Name: Tamayo, Mark Gerald G.

Section: PCEIT-29-301P
Course: BSECE

Experiment 6: Bipolar Junction Transistor Characteristics

1 Objective
The BJT was invented in 1948 by William Shockley at Bell Labs, and became the first mass-produced transistor. Having
a good grasp of the physics of the BJT is key to understanding its operation and applications. In this lab, we will explore
the BJT’s four operation regions and determine its characteristic values: DC current gain β and Early voltage VA. The
transistor we will use is the 2N4401, an NPN device. It is strongly suggested that you read and understand the section
on BJT physics before beginning this experiment.

2 Materials
Component Quantity
2N4401 NPN BJT 2
1 MΩ resistor 1
5 kΩ resistor 1
100 Ω resistor 1
Table 1: Components used in this lab

3 Procedure
3.1 Determining the Region of Operation
1. Set up the circuit shown in Figure 1, with RB = 1 MΩ, RC = 5 kΩ, and RE = 100 Ω. Set VCC to 5 V.

2. Increase VBB until IC = 0.5 mA. Measure VBE and VBC. What is the region of operation of the transistor?

Warning: Never set VBE higher than 5 V for any of the transistors we use. Doing so will permanently damage
the transistor.
VBE=612.017mV
VBC=1.838V
The region of operation of the transistor is on the active region.

3. Now measure IB. What is the value of β?

IB=4.853
Β= 103.029

4. From the value found above, calculate α. Use α to calculate IE, then measure IE and check if the values agree.

α=0.99

IE= 505.051

Calculated IE = 505.51 Measured IE= 504.887 The values agree

 RC IC

IB

RB

VBB RE IE

Figure 1: BJT measurement setup for this lab

5. Explain, using the equation you know for collector current, how you’d expect IC to vary with temperature. Does
this agree with your experimental results? If not, explain why this might be the case. Hint:
IS depends on the intrinsic carrier concentration ni and the diffusion coefficients Dn and Dp. Intuitively, how
would ni, Dn, and Dp change with temperature? How would IS change with temperature as a result?

By changing the intrinsic semiconductor current between the collector and the base of the transistor, the collector current
can be changed with temperature. Changes in the base current and
collector current change the temperature of the transistor, which in turn changes the forward bias or the base-emitter junction. The base current and collector current
of the experimental circuit are very low. The temperature of the transistor is low due to the low base and collector currents and the low forward voltage or base-emitter junction. The results of experimental circuit
are consistent because the collector current
is maintained by low base current, low temperature, and circuit state. By varying the intrinsic semiconductor current between the collector and the base of the transistor, the collector current
can be varied with temperature. The temperature of the transistor changes as the base current and
collector current change, thereby changing the forward voltage or the base-emitter junction. Because the collector
current is held by the low base current, low temperature, and circuit condition, the experiment circuit
result is consistent.

6. Look at the datasheet for the 2N4401. Does β (called hFE in the datasheet) agree with the values given in the

datasheet (Hint: A plot of hFE versus IC is given under “Typical Characteristics”)? If the values do not agree,
explain why you might see discrepancies.

The values do not agree, because there is a difference between the experiment circuit and data sheet provided
plot.

7. Set VBB to 4 V and VCC to 2 V. Measure IB, IC, VBE, and VBC. What is the region of operation of the BJT?
IB=3.368 VBE=600.301mV

IC=311.322 VBC=188.382mV
the region of operation is the saturation region

8. Set VBB to −3 V and VCC to 5 V. Measure IB, IC, VBE, and VBC. What is the region of operation of the BJT?
IB=-11.013 VBE=-2.989V
IC=8.082 VBC=-7.989V

the region of operation of the BJT is the cut-off region.

9. Swap the emitter and the collector of the BJT in the circuit (you can do this by physically turning the device to
face the opposite direction). Set VBB to 4 V and keep VCC at 5 V. Measure IB, IC, VBE, and VBC. What is the region
of operation of the BJT?

IB=3.515 VBE=-4.497V
IC=3.539 VBC=484.529mV
the region of operation of the BJT is the reverse active region.
3.2 Observations

BJT operating ranges and their characteristic values: If IB is zero, the BJT
is working in the limit range. In this case, no current should flow through the collector.
If the collector current of a BJT does not depend on the base current and has reached its
maximum of

, it is in the saturation range. For this purpose, both the base-emitter and the base-
collector junctions must be biased in the forward direction. The active area of ​the BJT,

also known as the linear area, is between cutoff and saturation along the load line.

The base-emitter junction must be forward biased while the base-collector junction must
be reverse biased

for the BJT to operate in the active area. For a given value of IB, IC stays almost

constant in this range.However, as VCE increases, IC increases slightly as the base

collector depletion area expands.expands. BJT is in the active region, the output signal should ideally be
a linear reproduction of the input signal.

3.3 Conclusion
Understanding the different areas of operation of a BJT will enable you
to use it in different
applications. The clipping and saturation areas can be used, for example, to
operate a BJT as a
switch. When the BJT is operating in the clipping zone, it can be used as an
open switch, but it can be used as a closed switch when operating in the
saturation zone. Properly biasing the
BJT to work in the active or linear region, it can also be used as an amplifier.
er.