BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR : Common Base Amplifier
CLYDE NEL C. AVE
MSU- Iligan Institute of Technology
Department of EECE
Iligan City
JULES NIKKO DELA CRUZ
MSU - Iligan Institute of Technology
Department of EECE
Iligan City
I. ABSTRACT
This lab report is about the bipolar-
junction transistors (BJT) common
base amplifier in particular with small
signal analysis. The characteristics
and behavior of this type of amplifier
are observed in this experiment:
solving for its DC and AC analysis to
obtain data for each graph of load
lines, characteristics on variation of
wave forms under an oscilloscope,
and measuring the voltage gain
using a multimeter.
II. INTRODUCTION
Common base amplifier is a
configuration wherein the load and
the signal source share common
connection point which is the base of
the transistor (1). The collector is the
FLOYD FERRANT FORTES
MSU - Iligan Institute of Technology
Department of EECE
Iligan City
LOUISE LOPE ADONIS PABILLARAN
MSU- Iligan Institute of Technology
Department of EECE
Iligan City
output, and the emitter is the input. It
is one of the three basic single-
stage bipolar junction
transistor (BJT) amplifier topologies,
and used as a voltage amplifier (2).
This configuration is less common
than the common collector and
common emitter because of its
strange operating characteristics and
its complexity among the other two
configurations. The characteristic
trademark of this configuration is that
the input signal source must carry
the full emitter current of the
transistor. Thus having an emitter
current greater than any other
current in the transistor, as the sum
of the collector and the base
currents. Since the input current is
exceeding any other current in this
certain kind of amplifier including the
output current Ai = (Io/Ii) , then it can
 be deduced that the current gain is and RB2=10k, (collector resistor)
less than unity, implying that it RC=3k, (emitter resistor) RE=1k, and
reduces current rather than VDD=10V, the circuit diagram with
increasing it (2). The common-base values would be:
configuration is characterized as
having a relatively low input and a
high output impedance and a current
gain less than 1. The voltage gain,
however can be quite large.

III. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Figure 3-2. Circuit Diagram with Values

Figure 3-1. NPN Common Base with

Voltage Divider Configuration
The diagram in Figure 3-2 will be used
to solve for the DC Load Line Analysis.

Table 3-1. Characteristics of 2N3904

VBE = 0.7 V, = 100.
Transistor 2N3904
VTH = [(VDD*RB2)/(RB1+RB2)]
Type NPN
RTH = RB1//RB2
100
IB = (VTH-VBE)/[RTH+(+1)*RE]
VCEMax 40 V IC = IB
ICMax 200 mA IE = (+1)*IB

VCE = VDD ICRC IERE

Following the architecture in Figure 3-1
using bipolar-junction transistor (BJT) VC = VDD ICRC
2N3904, capacitors both 15F,
resistors; (base resistors) RB1=33k VE = VC VCE
Table 3-2. DC Analysis Solved Values IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
VDD = 10 V
IC 1.5 mA
IB 15 A
IE 1.51 mA
VCE 3.985 V
VC 5.5 V
VE 1.515 V

To solve for the AC Load Line Analysis,

the DC equivalent circuit should be
remodeled to its equivalent circuit in AC.
Figure 4-1. DC Load Line Analysis

ICsat = [VDD / (RC+RE)] = 2.5 mA

VCE (off) = VDD = 10 V

Q-pt. @ (3.985 V, 1.5 mA)

Figure 3-3. Remodelled Equivalent Circuit of

the Circuit Diagram.

re = 26 mV/IE

Zo = RC

Figure 4-2. AC Load Line Analysis

ICsat = ICQ + (VCEQ/rc) = 2.83 mA

VCE (off) = VCEQ + ICQrc = 8.365 V

Q-pt. @ (3.985 V, 1.5 mA)

V input V input

V output V output

Figure 4-3. Sine Wave @ 1 mV/1 kHz Figure 4-5. Sine Wave @1 mV/100 kHz

V input V input

V output V output

Figure 4-4. Sine Wave @10 mV/1 kHz Figure 4-6. Square Wave @ 1 mV/1 kHz
V input V input

V output V output

Figure 4-7. Square Wave @10 mV/1 kHz Figure 4-9. Triangular Wave @ 1 mV/1 kHz

V input V input

V output V output

Figure 4-8. Square Wave @ 1 mV/100 kHz Figure 4-10. Triangular Wave @ 10 mV/1
kHz
 V. CONCLUSION
Common base amplifier
increases the output voltage within
specific range, introducing a higher input
value can cause distortion in the output
signal. In the experiment, the members
tried to vary the peak to peak voltage
and frequency at different wave forms.
According to table 4-1, low peak to peak
voltage displays higher voltage gain
than that of high peak to peak voltage.
V input Frequency also affects the voltage gain,
V output in fact increasing the frequency lowers
the voltage gain and signal starts to
Figure 4-11. Triangular Wave @ 1 mV/100 distort. Varying the wave forms also
kHz varies the voltage gain of the system.

In order to get high voltage gain,

To solve voltage gain (Av); Vi and Vo decreasing the load resistance is one of
values should be identified. Using the way for higher voltage gain, but we
multimeter, Vi and Vo values are as can also use a trans-former to get high
follows: voltage gain when high load
is connected. The gain decreases as the
load resistance increases. There is no
relation between the input resistance
Table 4-1. Summarized Results
and the connected load resistance. The
Wave Freq. Vp-p Vp-in Vp-out Av output resistance will decrease as the
Form (kHz) (mV) (mV) (mV) (Vo/Vi) load resistance decreases.
Sine 1 1 1.414 62.023 43.864
Sine 1 10 14.141 618.876 43.765
Sine 100 1 1.414 55.912 39.542
Square 1 1 2 87.872 43.936
Square 1 10 20 875.733 43.787
Square 100 1 2 74.076 37.038
Triangle 1 1 1.188 52.004 43.774
Triangle 1 10 11.876 519.08 43.708
Triangle 100 1 1.188 46.568 39.199
VI. REFERENCES
(1) Common-base Amplifier
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/te
xtbook/semiconductors/chpt-
4/common-base-amplifier/
(2) Common base
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Com
mon_base
(3) 2N3904 datasheet
http://www.futurlec.com/Transisto
rs/2N3904.shtml
(4) Electronic Devices and Circuit
Theory 7th ed - R. Boylestad, L.
Nashelsky (Prentice-Hall) WW-1