CHAPTER 3: BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTORS(BJTS)

D.Wilcher

CHAPTER 3: OBJECTIVES

Describe the basic construction and operation of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) Explain the operation of the 4 basic BJT circuits Discuss transistor parameters and characteristics and use them to analyze a transistor circuit Describe and analyze the operation of common emitter amplifiers.
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STRUCTURE OF BJTS

The BJT is constructed with 3 doped semiconductor regions called emitter, base, and collector. These 3 regions are separated by 2 pn junctions One type consists of 2 n regions separated by a thin p region (npn). The other type consists of 2 p regions separated by a thin n region (pnp). The npn transistor is used more often than the pnp device in industry.

FIGURE 3-1 Construction of bipolar junction transistors.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

FIGURE 3-2 Standard bipolar junction transistor symbols.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

TRANSISTOR OPERATION

Inorder for the transistor to operate properly, the 2 pn junctions must be supplied with external dc bias voltages to see the proper operating conditions. See Figure 3-3. In both cases the base-emitter (BE) junction is forward based and the base-collector (BC) junction is reversed bias. Also known as forward-reverse bias.

FIGURE 3-3 Forward-reverse bias of a bipolar junction transistor.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

FIGURE 3-4

Illustration of BJT action. The base region is very narrow, but it is shown wider here for clarity.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

TRANSISTOR CURRENTS

Kirchoffs current law (KCL) says the total current entering a junction (node) must be equal to the total current leaving that point. Applying this law to both the npn and pnp transistors shows that the emitter current (IE) is the sum of the collector current (IC) and the base current (IB) expressed as follows: EQ1) IE = IB + IC
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TRANSISTOR CURRENTS

The base current (IB) is very small compared to IE or IC. A useful approximation that can be used in analyzing transistor circuits is: EQ2) IE IC

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FIGURE 3-5 Currents in small-signal transistors.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

DC Beta (DC) When the transistor is operated within certain limits, the collector current is proportional to the base current. The dc beta (DC), the current gain of transistor, is the ratio of the dc collector current to the dc base current. EQ3) DC = IC / IB

The dc beta represents a constant of proportionality called current gain and is usually designated as hFE on transistor data sheets.
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DC Beta (DC)

The values for DC vary widely and depend on the type of transistor. The are typically from 20 (power transistors) to 200(small-signal transistors)

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Transistor Voltages

The three dc voltages for a biased transistor are the emitter voltage (VE), the collector voltage (VC) and the base voltage (VB) All subscript parameters are referenced to ground. Because the emitter is grounded, the collector voltage is equal to the dc supply voltage VCC, less the drop across RC.
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Transistor Voltages

EQ4)

VC = VCC - ICRC

Kirchoffs Voltage Law (KVL) says the sum of the voltage drops and rises around a closed path is zero. The base emitter diode is forward-biased when the transistor is operating normally. The forward biased base-emitter diode drop, VBE, is approximately 0.7V therefore VB is equal to: EQ5) VB = VE + VBE
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FIGURE 3-6

Bias voltages.

Thomas L. Floyd and David Buchla Fundamentals of Analog Circuits

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Copyright 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.