Introduction to Bipolar

Junction Transistor (BJT)

Transistor Operation
Transistor Biasing
 The Invention
The First Transistor: On Dec 23, 1947, three scientists led by Dr. William Shockley at
the Bell Telephone Laboratories demonstrated the amplifying action of the first transistor .
(Courtesy Bell Telephone Laboratories .)

Co-inventors:
Dr. William Shockley
(seated);
Dr. John Bardeen (left);
Dr. Walter H. Brattain.
Honored with
Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1956
 Important Features (compared to Vacuum tubes):
- three terminal solid-state device - requires less power
- smaller and lightweight - lower operating voltage
- has rugged construction - more efficient
- no heater requirement

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 The Structure
The Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

 Bipolar: both electrons and holes are involved in current flow.

 Junction: has two p-n junctions.
 Transistor: Transfer + Resistor.
 It can be either n-p-n type or p-n-p type.
 Has three regions with three terminals labeled as
i. Emitter (E)
ii. Base (B) and
iii. Collector (C) 3
 The Structure: npn & pnp
 Base is made much narrow.
 Emitter is heavily doped (p+, n+).
 Base is lightly doped (p-, n-).
 Collector is lightly doped (p, n).

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 The Structure: npn & pnp
 Transistors can be constructed as two diodes that are
connected together.

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 Circuit Symbol
Layout and Circuit Symbol: n-p-n Transistor

 The arrow indicates the direction

of current flow.
 The current flows from collector
to emitter in an n-p-n transistor.
 The arrow is drawn on the
emitter.
 The arrow always points towards
the n-type. So the emitter is n-type
and the transistor is n-p-n type.

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 Circuit Symbol
Layout and Circuit Symbol: p-n-p Transistor

 The arrow indicates the direction

of current flow.
 The current flows from emitter to
collector in an p-n-p transistor.
 The arrow points towards the n-
type.
 So the base is n-type and
transistor is p-n-p type.

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 Modes of Operation
 Based on the bias voltages applied at the two p-n
junctions, transistors can operate in three modes:
1. Cut-off (both EB and CB junctions are reversed
biased)
2. Saturation (both EB and CB junctions are
forward biased)
3. Active mode (EBJ is forward biased and CBJ is
reversed biased)
 Cut-off and Saturation modes are used in switching
operation.
 Active mode is used in amplification purposes.

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Modes of Operation

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 Modes of Operation
Cut-off
-
 Both the junctions are VBC
reversed biased.
 No current can flow through +
either of the junctions. +
 So the circuit is open. VBE
-

Ideal model of BJT

in cut-off.

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 Modes of Operation
Saturation: Ideal Model

-
 Both the junctions are
forward biased. VBC
 So the equivalent circuit can be
represented by short-circuit
+
between the base, emitter and +
collector. VBE
-

Ideal model of BJT

in saturation.

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 Modes of Operation
Saturation: Practical Model

VCE (sat)  VCB  VBE  VBC  VBE

VCE(sat) is in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 V, as VBC and VBE are both approximately
equal to the diode forward drop.
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 Terminal Currents
Reference Positive Current Directions

IC Collector current

IB Base current

IE Emitter current

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 Active Mode Operation
EBJ: CBJ:
Forward Biased Reverse Biased

◦ Forward bias of EBJ injects electrons from emitter into base (Emitter current).
◦ Most electrons shoot through the base into the collector (Collector current).
◦ Some emitted electrons recombine with holes in p-type base (Base Current)

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 Hole
N electron P N

+ - - +

+ - - +
C
E + - - +

+ - - +

+ - - +

B
 Electron diffusion

Hole diffusion

E-Field
N P N

- +

- +
E C
- +
+ -
- +

- +

VBE VCB

B
 E-Field
N P N

- +

- +
E C
- +
+ -
- +

- +

Electron hole recombination

VBE VCB

B
 Collector current

Electrons that diffuse across the base to the CBJ junction are swept
across the CBJ depletion to the collector because of the higher potential
applied to the collector
vBE
VT
iC  I s e

 Theequation above shows that the BJT is indeed a voltage-

dependent current source; thus it can be used as an
amplifier.
 Active Mode Operation
Biasing for Active Mode

EBJ: Forward Biased

CBJ: Reverse Biased

Carriers injected from forward bias junction (from the emitter labeled E)
travel through the intermediate layer (BASE, labeled B) and swept into the
COLLECTOR, labeled C by the reverse biased voltage.
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 Active Mode: Terminal Currents
Current Relationships and Amplification

I 
I C   .I E I B  C  IC IC  I B  I B
 1
I E  IC  I B  I
1  and C  
I B  I E  IC  IC
 1 IB

 As  is close to unity,  is very large, typically around 100.

  represents the current amplification factor from base to collector.
 The base current is amplified by a factor of  in the collector circuit in the Active mode.
  is called the Forward Current Gain, often written as F.

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 Amplification Action
Voltage Amplification: Active Mode
 As the base-emitter junction is
forward biased, the source at the
input between EBJ sees a low
resistance.
 However, as the CBJ is reverse
biased, the output resistance is
very high, typically in the range of Basic voltage amplification action of
the common-base configuration.
hundreds of kΩ to MΩ.

 Therefore, it is unlikely that the value of collector current I C will be affected by

a load resistance usually in the range of a few kΩ.
 As such, a large load resistance will result in a large output voltage.
 Therefore, the transistor is capable of both voltage and current amplification.
 Voltage amplification is achieved by transferring the current from low
resistance to high resistance circuit and, thereby, the name TRANSISTOR.

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 Conceptual Biasing Circuits
npn Transistor

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 Conceptual Biasing Circuits
pnp Transistor

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 DC Output Characteristics
IC vs VCE Characteristics of an npn Transistor

Active Breakdown

Saturation 

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 DC Output Characteristics
IC vs VCE Characteristics of an npn Transistor

Active

Breakdown

Saturation 

Cutoff

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 Transistor Operating Modes
• Active Mode
  Base- Emitter junction is forward and
Base- Collector junction is reverse biased.
• Saturation Mode
  Base- Emitter junction is forward and
Base- Collector junction is forward biased.
• Cut-off Mode
  Both junctions are reverse biased.

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Transistor Connection / Biasing

• Transistor can be connected in a circuit

in following three ways:

1) Common Base
2) Common Emitter
3) Common Collector

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 Common Base Connection

The common-base terminology is derived

from the fact that the base is common to
both the input and output sides of the
configuration.

• First Figure shows common base npn configuration and

second figure shows common base pnp configuration.
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 Common Base Connection
• Current amplification factor ( ) :
 The ratio of change in collector current to the
change in emitter current at constant VCB is known as
current amplification factor,.

 Practical value of  is less than unity, but in the

range of 0.9 to 0.99

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Expression for Collector Current

 Total emitter current does not reach the

collector terminal, because a small portion of it
constitute base current. So,
IE  IC  IB
 Also, collector diode is reverse biased, so
very few minority carrier passes the collector-
base junction which actually constitute leakage
current,ICBO .

IC  IE
I CB 0
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Expression for Collector Current

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Characteristics of common base
configuration
• Input Characteristics:
 VBE vs IE characteristics is called input
characteristics.
  IE increases rapidly with VBE . It means input
resistance is very small.
  IE almost independent of VCB.

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Characteristics of common base
configuration
Output VBc vs Ic
Characteristics: characteristics is called
output characteristics.
 IC varies linearly
with VBc ,only when
VBc is very small.
 As, VBc increases, IC
becomes constant.

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Input and Output Resistance of
common base conf.
Input Resistance: The ratio of change in
emitter-base voltage to the change in emitter
current is called Input Resistance.
VBE
r 
IE
Output Resistance: The ratio of change in
collector-base voltage to the change in
collector current is called Output Resistance.
V BC
r0 
I C
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Common Emitter Connection
The common-emitter terminology is derived
from the fact that the emitter is common to
both the input and output sides of the
configuration.

• First Figure shows common emitter npn configuration and

second figure shows common emitter pnp configuration.
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Common Emitter Connection
• Base Current amplification factor ( )
• In common emitter connection input current is base current
and output current is collector current.
• The ratio of change in collector current to the change in base
current is known as base current amplification factor, .

• Normally only 5% of emitter current flows to base, so

amplification factor is greater than 20. Usually this range
varies from 20 to 500.

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Relation Between and

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Expression for Collector Current

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 Characteristics of common emitter
configuration
• Input Characteristics: VBE vs IB
characteristics is called input characteristics.
  IB increases rapidly with VBE . It means input
resistance is very small.
  IE almost independent of VCE.
 IB is of the range of micro amps.

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Characteristics of common emitter
configuration
Output VCE vs Ic
Characteristics: characteristics is
called output
characteristics.
 IC varies linearly
with VCE ,only when
VCE is very small.
 As, VCE increases,
IC becomes constant.
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Input and Output Resistance of
common emitter conf.
VCE vs Ic
Output
characteristics is
Characteristics: called output
characteristics.
 IC varies linearly
with VCE ,only when
VCE is very small.
 As, VCE increases,
IC becomes constant.

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Input and Output Resistance of
common emitter conf.
Input Resistance: The ratio of change in
emitter-base voltage to the change in
base current is called Input Resistance.

Output Resistance: The ratio of change in

collector-emitter voltage to the change
in collector current is called Output
Resistance.

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Common Collector Configuration
The common-collector terminology is
derived from the fact that the collector is
common to both the input and output
sides of the configuration.

• First Figure shows common collector npn configuration and

second figure shows common collector pnp configuration. 45
 Common Collector Configuration
• Current amplification factor ( ) :
• In common emitter connection input current is base current
and output current is emitter current.
• The ratio of change in emitter current to the change in base
current is known as current amplification factor in common
collector configuration.

• This circuit provides same gain as CE configuration

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Relation Between and

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Expression for Collector Current

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Comparison of Transistor
Connection

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Transistor as an amplifier in CE
conf.

• Figure shows CE amplifier for npn

transistor.
• Battery VBB is connected with base in-
order to make base forward biased,
regardless of input ac polarity.
• Output is taken across Load R 50
 Transistor as an amplifier in CE
conf.
• During positive half cycle input ac will keep the
emitter- base junction more forward biased. So,
more carrier will be emitted by emitter, this
huge current will flow through load and we will
find output amplified signal.
• During negative half cycle input ac will keep the
emitter-base junction less forward biased. So,
less carrier will be emitted by emitter. Hence
collector current decreases.
• This results in decreased output voltage (In
opposite direction).
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Transistor Load line analysis
• In transistor circuit analysis it is necessary
to determine collector current for various
VCE voltage.
• One method is we can determine the
collector current at any desired VCE
voltage, from the output characteristics.
• More conveniently we can use load line
analysis to determine operating point.

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Transistor Load line analysis
 Consider common
emitter npn transistor
ckt shown in figure.
 There is no input
signal.
  Apply KVL in the
output ckt-

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Transistor Load line analysis

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Operating Point

It is called operating point because

variation of IC takes place about this point.
 It is also called quiescent point or Q-
point.

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Any questions? 

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