BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR (BJT)

INTRODUCTION

The radio or TV signal received by an antenna is so weak that it cannot adequately drive a loudspeaker or TV tube. We have to amplify the weak signal until it has enough power to be useful. In 1951, Shockley invented the first junction transistor, which amplifies the radio and TV signals.

The transistor has led to many other inventions including the integrated circuit (IC) , a small device that contains thousand of transistors. Because of IC, modern computers and other electronic miracles are possible.

Bipolar means two polarities mean it use both free electrons and holes. A transistor has three doped regions: emitter (E), base (B) and collector(C). Two types of bias: NPN and PNP device.

SAMPLE OF TRANSISTOR

TRANSISTOR CURRENTS

 Kirchoff

Current Law :

IE = IC +IB

HOW TO TEST TRANSISTOR

1.

2.

DATA SHEET MULTIMETER

SELF TEST
1.

2.
3. 4. 5.

What is meant by Bipolar. A transistor has three doped regions/ terminals. List it out. Mention the two types of transistor. Draw the symbol of these two types of the transistor. How we test the transistor?

THE BIASED TRANSISTOR

Figure

below shows the biased transistor where the external voltage sources are connected to the transistor.

In figure above, the minus signs represent free electrons. The emitter is heavily doped; its job is to emit or inject free electrons into the base. The base is lightly doped and very thin; it passes most of the emitter-injected electrons on to the collector. The doping level of the collector is between the heavy doping of the emitter and the emitter and the light doping of the base. The collector is so named because it collects or gathers electrons from the base. The left source of Fig.6-3 forward-biases the emitter diode, while the right source reverse-biases the collector diode. At the instant that forward bias is applied to the emitter diode, electrons in the emitter have not yet entered the base region.

BASE ELECTRONS

If VBB is greater than the barrier potential, emitter electrons will enter the base region, as shown in Fig.6-4.

These free electrons can flow in either of two directions. First, they can flow to the left and out the base, passing through RB on the way to the positive source terminal. Second, the free electrons can flow into the collector. Which way do most of the free electrons go? Most will continue on to the collector. Why? First, the base is lightly doped. Because of this, free electrons have a long lifetime in the base region. This gives them the time needed to reach the collector.

Second, the base is very thin. This also gives the electrons a better chance of reaching the collector. In other words, to flow out of the base into the external resistor, the free electron must first recombine with holes in the base. Then as valence electron, they can flow to the left until they leave the base and enter the external connecting wire . Since the base is lightly doped and very thin, very few electrons manage to recombine and escape into the external base lead.

COLLECTOR ELECTRON

Almost all the electrons go into the collector as shown in figure below. Once they are in the collector they feel the attraction of Vcc source voltage. Because of this, the free electron flow through the collector and through Rc until they reach the positive terminal of the collector supply voltage.

 Example

1. The transistor has a collector current of 10 mA and a base current of 40 A. What is the current gain of the transistor?

2. The transistor has a current gain of 175. If the base current is 0.1 mA, what is the collector current?

Solution: dc =

Ic = dc IB = (175)(0.1 mA) = 17.5 mA

3. The transistor of figure in example 1 has a collector current of 2 mA. If the current gain is 135, what is the base current?

Solution:

dc =

= 14.8

SELF TEST

 From

the figure above: a) The minus sign represent ----------b) The electron are first concentrated at ---------------terminal. c) What are the task of the emitter? d) When the electron are in the base terminal, why it passes most of the emitter-injected electrons on to the collector? e) Why we forward-biases the emitter diode, and reverse-biases the collector diode. f) What are the task of collector. g) Which way do most of the free electrons go from the base terminal? h) How the electron in collector terminal can move to the Vcc source.

The Common Emitter (CE) Configuration

In the Common Emitter or grounded emitter configuration, the input signal is applied between the base, while the output is taken from between the collector and the emitter as shown. This type of configuration is the most commonly used circuit for transistor based amplifiers and which represents the "normal" method of bipolar transistor connection. The common emitter amplifier configuration produces the highest current and power gain of all the three bipolar transistor configurations. This is mainly because the input impedance is LOW as it is connected to a forward-biased PN-junction, while the output impedance is HIGH as it is taken from a reversebiased PN-junction.

The Common Emitter Amplifier Circuit

 In

this type of configuration, the current flowing out of the transistor must be equal to the currents flowing into the transistor as the emitter current is given as Ie = Ic + Ib. Also, as the load resistance (RL) is connected in series with the collector, the current gain of the common emitter transistor configuration is quite large as it is the ratio of Ic/Iband is given the Greek symbol of Beta, (). As the emitter current for a common emitter configuration is defined as Ie = Ic + Ib, the ratio of Ic/Ie is called Alpha, given the Greek symbol of . Note: that the value of Alpha will always be less than unity.

 Since

the electrical relationship between these three currents, Ib, Ic and Ie is determined by the physical construction of the transistor itself, any small change in the base current (Ib), will result in a much larger change in the collector current (Ic). Then, small changes in current flowing in the base will thus control the current in the emitter-collector circuit. Typically, Beta has a value between 20 and 200 for most general purpose transistors.

 Then

to summarise, this type of bipolar transistor configuration has a greater input impedance, current and power gain than that of the common base configuration but its voltage gain is much lower. The common emitter configuration is an inverting amplifier circuit resulting in the output signal being 180o out-of-phase with the input voltage signal.

The Common Collector (CC) Configuration

In the Common Collector or grounded collector configuration, the collector is now common through the supply. The input signal is connected directly to the base, while the output is taken from the emitter load as shown. This type of configuration is commonly known as a Voltage Follower or Emitter Follower circuit. The emitter follower configuration is very useful for impedance matching applications because of the very high input impedance, in the region of hundreds of thousands of Ohms while having a relatively low output impedance.

The Common Collector Transistor Circuit

 This

type of bipolar transistor configuration is a noninverting circuit in that the signal voltages of Vin and Vout are in-phase. It has a voltage gain that is always less than "1" (unity). The load resistance of the common collector transistor receives both the base and collector currents giving a large current gain (as with the common emitter configuration) therefore, providing good current amplification with very little voltage gain.

COMMON BASE CONFIGURATION

This type of amplifier configuration is a non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit, in that the signal voltages Vin and Vout are in-phase. This type of transistor arrangement is not very common due to its unusually high voltage gain characteristics. Its output characteristics represent that of a forward biased diode while the input characteristics represent that of an illuminated photo-diode. Also this type of bipolar transistor configuration has a high ratio of output to input resistance or more importantly "load" resistance (RL) to "input" resistance (Rin) giving it a value of "Resistance Gain".

Characteristic Input Impedance Output Impedance Phase Angle Voltage Gain Current Gain Power Gain

Common Base Low Very High 0

o

Common Emitter Medium High 180

o

Common Collector High Low 0

o

High Low Low

Medium Medium Very High

Low High Medium

SELF TEST