Breakdown in Transistors

Breakdown in Transistors
Two Types Avalanche Multiplication or Avalanche Breakdown Reach through or Punch through

Reach Through or Punch Through

Punch Through or Reach Through occur when Weff (effective bandwidth) becomes zero. The reverse bias on the collector junction is very extremely high value In most cases, avalanche breakdown of the collector junction occurs before punch-through is reached That means punch through voltage is greater than avalanche breakdown voltage

Reach Through or Punch Through

Punch through breakdown is independent on circuit configuration, that is, it takes place at a fixed voltage between the collector and base

Avalanche Breakdown

Avalanche Breakdown
The avalanche multiplication factor (M) depends on the voltage VCB between the collector and base

n is found to be in the range of 2 to 10, & controls the sharpness of the onset of breakdown

Avalanche Breakdown in CB & CE Configuration of the transistor

Transistor breakdown
Punch through is independent on circuit configuration whereas Avalanche multiplication takes place at different voltages depending upon the circuit configuration Therefore the voltage limit of a particular transistor is determined by either of the two types of breakdown, whichever occurs at lower voltage

Reference
Electronic Devices & Circuits by S Salivahanan