Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)

NPN PNP
ECE 442 Power Electronics 1
 BJT Cross-Sections

Emitter

Collector

NPN PNP
ECE 442 Power Electronics 2
 Common-Emitter NPN Transistor
Reverse bias the CBJ

Forward bias the BEJ

ECE 442 Power Electronics 3

 Input Characteristics

• Plot IB as f(VBE, VCE)

• As VCE increases,
more VBE required to
turn the BE on so that
IB>0.
• Looks like a pn
junction volt-ampere
characteristic.

ECE 442 Power Electronics 4

 Output Characteristics

• Plot IC as f(VCE, IB)

• Cutoff region (off)
– both BE and BC
reverse biased
• Active region
– BE Forward biased
– BC Reverse biased
• Saturation region (on)
– both BE and BC
forward biased

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Transfer Characteristics

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Large-Signal Model of a BJT

KCL >> IE = IC + IB
βF = hFE = IC/IB
IC = βFIB + ICEO
IE = IB(1 + βF) + ICEO
IE = IB(1 + βF)
IE = IC(1 + 1/βF)
IE = IC(βF + 1)/βF

ECE 442 Power Electronics 7

I E  I B  IC
IC
 F  hFE 
IB
I C   F I B  I CEO
I E  I B (1   F )  I CEO  I B (  F  1)
 1  F 1
I E  I C 1    IC
 F  F
IC   F I E
F F
F   F 
F 1 1F
ECE 442 Power Electronics 8
 Transistor Operating Point

VB  VBE
IB 
RB
VCE VCC
IC   
RC RC
VCE  VCC  I C RC
ECE 442 Power Electronics 9
DC Load Line

VCC/RC

VCC

ECE 442 Power Electronics 10

BJT Transistor Switch

VB  VBE
IB 
RB
VCE  VCC  I C RC
VCE  VCB  VBE
VCB  VCE  VBE
ECE 442 Power Electronics 11
BJT Transistor Switch (continued)

VCC  VCE VCC  VBE

I CM  
RC RC
I CM
I BM 
F
ECE 442 Power Electronics 12
BJT in Saturation
VCC  VCE ( sat )
I CS 
RC
I CS
I BS 
F
IB
ODF 
I BS
I CS
 forced 
IB
ECE 442 Power Electronics 13
Model with Current Gain

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 Miller Effect

iout
vbe vce

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 Miller Effect (continued)

d d
iout  Ccb (vbe  vce )  Ccb (vbe  Avbe )
dt dt
d d
iout  Ccb [1  A]vbe   Ccb [1  A]  vbe 
dt dt
Ccb  Ccb [1  A]

ECE 442 Power Electronics 16

 Miller Effect (continued)

• Miller Capacitance, CMiller = Ccb(1 – A)

– since A is usually negative (phase inversion),
the Miller capacitance can be much greater
than the capacitance Ccb
• This capacitance must charge up to the
base-emitter forward bias voltage, causing
a delay time before any collector current
flows.

ECE 442 Power Electronics 17

 Saturating a BJT

• Normally apply more base current than

needed to saturate the transistor
• This results in charges being stored in the
base region
• To calculate the extra charge (saturating
charge), determine the emitter current

I cs
Ie  I B   ODF I BS  I BS  I BS  ODF  1
 ECE 442 Power Electronics 18
 The Saturating Charge

• The saturating charge, Qs

Qs   s I e   s I BS (ODF  1)
storage time constant of the
transistor

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Transistor Switching Times

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 Switching Times – turn on

• Input voltage rises from 0 to V1

• Base current rises to IB1
• Collector current begins to rise after the
delay time, td
• Collector current rises to steady-state
value ICS
• This “rise time”, tr allows the Miller
capacitance to charge to V1
• turn on time, ton = td + tr
ECE 442 Power Electronics 21
 Switching Times – turn off

• Input voltage changes from V1 to –V2

• Base current changes to –IB2
• Base current remains at –IB2 until the
Miller capacitance discharges to zero,
storage time, ts
• Base current falls to zero as Miller
capacitance charges to –V2, fall time, tf
• turn off time, toff = ts + tf
ECE 442 Power Electronics 22
 Charge Storage in Saturated BJTs

Charge storage in the Base Charge Profile during turn-off

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Example 4.2

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Waveforms for the Transistor Switch
VCC = 250 V
VBE(sat) = 3 V
IB = 8 A
VCS(sat) = 2 V
ICS = 100 A
td = 0.5 µs
tr = 1 µs
ts = 5 µs
tf = 3 µs
fs = 10 kHz
duty cycle k = 50 %
ECE 442 Power Electronics 25
ICEO = 3 mA
ECE 442 Power Electronics 26
 Power Loss due to IC for ton = td + tr

• During the delay time, 0 ≤t ≤td

• Instantaneous Power Loss
Pc (t )  vCE iC  VCC I CEO
Pc (t )  (250V )(3mA)  0.75W

• Average Power Loss

td td
1 VCC I CEO
Pd   Pc (t )dt   dt  VCC I CEO f std
T 0 T 0

Pd  (250V )(3mA)(10kHz )(0.5 s)  3.75mW

ECE 442 Power Electronics 27
 During the rise time, 0 ≤t ≤tr

Pc (t )  vCE ic
 t  I CS
Pc (t )  VCC  (Vce ( sat )  VCC )  t
 tr  tr
dPc (t ) Vce ( sat )  VCC I CS  t  I CS
 t  VCC  (Vce ( sat )  VCC ) 
dt tr tr  tr  tr
Pc (t )  Pmax @ t  tm
trVCC
tm 
2[VCC  Vce ( sat ) ]
ECE 442 Power Electronics 28
 (1 s)(250V )
tm   0.504 s
2[250V  2V ]
2
V I
Pmax  CC CS
4[VCC  VCE ( sat ) ]
2
(250V ) (100 A)
Pmax   6300W
4[250V  2V ]
ECE 442 Power Electronics 29
 Average Power during rise time

VCC VCE ( sat )  VCC 

tr
1
Pr   Pc (t )dt  f s I CS tr   
T 0  2 3 
 (250V ) (2V  250V ) 
Pr  (10kHz )(100 A)(1 s)   
 2 3 
Pr  42.33W

ECE 442 Power Electronics 30

 Total Power Loss during turn-on

Pon  Pd  Pr
Pon  0.00375  42.33  42.33375W
Pon  42.33W

ECE 442 Power Electronics 31

ECE 442 Power Electronics 32
 Power Loss during
the Conduction Period
0  t  tn
ic (t )  I CS  100 A
vCE (t )  VCE ( sat )  2V
Pc (t )  ic vCE  (100 A)(2V )  200W
tn tn
1
Pn   Pc (t )dt  VCE ( sat ) I CS f s  dt  VCE ( sat ) I CS f stn
T 0 0

Pn  (2V )(100 A)(10kHz )(48.5 s )  97W

ECE 442 Power Electronics 33
ECE 442 Power Electronics 34
 Power Loss during turn off
Storage time
0  t  ts
ic (t )  I CS  100 A
vCE (t )  VCE ( sat )  2V
Pc (t )  vCE ic  VCE ( sat ) I CS  (2V )(100 A)
Pc (t )  200W
ts ts
1
Ps   Pc (t )dt  VCE ( sat ) I CS f s  dt  VCE ( sat ) I CS f s ts
T 0 0

Ps  (2V )(100 A)(10kHz )(5 s)  10W

ECE 442 Power Electronics 35
ECE 442 Power Electronics 36
Power Loss during Fall time
0  t  tf
 t 
ic (t )  I CS 1   , I CEO  0
 tf 
 
V
vCE (t )  CC t , I CEO  0
tf
 t  t 
Pc (t )  vCE ic  VCC I CS  1   
 t f  tf 

dPc (t ) VCC I CS  1   t 
    t  1     0
dt tf  t f   t f  
t f 3 s
Pc (t )  Pm @ t    1.5 s
2 2
V I (250V )(100 A)
Pm  CC CS   6250W
4 4
ECE 442 Power Electronics 37
 Power Loss during Fall time (continued)
tf
1 VCC I CS t f f s
Pf   Pc (t )dt 
T 0 6
(250V )(100 A)(3 s )(10kHz )
Pf   125W
6
 VCC t f 
Poff  Ps  Pf  I CS f s  t sVCE ( sat )  
 6 
Poff  10  125  135W
ECE 442 Power Electronics 38
ECE 442 Power Electronics 39
 Power Loss during the off time
0  t  to
vCE (t )  VCC
ic (t )  I CEO
Pc (t )  vCE iC  VCC I CEO  (250V )(3mA)  0.75W
to
1
Po   VCC I CEO dt  VCC I CEO f s to
T 0
Po  (250V )(3mA)(10kHz )((50  5  3)  s )
Po  0.315W
ECE 442 Power Electronics 40
 The total average power losses

PT  Pon  Pn  Poff  Po
PT  42.33  97  135  0.315
PT  274.65W

ECE 442 Power Electronics 41

Instantaneous Power for Example 4.2

ECE 442 Power Electronics 42

BJT Switch with an Inductive Load

ECE 442 Power Electronics 43

Load Lines

ECE 442 Power Electronics 44