TRANSISTORS

The Transistor
(Electronic Valves)

What is the Transistor

Transistor is a semiconductor device with
three connections, capable of
amplification in addition to rectification
transistor allows current to flow through it
under certain conditions, and cuts current off
when other conditions are present. Transistors
are commonly used as either a switch or a
current amplifier. You can test a transistor with
a multi-meter that has a diode test function.

First Transistor

Type of Transistors

Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)

Field Effect Transistors (FET)
Uni Junction Transistors (UJT)

BIPOLAR JUNCTION
TRANSISTORS

Bipolar Junction Transistors

(BJT)

The bipolar junction transistor is a semiconductor

device constructed with three doped regions.
These regions essentially form two back-to-back p-n
junctions in the same block of semiconductor material
(silicon).
The most common use of the BJT is in linear amplifier
circuits (linear means that the output is proportional to
input). It can also be used as a switch (in, for example,
logic circuits).

Bipolar Junction Transistors

(BJT)

Basic types
NPN
PNP

Symbol
collector
collector
base

base

emitter

collector

Types of Bipolar Junction Transistors

There are two basic types of transistors

depending of the arrangement of the material.
PNP
NPN
An easy phrase to help remember the
appropriate symbol is to look at the arrow.
PNP pointing in proudly.
NPN not pointing in.
The only operational difference is the source
polarity.

Types of Bipolar Junction Transistors

NPN
An NPN transistor uses a positive semiconductor
material
(P-type) for the base and negative semiconductor
material (N-type)for the collector and emitter.
On a circuit diagram, and NPN transistor shows an
emitter with the arrow pointing out (Never Points

npn-BJT Structure

Emitter Base Collect

(p-type) or (n(ntype)
type)
B

Types of Bipolar Junction Transistors

PNP
A PNP transistor uses an N-type material for the
base and P-type material for the emitter and
collector.
The PNP transistor show an emitter with the arrow
pointing in (Points IN Permanently).

npn-BJT Structure
The npn version of the BJT consists of two n
regions separated by a p region (as the name
suggests). A schematic of an npn transistor is
shown.

n-type

p-type

n-type

Inside look
A
A
A
A
A

The collector accepts an input current from the circuit,

but it can't send the current through the transistor
until allowed to by the base.
The emitter sends a current out into the circuit, but
only if the base allows the collector to pass the current
through the transistor to the emitter.
The base acts like a gate. When a small current is

Inside look
e-

e-

P
base

collector

conducting
N

emitter

forward bias
e-

Inside look
no-conducting
N

e-

base

collector

emitter

reverse bias
e-

Current Directions
(Convention)
We define currents directions such that the
collector current (IC) and base current (IB) flow
into the device whereas the emitter current (IE)
flows out of the device.
THIS IS IMPORTANT; we shall shortly treat the
transistor as a current node and write
IC + IB = IE (Kirchhoff)

IE = IB + IC

(KCL)

VEC = VEB + VBC (KVL)

npn BJT Structure

The emitter (E) and is heavily doped (n-type).
The collector (C) is also doped n-type.
The base (B) is lightly doped with opposite type to
the emitter and collector (i.e. p-type in the npn
transistor).
The base is physically very thin for reasons
described below.

B-E and C-B Junctions

The p-n junction joining the base and emitter

regions is called the base-emitter (B-E)
junction. (or emitter-base, it doesnt really
matter)
The p-n junction between the base and
collector regions is called the collector-base
(C-B) junction.(or base-collector)

(Very) Basic Operation

In normal operation for analogue (linear amplifier)
circuits the emitter-base junction is forward biased
and the collector-base junction is reverse biased.
These bias or quiescent conditions are set by
d.c. bias circuits.
The a.c. (analogue) signal to be amplified is
superimposed on top of the d.c. bias voltages and
currents. (Exactly as for dynamic resistance, small
variations about a Q point, in our discussion of
diodes.)

BJT Operation

The forward bias between the base and

emitter injects electrons from the emitter
into the base and holes from the base into
the emitter.
E

E
(n)

B
(p) C
B (n)

BJT Operation
The forward bias between the base and
emitter injects electrons from the emitter
into the base and holes from the base into
the emitter.
As the emitter is heavily doped and the
base lightly doped most of the current
transport across this junction is due to the
electrons flowing from emitter to base.

BJT Operation

The base is lightly doped and physically very

thin.
Thus only a small percentage of electrons
flowing across the base-emitter (BE) junction
combine with the available holes in this
region.

BJT Operation

Most of the electrons (a fraction which is close to

1, e.g. 0.98) flowing from the emitter into the base
reach the collector-base (CB) junction.
Once they reach this junction they are pulled
across the reverse biased CB junction into the
collector region i.e. they are collected.
Those electrons that do recombine in the base give
rise to the small base current IB.

BJT Operation
The electrons collected by the collector at the
C-B junction essentially form the collector
current in the external circuit.
There will also be a small contribution to
collector current, called ICO, from the reverse
saturation current across the CB junction.

The base current supplies positive charge to

neutralise the (relatively few) electrons
recombining in the base. This prevents the build
up of charge which would hinder current flow.

BJT Operation.
The Critical Knowledge!
The (relatively large) collector current is
directly controlled by the (much smaller) base
current.
This is further illustrated and clarified in
the following discussions of the BJTs
current-voltage characteristics.

BJT Circuits
Most electronic devices take the signal between
two input terminals and deliver from it an output
signal between two output terminals.
The BJT has only three terminals so one of these is
usually shared (i.e. made common) between input
and output circuits.
We thus talk about common emitter (CE), common
base
(CB)
and
common
collector
(CC)
configurations.

Basic single-stage

Bipolar Junction Transistor

(BJT) Amplifier Topologies

Common Base configuration

Common Emitter configuration
Common Collector configuration
The common electrode is generally
grounded and is common to the input
and output circuit.

Common base
configuration

IE Input
Current
=

IC Output Current
=

Common Collector
configuration

Ib Input
Current
=

IE Output Current
=

Common Emitter
configuration

Ib Input
Current
=

IC Output Current
=

Current Gain hFE

Current Gain

FOR COMMON BASE CONFIGURATION

Current

Gain

IE = Ic + Ib
I c IE
:1
This configuration is not use to current Amplifier
circuits. Because the current gain is 1 .

FOR COMMON EMITTER CONFIGURATION

Current
Gain

IE = I c + I b
IB = Ic Ib = Ic / (Ic - IE)
Ic I E
: >>>1
This configuration is commonly use to current Amplifier
circuits. Because the current gain is >>> 1 .

FOR COMMON COLLECTOR CONFIGURATION

Current
Gain

IE = I c + I b
IB = Ic Ib = IE / (Ic - IE)
IE >>> Ib
: >>>1
This configuration is commonly use to current Amplifier
circuits. Because the current gain is >>> 1 .

Voltage Gain VG
Voltage

Gain

VG

FOR COMMON BASE CONFIGURATION

Current Gain

IE = I c + I b
Ic I E
:1

Characteristic

Input Characteristics
Output Characteristics
Transition Characteristics

Gain = 300

The Transistor Switch

During the next two
activities you will build
a transistor switch and
a transistor amplifier.
The pin out of the
2N3904 transistor is
indicated here.

The basic transistor circuits

Switch
Amplifier

The Transistor Switch

Build the circuit on
the proto board.
Use hook up wire to
serve as switches to
connect the current to
the transistor base.
What happens when
you first apply power
when the base is left
floating (not
connected)?

330

1000

The Transistor Switch

Make the illustrated
adjustment to the
circuit.
Connect one end of
some hook-up wire to
the positive side of the 9
volt battery.
Touch the other end
(supply 9 volts) to the
resistor in the base line
and observe what
happens.

330

1000

The Transistor Switch

Now replace the
hook-up wire
connection with a
connection to a 1.5
volt battery as
shown.
What happens when
+1.5 volts is applied
to the base?
What happens when
the battery is
reversed and 1.5

330
9V

1.5V

1000

The Transistor Switch

When does the

transistor start to
turn on?
Build up the
illustrated circuit with
the variable resistor
in the base circuit to
find out.

330
9V
1000