Bipolar junction transistor A bipolar (junction) transistor (BJT) is a three-terminal electronic device constructed of dopedsemiconductor material and may

be used in amplifying or switching applications. Bipolar transistors are so named because their operation involves both electrons and holes. Charge flow in a BJT is due to bidirectional diffusion of charge carriers across a junction between two regions of different charge concentrations. This mode of operation is contrasted with unipolar transistors, such as fieldeffect transistors, in which only one carrier type is involved in charge flow due to drift. By design, most of the BJT collector current is due to the flow of charges injected from a high-concentration emitter into the base where they are minority carriers that diffuse toward the collector, and so BJTs are classified as minority-carrier devices. Regions of operation: forward and reverse active, saturation and cutoff definitions, minority carrier density and current flow from quantitative point of view Calculate current components explicitly from minority carrier slopes (recall diffusion, lecture 7) develop quantitative model equations next lecture Transistor Action: the basic mechanism which makes a bipolar useful in amplification BJT Regions of Operation The bipolar transistor has four distinct regions of operation: Forward Active Reverse Active Saturation Cutoff pn-Junction Review Recall that the boundary condition for the electron and hole minority densities at the depletion region edges were npoeqVD/kTand pnoeqVD/kT respectively, and that the minority density variation with distance is

linear for a neutral region which is short compared to the minority diffusion length Forward Active Operation - Potentials When the base-emitter junction is forward biased and the base collector junction is reverse biased (implying VCE >VBE), the device is in the forward active region of operation Forward Active Operation - Minority Carriers VBE > 0 raises pE(x) and nB(x) at the BE depletion region edges VBC < 0 lowers pC(x) and nB(x) at the BC depletion region edges Since all regions are short compared to the minority diffusion lengths, themForward Active Operation - Current Components Three current components in forward active operation, all of which can becharacterised from the appropriate minority gradient: Linking current due to electron transport from collector to emitter (1) Back injection due to hole injection from base to emitter (2) small component due to injection of holes from collector to base (3) inority densities change linearly over all regions Reverse Active Region - Potentials When the base collector junction is forward biased and the base emitter junction is reverse biased (implying VEC>

VBC), the device is in the reverse active region of operation Basically the forward active region with roles of emitter and collector reversed Reverse Active Region - Minority Carriers Similar distributions to forward active, with bias (forward/reverse) of base-collector and base-emitter junctions reversed Note that potentials are mislabeled in notes Reverse Active Region - Current Components Three current components in reverse active operation: Linking current due to electron transport from emitter to collector (1) small component due to injection of holes from emitter to base (2) Back injection due to hole injection from base to collector (3) Saturation Region - Potentials The saturation region of operation is characterised by forward bias potentials on both the base-emitter and basecollector junctions (implying VBE VCE) Saturation Region - Minority Carriers With both junctions forward biased, the minority carrier densities are raised above their equilibrium values throughout the device The values of nB(x) on either side of the neutral base region (nBoeqVBE/kT

andnBoeqVBC/kT) determine the slope of nB(x) - depending on the relative values of VBE and VBC, the slope may be +ve, -ve or zero Saturation Region - Current Components Three current components in saturation operation: Linking current due to electron transport (1) - can be from emitter to collector (VBE <VBC), collector to emitter (VBE >VBC), or zero (VBE = VBC) component due to injection of holes from base to emitter (2) component due to injection from base to collector (3) Cutoff Region - Potentials When both junctions are reverse biased (implying VBE negative andVBE VCE) the device is in the cutoff region of operation Cutoff Region - Minority Carriers With VBE and VBC reverse biased, the minority carrier densities are small at all depletion region edges This implies that nB(x) is zero over the entire neutral base region, since the distribution must be linear Cutoff Region - Current Components Only two current components in saturation operation - linking current is zero because gradient of nB(x) is zero small component due to injection of holes from emitter to base (2) small component due to injection from collector to base (3) pn-Junction - Current Components Recall ideal diode equation saturation current density for p+ndiode

When one doping is much higher than the other, injection into the more lightly doped side dominates (equilibrium density much higher) Transistor Action in Forward Active Operation Current components across base-emitter junction are related by relative doping Large collector to emitter current controlled by small (back injection) base current due to requirement for relation across BE junction Narrow base prevents flow of injected electrons out base lead

The schematic symbols are shown in Figure below(a) and (d).

BJT Schematic Symbols (Mnemonics for remembering the direction of the arrows are in parenthesis.)

Regions of BJT operation: Cut-off region: The transistor is off. There is no conduction between the collector and the emitter. (IB = 0 therefore IC = 0)

Active region: The transistor is on. The collector current is proportional to and controlled by the base current (IC = IB) and relatively insensitive to VCE. In this region the transistor can be an amplifier. Saturation region: The transistor is on. The collector current varies very little with a change in the base current in the saturation region. The VCE is small, a few tenths of volt. The collector current is strongly dependent on VCE unlike in the active region. It is desirable to operate transistor switches in or near the saturation region when in their

File:BJT h-parameters (generalised).svg

BJT_h-parameters_(generalised).svg BJT Biasing In general all electronic devices are nonlinear, and device operating characteristics can vary significantly over the range of parameters over which the device operates. The bipolar transistor, for example, has a normal operating collector voltage range bounded by saturation for low voltages and collector junction breakdown for high voltages. Similarly the collector current is bounded by dissipation considerations on the one hand and cutoff on the other hand. In order to function properly the transistor must be biased properly, i.e., the steady-state operating voltages and currents must suit the purpose involved. Our primary concern here however is not to determine what an appropriate operating point is. That determination depends on a particular context of use and even so often involves a degree of judgment in choosing between conflicting preferences. Rather we suppose in general that an operating point is specified (somehow) and the task considered is how to go

about establishing and maintaining that operating point. Where a specific context is needed for an illustration we assume usually that the transistor is to provide linear voltage amplification for a symmetrical signal, i.e., a signal with equal positive and negative excursions about a steady-state value.

Bias design can take a mathematical approach or can be simplified using transistor characteristic curves. The characteristic curves predict the performance of a BJT. There are three curves, an input characteristic curve, a transfer characteristic curve and an output characteristic curve. Of these curves, the most useful for amplifier design is the output characteristics curve. The output characteristic curves for a BJT are a graph displaying the output voltages and currents for different input currents. The linear (straight) part of the curve needs is utilized for an amplifier or oscillator. For use as a switch,a transistor is biased at the extremities of the graph, these conditions are known as "cut-off" and "saturation". BJT Bias Design 3 Definitions: IC the collector current of the transistor IB the base current of the transistor IE the emitter current of the transistor VC the voltage between the collector of the transistor and ground VB the voltage between the base of the transistor and ground VE the voltage between the emitter of the transistor and ground VBE the forward voltage across the base-emitter junction, typically around 0.65 Volts B the beta of the transistor VBB the Thevenin open circuit voltage of the voltage divider, RB1 and RB2 RB the Thevenin parallel resistance of RB1 and RB2 The key analytic equation (see BJT Bias Analysis) we reverse for design is: VBB - VBE IC = ---------------------------- Eq. 1 RE*(B=1)/B+RB/B