Bipolar Amplifiers

(1) Power dissipation (e.g., because it determines the battery lifetime in a cellphone or a digital camera);
(2) Speed (e.g., some amplifiers in a cellphone or analog-to-digital converters in a digital camera must
operate at high frequencies);
(3) Noise (e.g., the front-end amplifier in a cellphone or a digital camera processes small signals and must
introduce negligible noise of its own)
Input and Output Impedances
The input and output (I/O) impedances of an amplifier play a critical role in its capability to
interface with preceding and following stages.

v At the input, the circuit must operate as a voltmeter, i.e., sense a voltage without
disturbing (loading) the preceding stage. The ideal input impedance is therefore infinite.

v At the output, the circuit must behave as a voltage source, i.e., deliver a constant signal
level to any load impedance. Thus, the ideal output impedance is equal to zero.
Problem Assuming that the transistor operates in the forward active region, determine
the input impedance of the circuit shown in the Figure.
Problem Assuming that the transistor operates in the forward active region, determine
the input impedance of the circuit shown in Figure.

$
Since 𝑟" = = $()'*+ , we conclude that a higher β or lower IC yield a higher input impedance.
%&
Problem Calculate the impedance seen looking into the collector of Q1 in the Figure.
Problem Calculate the impedance seen looking into the collector of Q1 in the Figure.

Setting the input voltage to zero and using the small-signal model, we note that
𝑣" = 0, 𝑔/ 𝑣" = 0, and hence 𝑅123 = 𝑟4 .
Operating Point Analysis and Design
A student familiar with bipolar devices constructs the circuit shown in the Figure and
attempts to amplify the signal produced by a microphone. If IS = 6 * 10-16 A and the peak
value of the microphone signal is 20 mV, determine the peak value of the output signal.
Operating Point Analysis and Design
A student familiar with bipolar devices constructs the circuit shown in the Figure and
attempts to amplify the signal produced by a microphone. If IS = 6 * 10-16 A and the peak
value of the microphone signal is 20 mV, determine the peak value of the output signal.

Unfortunately, the student has forgotten to bias the transistor. If Vin (= VBE)
reaches 20 mV, then
Simple Biasing

to avoid saturation completely, we

require the collector voltage to remain
𝑉67 > 𝑉97
above the base voltage:
Problem For the circuit shown in the Figure, determine the collector bias current. Assume
𝛽 = 100 and IS = 10-17 A. Verify that Q1 operates in the forward active region.

With this result for IC, we calculate a new value for VBE:

and iterate to obtain more accurate results

Resistive Divider Biasing
Problem Determine the collector current of Q1 in the Figure if IS = 10-17 A and 𝛽 = 100. Verify
that the transistor operates in the active mode.

𝑉67 = 𝑉66 − 𝑅6 𝐼6 = 1.345 𝑉

and hence Q1 operates in the active region
Biasing with Emitter Degeneration

A biasing configuration that alleviates the problem of sensitivity to β and VBE.

Here, resistor RE appears in series with the emitter, thereby lowering the
sensitivity to VBE.

From an intuitive viewpoint, this occurs because RE exhibits a linear (rather than
exponential) IV relationship. Thus, an error in VX due to inaccuracies in R1, R2, or
VCC is partly “absorbed” by RE, introducing a smaller error in VBE and hence IC.
Called “emitter degeneration,” the addition of RE in series with the emitter
alters many attributes of the circuit.
If β >> 1
Problem Calculate the bias currents in the circuit and verify that Q1 operates in the forward
active region. Assume β = 100 and IS = 5*10-17 A. How much does the collector
current change if R2 is 1% higher than its nominal value?

Using VBE = 0.8 V

With the base voltage at 0.9 V, the

device is indeed in the active region.
 Two rules are typically followed: (1) I1 >> Ib to
lower sensitivity to β, and (2) VRE must be large
enough (100 mV to several hundred millivolts) to
suppress the effect of uncertainties in VX and VBE.

(1) decide on a collector bias current that yields proper small-signal parameters such as gm and rπ;
(2) based on the expected variations of R1, R2, and VBE, choose a value for VRE ≈ IC*RE, e.g., 200 mV;
(3) calculate VX = VBE + IC*RE with VBE = VT ln(IC/IS);
(4) choose R1 and R2 so as to provide the necessary value of Vx and establish I1 >> IB.

Determined by small-signal gain requirements, the value of RC is bounded by a maximum that places
Q1 at the edge of saturation.
Problem Design the circuit so as to provide a transconductance of 1/(52 Ω) for Q1. Assume
VCC = 2.5 V, β = 100, and IS = 5*10-17 A, assume REIC = 200 mV and I1 = 10 IB. What is
the maximum tolerable value of RC?
Problem Design the circuit so as to provide a transconductance of 1/(52 Ω) for Q1. Assume
VCC = 2.5 V, β = 100, and IS = 5*10-17 A, assume REIC = 200 mV. What is the
maximum tolerable value of RC?
1
𝐼6 = 𝑔/ ∗ 𝑉D = 0.026 𝑉 = 0.5 𝑚𝐴
52 Ω
𝐼6 0.0005 𝐴
𝑉97 = 𝑉D 𝑙𝑛 = 0.026 𝑉 𝑙𝑛 MNO = 0.778 𝑉
𝐼L 5 ∗ 10 𝐴

𝑉R = 𝑉97 + 𝑅7 ∗ 𝐼6 = 0.978 𝑉

For the base current IB = 5 μA to be negligible,

200 𝑚𝑉 e.g., by a factor of 10. Thus, R1 + R2 = 50k,

𝑅7 = = 400 Ω
0.5 𝑚𝐴
𝐼N = 50 𝜇𝐴 𝑉R
𝑅V = = 19.56 𝑘Ω
𝐼N
𝑅N = (50 − 19.56) 𝑘Ω = 30.44 𝑘Ω
Problem Design the circuit so as to provide a transconductance of 1/(52 Ω) for Q1. Assume
VCC = 2.5 V, β = 100, and IS = 5*10-17 A, assume REIC = 200 mV. What is the
maximum tolerable value of RC?

How large can RC be? Since the collector voltage is equal

to VCC - RCIC, we pose the following constraint to ensure
active mode operation:
Self-Biased Stage A result of self-biasing, this important property
guarantees that Q1 operates in the active mode
regardless of device and circuit parameters.

If RC increases indefinitely, Q1 remains in

the active region, a critical advantage.

We now determine the collector bias current by assuming IB << IC;

i.e., RC carries a current equal to IC, thereby yielding:

As usual, we begin with an initial guess for VBE,

compute IC, and utilize VBE = VT * ln(IC/IS) to
improve the accuracy of our calculations.
Biasing of PNP Transistors

The circuit suffers from sensitivity to β.

Simple biasing
Using IC ≈ IE, we can compute a new value for VEB and iterate if
necessary. Also, with IB = IC/ β, we can verify the assumption IB << I1.