Electronic Devices

Diodes and Transistors

Classes of Materials
Conductors
Materials with very low resistance
Gold, Copper and Aluminum

Insulators
Materials with very high resistance
Dry wood and plastic

Semiconductors
Materials with properties that fall somewhere
between conductors and insulators

Conduction
The transfer of energy, such as heat or an
electric charge, through a substance.
Occur from the movement of either electrons
or holes.
Doping
The processing of semiconductor materials for
device construction.
Addition of impurities (donors or acceptors)

Semiconductor Material
P-type
Semiconductor materials having an excess of
positive charge carriers

N-type
Materials having an excess of negative charge
carriers

Diodes

Junction Diode
Created by combining a section of P-type
material with a section of N-type material.
Current flows
easily in this
direction
P-type Material

N-type Material
Strong opposition
to current flow in
this direction

Anode

Cathode

Schematic Symbol

Junction Diode
Diode Terminal Characteristics
ID

Forward Bias

R
A

Vs

V
Breakdown
Voltage

Reverse Bias

Threshold VD
Voltage

Diode Circuit Models

Ideal Diode Model
ID

Forward
Bias

Reverse
Bias

+
VD

ID
-

Short
Circuit

ID

Open
Circuit

VR
+

VD

Diode Circuit Models

Constant Voltage Model
ID

Reverse
Bias

Forward
Bias

+
VD

ID
-

Constant +
Voltage -

VD0.7 V

Open
Circuit

VR
+
VD

VD0.7 V

Example 1
For the circuit, determine the loop current,
the voltage across the diode, and the voltage
across the resistance.
VD
+
I
12V

+
_

+
VR
-

2k

Example 2
For the circuit, determine the loop current,
the voltage across the diode, and the voltage
across the resistance.
VD
+
I
12V

+
_

+
VR
-

2k

Diode Rectifier Circuits

Half-Wave Rectifier

Diode Rectifier Circuits

Full-Wave Bridge Rectifier

Diode Clipping Circuits

Diode Clipping Circuits

Diode Clamping Circuits

Other Diode Types

Zener Diode
It exploits the reverse breakdown voltage

Light Emitting Diode

Photodiode
Roughly opposite of LED

Optocoupler
Implented with diodes consists of LED
coupled with photodiode

Other Diode Types

Schottky Diode
Special-purpose diode that reduces the
forward diffusion capacitance to a negligible
value, which permits its use into microwave
frequency range.

Varactor Diode
It exploits the capacitance effect when diode is
reverse biased.

Transistor

Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to
amplify and switch electronic signals and
electrical power.
Three terminal active devices made from
different semiconductor materials that can act
as either an insulator or a conductor.
Types:
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
Field Effect Transistor (FET)

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

Consists of two PN-junctions producing three
connecting terminals. (base, emitter, collector)
It is a current controlled semiconductor
device.
C

C
B

B
E

NPN or P-type

E
PNP or N-type

BJT Construction

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

Basic Operation
Base Current controlling variable
Collector Current and Emitter Current controlled
variables
C

Relationship for Currents

B

IE IC IB

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

BJT Operating Regions
Cutoff Region
- Corresponds to reverse bias for both
the base-emitter and the basecollector junctions.

Saturation Region
- Corresponds to forward bias for
both base-emitter and the basecollector junctions.

Active Region
- Corresponds to forward bias for the
base-emitter and reverse bias for
the base-collector junctions.

Saturation
Region

Active Region

Cutoff Region

BJT Configurations
Common Base Configuration

BJT Configurations
Common Emitter Configuration

BJT Configurations
Common Collector Configuration

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

I E I B IC

IC

IB

IC

IE

Example 4
Determine the value of dc for the idealized
transistor.
IC
20 mA
16 mA
12 mA
8 mA
4 mA

IB = 100 A
IB = 80 A
IB = 60 A
IB = 40 A
IB = 20 A
IB = 0
VCE

Field Effect Transistor (FET)

Field effect transistor is a unipolar-transistor,
which acts as a voltage-controlled current device
and is a device in which current at two electrodes
is controlled by the action of an electric field at
another electrode.
Field effect transistor is a device in which the
current is controlled and transported by carriers
of one polarity (majority) only and an electric field
near the one terminal controls the current
between other two.

Field Effect Transistor Family

Field Effect
Transistors (FETs)

Junction Field
Effect Transistors
(JFETs)

Depletion Mode

N-Channel

P-Channel

Metal-oxide
Semiconductor
FETs (MOSFETs)

Enhancement
Mode

Depletion Mode

N-Channel

P-Channel

N-Channel

P-Channel

BJT and FET

Junction Field Effect Transistors(JFET)

JFET is a unipolar-transistor, which acts as a
voltage controlled current device and is a device
in which current at two electrodes is controlled
by the action of an electric field at a p-n junction.
Basic Construction
Source doped N-type material
Drain doped N-type material
Gate doped P-type material

JFET Construction
N-channel

P-channel

Junction Field Effect Transistors(JFET)

Ohmic Region
When VGS = 0 the depletion layer of the
channel is very small and the JFET acts like a
voltage controlled resistor.

Cut-Off Region
This is also known as the pinch-off region
were the Gate voltage, VGS is sufficient to
cause the JFET to act as an open circuit as the
channel resistance is at maximum.

Saturation or Active Region

The JFET becomes a good conductor and is
controlled by the Gate-Source voltage, ( VGS )
while the Drain-Source voltage, ( VDS ) has
little or no effect.

Breakdown Region
The voltage between the Drain and the
Source, ( VDS ) is high enough to causes the
JFETs resistive channel to break down and
pass uncontrolled maximum current.

Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field

effect Transistor (MOSFET)
MOSFET is a voltage controlled majority
carrier device. Movement of majority carriers
in a MOSFET is controlled by the voltage
applied on the control electrode (called gate)
which is insulated by a thin metal oxide layer
from the bulk semiconductor body.

MOSFET Configuration

N-type

P-type