Chapter 3

BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor)

Bipolar Junction Transistor

There are two types of
transistors:
pnp
npn
The terminals are labeled:
E - Emitter
B - Base
C - Collector

Transistor operation
With the external sources, VEE and VCC, connected as
shown below:

The emitter-base junction is forward

biased
The base-collector junction is reverse
biased

Currents in transistor
Emitter current is the sum of the
collector and base currents:
IE IC IB

The collector current is comprised of

two currents:
I C I Cmajority I COminority

Leakage
current

COMMON-BASE configuration

The base is common to both input (emitterbase)

and output (collectorbase) of the transistor.

Operating regions
Output/collector Characteristics

The
amplifier is
full ON.
There is
current,
but little
voltage.

This graph demonstrates the output

current (IC) to an output voltage (VCB)
for various levels of input current (IE).

Operating range
of the amplifier

The amplifier is
basically OFF.
There is voltage,
but little current

IC IE

Emitter and collector currents:

VBE 0.7

Base-emitter voltage:

Alpha () relates the DC currents IC and IE :

dc

IC
IE

Ideally: = 1
In reality: is between 0.9 and 0.998
Alpha () in the AC mode:

ac

I C
I E

Transistor amplification

Currents and Voltages:

Vi
200mV
IE Ii

10mA
Ri
20
IC IE
I L I i 10 mA
VL I L R (10 ma)(5 k ) 50 V

Voltage Gain:
Av

VL
50V

250
Vi
200mV

Common-emitter configuration
The emitter is common to both input (base-emitter) and
output (collector-emitter).
The input is on the base and the output is on the collector.

Collector characteristics

Currents in C-E amplifier

Ideal Currents
IE = IC + IB
Actual Currents
IC = IE + ICBO

IC = IE

where ICBO = minority collector current

This is usually so small that it can be
ignored, except in high power transistors
and in high temperature environments.

When IB = 0 A the transistor is in cutoff, but there is

some minority current flowing called ICEO.

I
I CEO CBO I B 0 A
1

Amplification factor
represents the amplification factor of a transistor. ( is
sometimes referred to as hfe, a term used in transistor
modeling calculations)

In DC mode:
In AC mode:

I
dc C
IB
ac

IC
V cons tan t
IB CE

Relationship between
amplification factors and

Relationship Between
Currents

I C I B

I E ( 1)I B

Determining from a graph

AC

(3.2 mA 2.2 mA)

(30 A 20 A)
1 mA
V 7.5
10 A CE

100

2.7 mA
VCE 7.5
25 A
108

DC

Note: AC = DC

Common-collector configuration
The input is on the base and the output is on the emitter.

Limits of operation
VCE is at maximum and IC is
at minimum (ICmax= ICEO) in
the cutoff region.
IC is at maximum and VCE is
at minimum (VCE max = VCEsat
= VCEO) in the saturation
region.
The transistor operates in the
active region between
saturation and cutoff.

Power dissipation
Common-base:

Common-emitter:

Common-collector:

PCmax VCBI C

PCmax VCEI C

PCmax VCEI E

Transistor specification sheet