Transistors

Camille Cruz
Chase Thompson
Tyler Nelson
September 26, 2013

Outline

Introduction
Transistors Types
Bipolar Junction Transistors
Field Effect Transistors
Power Transistors
Example

What is a Transistor?

Transistors

BJT (PNP) Electrical

Diagram

Different types and sizes

FET and BJT Transistor

Modern Electronics

First Transistor

 Purpose
To amplify and switch electronic signals on or off
(high or low)

Modern Electronics

Microprocessor

Motor Controllers
Cell Phones

Vacuum tubes
Purpose
Used as signal amplifiers and switches
Advantages
High power and frequency operation
Operation at higher voltages
Less vulnerable to electromagnetic pulses

Disadvantages
Very large and fragile
Energy inefficient
Expensive

Invention
Evolution of electronics
In need of a device that was small, robust, reliable,
energy efficient and cheap to manufacture

1947
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Schockly
invented transistor

Transistor Effect
when electrical contacts
were applied to a crystal
of germanium, the output
power was larger than
the input.

General Applications

Doping
Process of introducing impure elements
(dopants) into semiconductor wafers to form
regions of differing electrical conductivity

Negatively charged Semiconductor

Positively charged semiconductor

Doping Effects
P-type semiconductors
Created positive charges, where electrons have
been removed, in lattice structure

N-type semiconductors
Added unbound electrons create negative charge
in lattice structure

Resulting material
P-N junction

P-N junction
Forward Biasing

Reverse Biasing

 P-N junction
Controls current flow via external voltage

Two P-N junctions (bipolar junction transistor,

BJT)
Controls current flow and amplifies the current
flow

Transistor Categories

Semiconductor material
Structure
Polarity
Maximum power rating
Maximum operating frequency
Application
Physical packaging
Amplification factor

Types of Transistors
Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

Field Effect Transistors (FET)

Power Transistors

BJT Introduction
Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)
consists of three sandwiched
semiconductor layers
The three layers are connected to collector
(C), emitter (E), and base (B) pins
Current supplied to the base controls the
amount of current that flows through the
collector and emitter

BJT Schematic
NPN

NPN

BE forward bias
BC reverse bias

PNP
BE reverse bias
BC forward bias

PNP

BJT Characteristic Curves

Transfer Characteristic
Characteristic curves can be drawn to show other useful parameters
of the transistor
The slope of ICE / IBE is called the Transfer Characteristic ()

BJT Characteristic Curves

Input Characteristic
The Input Characteristic is the base emitter current IBE against
base emitter voltage VBE
IBE/VBE shows the input Conductance of the transistor.
The increase in slope of when the VBE is above 1 volt shows that the
input conductance is rising
There is a large increase in current for a very small increase in V BE.

BJT Characteristic Curves

Output Characteristic
collector current (IC) is nearly independent of the collector-emitter
voltage (VCE), and instead depends on the base current (IB)
IB4
IB3
IB2
IB1

BJT Operating Regions

Operating
Region
Cut Off

Parameters
VBE < Vcut-in
VCE > Vsupply
I B = IC = 0

Mode

Switch OFF

Linear

VBE = Vcut-in
Vsat < VCE < Vsupply
IC = *IB

Amplification

Saturated

VBE = Vcut-in,
VCE < Vsat
IB > IC,max, IC,max >
0

Switch ON

BJT Applications
BJT Switch
Offer lower cost and substantial reliability over conventional
mechanical relays.
Transistor operates purely in a saturated or cutoff state (on/off)
This can prove very useful for digital applications (small current
controls a larger current)

BJT Applications
BJT Amplifier

BJT Applications
BJT Amplifier

Field Effect Transistors (FET)

Chase Thompson

FET Basics
Electric Field
Voltage Controlled
FET includes three distinct pieces
Drain
Source
Gate

FET versus BJT?

Same:
Applications: amplifier,
switch, etc.
Relies on PNP or NPN
junctions to allow
current flow

Difference:
Voltage vs Current Input
Unipolar vs Bipolar
Noise
Higher input impedance
Fragile and low gain bandwidth

Types of Field-Effect Transistors

Type

Function

Junction Field-Effect Transistor

(JFET)

Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor FET

(MOSFET)

Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor

(IGBT)

Organic Field-Effect Transistor

(OFET)

Nanoparticle Organic Memory FET (NOMFET)

Uses reversed biased p-n junction to separate gate from body

Uses insulator (usu. SiO2) between gate and body

Similar to MOSFET, but different main channel

Uses organic semiconductor in its channel

Combines the organic transistor and gold nanoparticles

JFET
Reverse Biased PNjunction
Depletion mode devices
Creates a potential
gradient to restrict
current flow. (Increases
overall resistance)
http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/mmg/teaching/linearcircuits/jfet.html

JFET
N-channel JFET

P-channel JFET uses same principles but

Channel current is positive due to holes instead of
electron donors
Polarity of biasing voltage must be reversed

N-Type Characteristics

Characteristics and Applications of FETs

JFETs

Simplest type of FET easy to make

High input impedance and resistance
Low Capacitance
Slower speed in switching
Uses?
Displacement sensor
High input impedance amplifier
Low-noise amplifier
Analog switch
Voltage controlled resistor

MOSFET
p-channel

Similar to JFET
A single channel of single doped SC
material with terminals at end
Gate surrounds channel with doping that
is opposite of the channel, making the
PNP or NPN type
BUT, the MOSFET uses an insulator to
separate gate from body, while JFET uses
a reverse-bias p-n junction

n-channel

MOSFET
enhanced mode

MOSFET
depleted mode

How does a MOSFET work?

No Voltage to Gate
Source

Voltage to Gate

Drain

Source

Drain

Simplified
Notation

No current flow

Short allows current flow

MOSFET
Triode Mode/Linear Region

Saturation/Active Mode

VGS > Vth and VDS < ( VGS - Vth )

VGS > Vth and VDS > ( VGS - Vth )

VGS : Voltage at the gate

Vth : Threshold voltage
VDS : Voltage from drain to source
n: charge-carrier effective mobility
W: gate width
L: gate length
Cox : gate oxide capacitance per unit area
: channel-length modulation parameter

Characteristics and Applications of FETs

MOSFETs

Oxide layer prevents DC current from

flowing through gate
Reduces power consumption
High input impedance
Rapid switching
More noise than JFET
Uses?
Again, switches and amplifiers in
general
The MOSFET is used in digital
CMOS logic, which uses p- and nchannel MOSFETs as building
blocks
To aid in negating effects that cause
discharge of batteries

Use of MOSFET in battery

protection circuit

Power Transistors
Concerned with delivering high power
Used in high voltage and high current application
In general
Fabrication process different in order to:
Dissipate more heat
Avoid breakdown
Different types: Power BJTs, power MOSFETS, etc.

Comparison
Proper BJT
ty

MOSFE JFET
T

Gm
Speed
Noise

Best
High
Moderat
e
No

Worst
Medium
Worst

Medium
Low
Best

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Good
Switch
High-Z
Gate

References (32)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.

http://www.utdallas.edu/research/cleanroom/TystarFurnace.htm
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/semiconductors/definitions.html
http://www.products.cvdequipment.com/applications/diffusion/1/
http://amath.colorado.edu/index.php?page=an-immersed-interface-method-for-modeling-semiconductor-devices
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1938467,00.asp
http://macao.communications.museum/eng/Exhibition/secondfloor/moreinfo/2_10_3_HowTransistorWorks.html
http://fourier.eng.hmc.edu/e84/lectures/ch4/node3.html
http://www.appliedmaterials.com/htmat/animated.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/dope.html#c3
http://www.tpub.com/neets/book7/25.htm
http://esminfo.prenhall.com/engineering/wakerlyinfo/samples/BJT.pdf
http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~traylor/ece112/lectures/bjt_reg_of_op.pdf
http://www.me.gatech.edu/mechatronics_course/transistors_F09.ppt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_junction_transistor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_emitter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/trancirc.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-effect_transistor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JFET
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET
http://www.slideshare.net/guest3b5d8a/fets
http://www.rhopointcomponents.com/images/jfetapps.pdf
http://cnx.org/content/m1030/latest/
http://www.play-hookey.com/semiconductors/enhancement_mode_mosfet.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aHnmHwa_6I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7J_snw0Eng&feature=related
http://info.tuwien.ac.at/theochem/si-srtio3_interface/si-srtio3.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/dope.html#c4
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsolar5.htm
http://thalia.spec.gmu.edu/~pparis/classes/notes_101/node100.html
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/pnjun.html#c3
http://science.jrank.org/pages/6925/Transistor.html

Questions?