Static Characteristics of Bipolar Transistor.

(file12)
The principals connections for bipolar transistor are the "Common Base Connection"
and the "Common Emitter Connection", so named because the Base, respectively the
Emitter, are connected to the Ground of the circuit which is the common connection between
one slot of input slots and one slot of the output slots.

In Fig. 1 are represented these two basic connections of bipolar transistor. Every one is
characterised by two slots of input and of output. The behaviour of such device can be
characterised by the currents and voltages of input and output. Usually we take like
independent variables the current of input and the voltage of output. In this way we can write
the dependent variable (voltage of input and current of output) versus the independent
variable.
VBE f1 ( I E , VCB ); I C f 2 ( I E , VCB ) will be the relations for CBC four-terminal network, and
VBE f1 ( I E , VCB ); I C f 2 ( I E , VCB ) will be the relations for CEC four-terminal network.

In figure 2 you can see such characteristics for CBC circuits, and in figure 3 for CEC circuits.

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As we defined the current gain for CBC connection, the relation between the input current
and the output current is done by the next formula:
I C I E I C0

1.1.
This relation is so called "device formula" for the transistor in CBC connection.
In the case of CEC connection the "device formula" can be find by replacing the emitter
current by the relation I E I C I B . In this case the formula 1.1. become
I C I B 1 I C
1.2.
0

where
is the gain current in the CEC connection. The common value foris 100.
1

The biasing circuits for bipolar transistor.

In the case of CBC connection we can have the biasing circuit with two d.c. sources,
like in Fig. 4
In the active region of work for the
transistor, the junction E-B is forward
biased and the junction C-B is reverse
biased. In the condition V EB>>kT/e=VT we
can suppose that the emitter current is
higher than the reverse collector current
IC0 , then we have in a wide rage of values
for the IE the relation

VEB const.

1.3.
and the relation 1.1. become
I C I E I E
1.4.

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The relations 1.3. and 1.4. represents the "device relations". Now we shell write the "circuit
relations", which will be the relations of second Kirchoff low for inpute circuit and output
circuit:
VEE VEB I E R E
1.5.
VCC VCB I C R C
1.6.
From 1.5. we can compute the value of IE for a given circuit:
V
I E EE const .
1.7. if we have VEE>>VEB . Then if we
RE
take into account the relation 1.4. we can say that I E I C const.
The relation 1.6. represents the so called "load line equation", from which we can compute
the biasing voltage of junction C-B
VCB VCC I C R C
1.8.
The
intersection
between the load line
and the output static
characteristic
corresponding to the
emitter
current
computed by equation
1.7. represented the so
called "the static point
of working" for the
transistor. This point is
noted in fig.5 by letter
Q. In this point the
biasing voltage for C-B
junction is computed
by relation 1.8.
Relations 1.7. an 1.8. prove that the CBC connection is the most stable working
configuration of bipolar transistor. This is provided by the fact that we control the
output current IC with a current IE , higher than the residual current of the collector
and the gain current is approximately constant, having values in the range 0.980.99.
In the case of CEC connection the most usual circuit of biasing is the circuit show in
Fig. 6. This circuit, which has only one d.c. biasing source is so called "self-biasing" circuit,
because the resistors RB1 and RB2 provide the biasing of E-B junction.
In this connection is not the same situation like in the CBC connection because the
gain current has a wide rage of values. If is 0.98, is 49 and if is 0.99, is 99.
For this connection the "device equation" is given by 1.2. formula, but usually for
Silicium transistors is use the simplified formula
I C I B
1.9.
The self-biasing circuit showed in Fig.6 has an equivalent d.c. circuit which is used to find
the circuit relations. To obtain this equivalent circuit we will use the next rules:
1. All capacitors has "infinite resistance" ;
2. We will applied the "Thevenin's theorem" for the self-biasing circuit;

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In this case the equivalent circuit of Fig.6 is the circuit showed in Fig.7.

Now if we write the second Kirchoff low for input an output circuit of Fig.7, we will find next
relations:
VBB I B R B VBE I E R E
1.10.
VCC I C R C VCE I E R E
1.11.
VCC
R B1R B2
R B2 from the Thevenin's theorem. The equations
and VBB
R B1 R B2
R B1 R B2
1.10 and 1.11 are the "circuit equations" for CEC connection. If the resistance RE=0 , from
relations 1.10 we will find than
V VBE
I B BB
1.12.
RB
and using relation 1.9 results
VBB VBE
IC
1.13.
RB

where R B

But has a wide range of values, then for a given base current we can have a lot of output
currents. In this case the "working point" of the transistor is not stable. To prevent this
situation is necessary to have the condition R E 0 . In this case the equation 1.12. become:
VBB VBE
IB
1.14.
R B R E ( 1)
(in relation 1.14 we take into account than IE=IC+IB=IB(+1), if we used the relation 1.9.)
In this case relation 1.13. become:
IC

VBB VBE
R B R E ( 1)

1.15.

Now, if we have satisfied the relation

R E 1 R B

1.16.
the output current IC become independent of , then the "working point" become stable,
and the relation 1.15. become:
VBB VBE
VBB VBE VBB VBE
IC

const.
1.17.
R B R E ( 1)
R E ( 1)
RE
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Because the gain current in CEC has big values we can approximate +1=
The relation 1.11 represents the "load line equation" for CEC of bipolar transistor. In Fig.8
you can see the output characteristics for CEC of bipolar transistor and the working point,
obtained in the same way like in the case of CBC of transistor.

The stabilisation of working conditions for bipolar transistor.

The output current of CBC or CEC circuits is the collector current. This current is
function of temperature by his dependencies on: saturation collector IC0 , bias voltage of E-B
junction VBE and gain current .
Then we can write that
I C I C I C 0 , VBE ,
1.1.
where every variable depends on temperature such as:
a T T
I C 0 (T) I C 0 (T0 )e 1 2 where T0=3000K; the value of constant a depends on the nature of
semiconductor, being higher for Germanium which has the gap energy lower than Silicium.
T T2

(T) T0 1 1
K

where the value of constant K is 100 for Germanium and 50 for

Silicium.
VBE
2.2 mV/ 0 C
T
The strongest dependence of temperature is for the saturation current because this current
is given by minority carriers, and the concentration of them depends exponentially on
temperature.
Now, if we make the derivative of expression 1.1. versus temperature, we will obtain next
relation:
I C
I
I
I C
VBE I C
C C0

1.2.
T I C 0
T
VBE
T
T
where the coefficients of derivatives versus temperature are so called sensitivity factors:

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I C
I C
I C
SI ;
SU ;
S

I C 0
VBE
The sensitivity factor of current SI is the most important, the minimising of him inducing the
minimising of all factors.
To fin the expression of SI we must compute the next derivative:

I C I B ( 1)I C 0 from which we find :

I C

1
I
1.3.
1 B
I C
I B
The value of derivative
depends of the type of circuit used for biasing of transistor.
I C
SI

The most simply biasing circuit is showed in this figure. The base current is given by next
relation :
V VBE
I B CC
, which can be find by writing the second Kirchoff's low for the input circuit.
RB
Because VCC >> VBE we can ignore the value of V BE in the expression of I B, then results than
the base current is constant, then his derivative versus I C is zero. In this case the formula
1.3. become
S I 1 , which has a big value, then the sensitivity with the temperature is very high. This
circuit has a bad stability versus temperature.
A good stability with the temperature has next circuit
Using the second low of Kirchoff can be written next relation:

VCC R C I C I B R B I B VBE from which, ignoring the V BE biasing voltage because is lower

than VCC , we will find:

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RC
I
RC
IC B
RC RB
I C
RC RB
Than if we replace this derivative in 1.3. relation we will find:
IB

R RB
1
C
RC
RC
which has values among 3-10, depending on the values of
1
RC R B
resistors used in the circuit. This is a low sensitivity, then a good stability of the circuit versus
the variations of temperature. In the particular case RB=0 we get the best value of sensitivity,
SI=1, but in this case the transistor has the C-B junction in short-circuit. Such circuit is used
to stabilise the second transistor. This method of stabilisation is so called "mirror current".
The best value, that means the lower value for S I , is obtained in the case of self biasing
circuit.
SI

From the d.c. equivalent circuit, see the last lesson, we can find the value of I B versus the IC
current
RE
IB
I C then the expression 1.3. becomes:
RB RE

SI

1
R RB
E
RE
RE
1
RE RB

which can has values among 2-6.

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