Transistors

•They are unidirectional current carrying devices like diodes with

capability to control the current flowing through them
• The switch current can be controlled by either current or voltage
• Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) control current by current
• Field Effect Transistors (FET) control current by voltage
•They can be used either as switches or as amplifiers
•Diodes and Transistors are the basic building blocks of the
multibillion dollar semiconductor industries

LP4 1
 NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor
•One N-P (Base Collector) diode one P-N (Base Emitter) diode

LP4 2
 PNP Bipolar Junction Transistor
•One P-N (Base Collector) diode one N-P (Base Emitter) diode

LP4 3
NPN BJT Current flow

LP4 4
 BJT  and 
•From the previous figure iE = iB + iC

•Define  = iC / iE

•Define  = iC / iB

•Then  = iC / (iE –iC) =  /(1- )

•Then iC =  iE ; iB = (1-) iE

•Typically   100 for small signal BJTs (BJTs that

handle low power) operating in active region (region
where BJTs work as amplifiers)
LP4 5
 BJT in Active Region

Common Emitter(CE) Connection

• Called CE because emitter is common to both VBB and VCC

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 BJT in Active Region (2)
•Base Emitter junction is forward biased

•Base Collector junction is reverse biased

•For a particular iB, iC is independent of RCC

transistor is acting as current controlled current source (iC is
controlled by iB, and iC =  iB)

• Since the base emitter junction is forward biased, from Shockley

equation
  VBE  
i E  I ES exp   1
  VT  

LP4 7
 BJT in Active Region (3)
•Since iB = (1-) iE , the previous equation can be rewritten as

  VBE  
i B  (1 - )I ES exp   1
  VT  
•Normally the above equation is never used to calculate iB
Since for all small signal transistors vBE  0.7. It is only useful
for deriving the small signal characteristics of the BJT.

•For example, for the CE connection, iB can be simply

calculated as,
VBB  VBE
iB 
R BB
or by drawing load line on the base –emitter side
LP4 8
 Deriving BJT Operating points in
Active Region –An Example
In the CE Transistor circuit shown earlier VBB= 5V, RBB= 107.5
k, RCC = 1 k, VCC = 10V. Find IB,IC,VCE, and the transistor
power dissipation using the characteristics as shown below

By Applying KVL to the base emitter circuit

VBB  VBE
IB 
R BB

By using this equation along with the iB / vBE characteristics

of the base emitter junction, IB = 40 A
LP4 9
 Deriving BJT Operating points in
Active Region –An Example (2)
By Applying KVL to the collector emitter circuit
VCC  VCE
IC 
R CC
By using this equation along with the iC / vCE characteristics
of the base collector junction, iC = 4 mA, VCE = 6V
I C 4mA
   100
I B 40A

Transistor power dissipation = VCEIC = 24 mW

We can also solve the problem without using the characteristics

if  and VBE values are known
LP4 10
Deriving BJT Operating points in
Active Region –An Example (3)
iB iC
100 A
100 A 10 mA
80 A
60 A
40 A
20 A
0 0
5V vBE 20V vCE

Input Characteristics Output Characteristics

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 BJT in Cutoff Region

•Under this condition iB= 0

•As a result iC becomes negligibly small

•Both base-emitter as well base-collector junctions may be reverse

biased

•Under this condition the BJT can be treated as an off switch

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 BJT in Saturation Region

•Under this condition iC / iB   in active region

•Both base emitter as well as base collector junctions are forward

biased

•VCE  0.2 V

•Under this condition the BJT can be treated as an on switch

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 BJT in Saturation Region (2)

•A BJT can enter saturation in the following ways (refer to

the CE circuit)
•For a particular value of iB, if we keep on increasing RCC
•For a particular value of RCC, if we keep on increasing iB
•For a particular value of iB, if we replace the transistor
with one with higher  LP4 14
 BJT in Saturation Region – Example 1
In the CE Transistor circuit shown earlier VBB= 5V, RBB= 107.5
k, RCC = 100 k, VCC = 10V. Find IB,IC,VCE, and the transistor
power dissipation using the characteristics as shown below

Here even though IB is still 40 A; from the output characteristics

IC can be found to be only about 1mA and VCE  0.2V( VBC  0.5V
or base collector junction is forward biased (how?))

 = IC / IB = 1mA/40 A = 25 100

LP4 15
BJT in Saturation Region – Example 1
(2)
iB iC
100 A
100 A 10 mA
80 A
60 A
40 A
20 A
0 0
5V vBE 20V vCE

Input Characteristics

LP4 16
 BJT in Saturation Region – Example 2
In the CE Transistor circuit shown earlier VBB= 5V, RBB= 50 k,
RCC = 1 k, VCC = 10V. Find IB,IC,VCE, and the transistor power
dissipation using the characteristics as shown below

Here IB is 80 A from the input characteristics; IC can be found to be

only about 7.9 mA from the output characteristics and VCE  0.5V(
VBC  0.2V or base collector junction is forward biased (how?))
 = IC / IB = 7.9 mA/80 A = 98.75  100
Transistor power dissipation = VCEIC  4 mW

Note: In this case the BJT is not in very hard saturation

LP4 17
BJT in Saturation Region – Example 2
(2)
iB iC
100 A
100 A 10 mA
80 A
60 A
40 A
20 A
0 0
5V vBE 20V vCE

Input Characteristics Output Characteristics

LP4 18
 BJT in Saturation Region – Example 3
In the CE Transistor circuit shown earlier VBB= 5V, VBE = 0.7V
RBB= 107.5 k, RCC = 1 k, VCC = 10V,  = 400. Find IB,IC,VCE,
and the transistor power dissipation using the characteristics as
shown below
By Applying KVL to the base emitter circuit
VBB  VBE
IB   40A
R BB
Then IC = IB= 400*40 A = 16000 A
and VCE = VCC-RCC* IC =10- 0.016*1000 = -6V(?)
But VCE cannot become negative (since current can flow only
from collector to emitter).
Hence the transistor is in saturation
LP4 19
BJT in Saturation Region – Example 3(2)
Hence VCE  0.2V
IC = (10 –0.2) /1 = 9.8 mA
Hence the operating  = 9.8 mA / 40 A = 245

LP4 20
BJT Operating Regions at a Glance (1)

LP4 21
BJT Operating Regions at a Glance (2)

LP4 22
BJT Large-signal (DC) model

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 BJT ‘Q’ Point (Bias Point)
•Q point means Quiescent or Operating point

• Very important for amplifiers because wrong ‘Q’ point

selection increases amplifier distortion

•Need to have a stable ‘Q’ point, meaning the the operating

point should not be sensitive to variation to temperature or
BJT , which can vary widely

LP4 24
Four Resistor bias Circuit for Stable ‘Q’
Point

By far best circuit for providing stable bias point

LP4 25