of 0.7 V.
This is the saturation region defined as Saturation is the state of a
BJT in which the collector current has reached a maximum and is
independent of the base current.
The important point is how a BJT operates depends of how the two
junctions BE and BC are biased.
It is important that we look at the below table that has an
immense importance.
Bias
Mode

B-E
Junction

B-C
Junction

Saturation

Forward

Forward

Active

Forward

Reverse

Inverted

Reverse

Forward

Cutof

Reverse

Reverse

Lets start up with saturation, saturation is a region where the

collector current IC has reached a maximum and is independent
of base current IB. Thats the best way of putting it.
But notice as the BC region becomes reversed bias (because VCC
is no longer at zero), a region of operation called the active
region will be achieved. In this active region the BC junction is
reversed bias that is the depletion layer width increases and

thus the collector current (IC) value increases very slightly with
increase in VCE (The voltage at collector with respect to emitter),
and for this region of the curve the graph appears to be linear
thus this region is also called linear region. The current in this
region is given by the equation
IC = DC IB (which is merely just a manipulation of beta dc or
current gain).
Now as VCE reaches a high voltage and the BC junction is reverse
biased then breakdown occurs and thus the IC seems to increase
rapidly this is known as the cutof region of the transistor, a
transistor should never be operated in this region.
Now there are two things in this chapter that are not to be
confused with i.e. a. The configuration of BJT and b. The regions
of operation of BJT.
Configuration means an arrangement of parts or elements in a
particular form, figure, or combination.
While operation means is the action of functioning or the fact of
being active or in effect.
So, the regions of operation are: Saturation, active and cutoff.
While the three configurations are: CE (Common Emitter), CB
(Common Base) and CC (Common Collector).

Configurations of the transistor

The idea of the configurations is quite unique in
terms as the transistor is often used as an amplifier and that
means there will be two input terminals and two output
terminals, a total of four but a transistor has only three
terminals. To overcome these problems we use one terminal as
common for both input and output actions. Using this property
we construct the circuits and these structures are called
transistor configurations. These are described on the next page.

Common Base (CB) Configuration: no current gain but

voltage gain
Common Collector (CC) Configuration: current gain but no
voltage gain
Common Emitter (CE) Configuration: current gain and
voltage gain

In the common base (CB) configuration, the base is the common

terminal for the input and output signals.
The input is applied between the Base and Emitter terminals and the
corresponding output signal is taken between the Base and Collector
terminals with the base terminal grounded. Here the input parameters are
VEB and IE and the output parameters are VCB and IC. The input current
flowing into the emitter is quite large as its the sum of both the base
current and collector current respectively therefore, the collector current
output is less than the emitter current input resulting in a current gain for
this type of circuit of 1 (unity) or less, in other words the common base
configuration attenuates the input signal.
Now throughout this text all current directions will refer to conventional
flow rather than electron flow.

Please note that the direction of

the current is in the conventional
sense rather than in electron
flow terms
PLEASE DO NOT GET CONFUSED!
Why Benjamin
Why? And also note that in this
complicated case
IE = IC+IB