CHAPTER-

Field Effect Transistor Biasing

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7.1 Need of Biasing:-
• The purpose of biasing FET is to select the proper
dc gate-to-source voltage to establish a desired
value of drain current.
• Hence, dc biasing is a must.
• Three types of bias are self-bias, voltage-divider
bias, and current-source bias.
• The dc current and voltage decided the operating
point (or quiescent point, or simply Q-point).

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7.2 SELF BIAS:-
• Self-bias is the most common type of JFET bias.
• The condition requires a negative VGS for an n-
channel JFET and a positive VGS for a p-channel
JFET.
• The gate resistor, RG, does not affect the bias
because it has essentially no voltage drop across it.

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 For the n-channel JFET, Since IS = ID and VG = 0, then VS=ID RS
The gate-to-source voltage is,

The drain voltage with respect to ground is determined as follows:

Since VS = IDRS , the drain-to-source voltage is

Similarly, For p-channel JFET, Since IS = ID and VG = 0, then VS=ID RS

NOTE: The analysis of the p-channel JFET is the same except for
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opposite-polarity voltages.
Example:1 Find VDS and VGS in Fig1 . For the particular JFET
in this circuit, the parameter values such as gm, VGS(off), and
IDSS are such that a drain current (ID) of approximately 5mA is
produced. Another JFET, even of the same type, may not
produce the same results when connected in this circuit due to
the variations in parameter values.

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Solution:

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7.3 Setting the Q-Point of a Self-Biased:
• The basic approach to establishing a JFET bias point is to
determine ID for a desired value of VGS or vice versa.

•For a desired value of VGS, ID can be determined in either

of two ways:
• 1st from transfer characteristic curve for the particular
JFET.
• 2nd using IDSS and VGS(off) from the JFET datasheet.
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Example:2 Determine the value of RS required to self-bias an
n-channel JFET that has the transfer characteristic curve
shown in Figure below at VGS = -5V.

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Solution:

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Example:3 Determine the value of RS required to self-bias a p-
channel JFET with datasheet values of IDSS = 25 mA and
VGS(off)= 15 V. VGS is to be 5 V.
Solution:-

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7.4 Midpoint Bias:
• The midpoint bias allows the maximum amount of drain
current swing between IDSS and 0.
• The current ID is approximately one-half of IDSS when VGS =
VGS(off)/3.4

• To set the drain voltage at midpoint (VD=VDD/2), select a

value of RD to produce the desired voltage drop.

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7.5 Voltage Divider Bias:
• The voltage at the source of the JFET must be more positive
than the voltage at the gate in order to keep the gate-source
junction.
• The source voltage is,

• the voltage across gate,

• the gate to source voltage is,

•The source voltage is,

•Drain current is given by,

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Example:5 Determine ID and VGS for the JFET with voltage-
divider bias in Figure below, given that for this particular
JFET the parameter values are such that VD 7V.).
Solution.

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7.7 Q-Point Stability:-
 In voltage-divider bias, the dependency of ID on the range
of Q-points is reduced because the slope of the load line is
less than for self-bias for a given JFET.
 VGS varies quite a bit for both self-bias and voltage-divider
bias.
 ID is much more stable with voltage-divider bias.
 So Voltage divider bias is more stable than self bias.

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7.8 Current Source Bias:-
 Current-source bias is a method for increasing the Q-point
stability of a self-biased JFET by making the drain current
essentially independent of VGS.
This is accomplished by using a constant-current source in
series with the JFET source.
 A BJT acts as the constant-current source because its
emitter current is essentially constant if VEE>>VBE
 FET is also used as a constant current source.

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Example:7 A current-source bias circuit like Fig.
below has the following values: VDD= 9 V, VEE = -6
V, and RG = 10MΩ To produce a 10 mA drain
current and a 5 V drain voltage, determine the
values of RE and RD.
Solution:-

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7.9 MOSFET Biasing:-
•Three ways to bias a MOSFET are zero-bias, voltage-
divider bias, and drain-feedback bias.
• Because E-MOSFETs must have a VGS greater than the
threshold value, VGS(th), zero bias cannot be used.
• So two ways to bias an E-MOSFET using potential
divider and drain feedback bias.
• D-MOSFETs can also be biased using these methods.

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7.10 E- MOSFET Biasing:-
• In either the voltage-divider or drain-feedback bias
arrangement, the purpose is to make the gate voltage more
positive than the source by an amount exceeding VGS(th).

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•In the drain-feedback bias circuit in Fig. (b), there is negligible gate
current and, therefore, no voltage drop across RG.
• This makes VGS = VDS.

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Example: 8 Determine VGS and VDS for the E-
MOSFET circuit in Fig. Assume this particular
MOSFET has minimum values of ID(on)=200mA at
VGS=4V and VGS(th)=2V.
Sol.:

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Example: 9 Determine the amount of drain current
in Fig. below. The MOSFET has a VGS(th) = 3 V.
Sol.:

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7.11 D- MOSFET Biasing:-
• D-MOSFETs can be operated with either positive or
negative values of VGS.
•A simple bias method is to set VGS=0 so that an ac signal at
the gate varies the gate-to source voltage above and below
this 0 V bias point.

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Example: 10 Determine the drain-to-source voltage
in the circuit of Figure below. The MOSFET
datasheet gives VGS(off) = -8 V and IDSS = 12 mA.
Sol.:

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