EE130 Lecture 12

Bipolar Junction Transistor

- Fundamentals
- Carrier and Current Analyses

Reading Assignment
1) Pierret : Chap 10 and Chap 11.1
2) Visualization http://jas.eng.buffalo.edu/
PNP or NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor
Narrow-Base vs. Wide-Base BJT.
Charge Flow into/out-of the Base region

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Integrated Circuit npn BJT Structure (schematic)

Cross-section
DOPING PROFILES UNDER EMITTER
B E C
log N(x)
1E20
SiO2 subcollector
n+ n+ emitter profile
1E18
p (base)
base profile
n (collector)
collector
1E15
profile
n+ subcollector x

p - substrate
High resistance path
Low resistance path

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 Common emitter
output
characteristics

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 Energy Band at Thermal Equilibrium
Note:
W = quasi-neutral
base width.
Same symbol W
was used as depletion
width by textbook in
pn junction chapters

Quasi-neutral
regions

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 Charge Density (x)

Electric Field E(x)

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With Applied Bias
( e.g. VEB>0; forward biased and VCB<0; reverse biased)
Diffusion of thermally
drift by E-field of generated carrier ~0
Depletion region
injection

With bias
With bias
recombination

injection diffusion
drift by E-field of
Depletion region
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 Hole flux Electron flux Current

CURRENT COMPONENTS OF PNP BJT

IEp P+ N P ICp

IE IC
injection recombination

IEn ICBo
}
Reverse Saturation
current

VEB>0; forward biased

VCB<0; reverse biased IB
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 Four Modes of Operation

VEB (pnp) Emitter-base Junction

forward biased
VBE (npn)

Active Saturation
(forward active)
0 VCB (pnp)
VBC (npn)
Cutoff Inverted Collector-base Junction
forward biased
Active
(reverse active)

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 Good BJT Design:

Injected minority carriers do not

recombine in the neutral base region

Emitter current is comprised almost

entirely of carriers injected into the base
(rather than carriers injected into the
emitter)

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 Example: Active-Mode Minority Carrier Distribution

0
0
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 Minority Carriers ( no recombination in quasi-neutral regions)

V >0 V <0 V <0 V >0

BE BC BE BC

C
pno C
pno
E
pno E
pno
x xB xC x xB xC
E E
(1) Forward Active (2) Reverse Active

V >0 V >0 V <0 V <0

BE BC BE BC

C
pno C
pno
E
pno E
pno
x xB x x xB x
E C E C
(3) Saturation (4) Cut-off
Professor Nathan Cheung, U.C. Berkeley Example: NE> NB> NC 30
Minority Carriers ( with recombination in quasi-neutral regions)
V >0 V <0 V <0 V >0
BE BC BE BC

C
pno C
pno
E
pno E
pno
x xB xC x xB xC
E E
(1) Forward Active (2) Reverse Active

V >0 V >0 V <0 V <0

BE BC BE BC

C
pno C
pno
E
pno E
pno
x xB xC x xB xC
E E
(3) Saturation (4) Cut-off
Professor Nathan Cheung, U.C. Berkeley Example: NE> NB> NC 31