Bipolar Transistors

Chapter 21

Introduction
An Overview of Bipolar Transistors
Bipolar Transistor Operation
Bipolar Transistor Characteristics
Summary of Bipolar Transistor Characteristics
Bipolar Transistor Amplifiers
Other Bipolar Transistor Applications

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OHT 21.1

Introduction

21.1

Bipolar transistors are one of the main

building-blocks in electronic systems
They are used in both analogue and digital circuits
They incorporate two pn junctions and are
sometimes known as bipolar junction transistors
or BJTs
Here will refer to them simply as bipolar transistors

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OHT 21.2

An Overview of Bipolar Transistors

21.2

While control in a FET is due to an electric field,

control in a bipolar transistor is generally considered
to be due to an electric current
current into one terminal
determines the current
between two others
as with a FET, a
bipolar transistor
can be used as a
control device
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OHT 21.3

 Notation
bipolar transistors are 3
terminal devices
collector (c)
base (b)
emitter (e)

the base is the control input

diagram illustrates the
notation used for labelling
voltages and currents
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OHT 21.4

 Relationship between the collector current and the

base current in a bipolar transistor
characteristic is
approximately linear
magnitude of collector
current is generally
many times that of the
base current
the device provides
current gain
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OHT 21.5

 Construction
two polarities:
npn and pnp

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OHT 21.6

Bipolar Transistor Operation

21.3

We will consider npn transistors

pnp devices are similar but with different polarities of
voltage and currents
when using npn transistors
collector is normally more positive than the emitter
VCE might be a few volts
device resembles two back-to-back diodes but has very
different characteristics
with the base open-circuit negligible current flows from the
collector to the emitter
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OHT 21.7

 Now consider what happens when a positive voltage

is applied to the base (with respect to the emitter)
this forward biases the base-emitter junction
the base region is light doped and very thin
because it is likely doped, the current produced is
mainly electrons flowing from the emitter to the base
because the base region is thin, most of the electrons
entering the base get swept across the base-collector
junction into the collector
this produces a collector current that is much larger than
the base current this gives current amplification
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OHT 21.8

 Transistor action

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OHT 21.9

Bipolar Transistor Characteristics

21.4

Behaviour can be described by the current gain, hfe

or by the transconductance, gm of the device

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OHT 21.10

 Transistor configurations
transistors can be used in a
number of configurations
most common is as shown
emitter terminal is common
to input and output circuits
this is a common-emitter
configuration
we will look at the
characteristics of the device
in this configuration
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OHT 21.11

 Input characteristics
the input takes the
form of a forwardbiased pn junction
the input
characteristics are
therefore similar to
those of a
semiconductor diode

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 21.12

 Output characteristics
region near to the
origin is the
saturation region
this is normally
avoided in linear
circuits
slope of lines
represents the
output resistance
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OHT 21.13

 Transfer characteristics
can be described by either the current gain or by the
transconductance
DC current gain hFE or is given by IC / IB
AC current gain hfe is given by ic / ib
transconductance gm is given approximately by
gm 40IC 40 IE siemens
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OHT 21.14

 Equivalent circuits for a bipolar transistor

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OHT 21.15

Summary of Bipolar Transistor Characteristics

21.5

Bipolar transistors have three terminals: collector,

base and emitter
The base is the control input
Two polarities of device: npn and pnp
The collector current is controlled by the base
voltage/current IC = hFEIB
Behaviour is characterised by the current gain or the
transconductance
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OHT 21.16

Bipolar Transistor Amplifiers

21.6

A simple transistor amplifier

RB is used to bias the
transistor by injecting an
appropriate base current
C is a coupling capacitor
and is used to couple the
AC signal while preventing
external circuits from
affecting the bias
this is an AC-coupled amplifier
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OHT 21.17

 AC-coupled amplifier
VB is set by the conduction voltage of the base-emitter
junction and so is about 0.7 V
voltage across RB is thus VCC 0.7
this voltage divided by RB gives the base current IB
the collector current is then given by IC = hFEIB
the voltage drop across RC is given by IC RC
the quiescent output voltage is therefore
Vo = VCC - IC RC
output is determined by hFE which is very variable
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OHT 21.18

 Negative feedback amplifiers

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OHT 21.19

Example see Example 21.2 from course text

Determine the
quiescent output
voltage of this
circuit

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OHT 21.20

Base current is small, so

VB VCC

R2
10 k
10
2 .7 V
R1 R2
27 k 10 k

Emitter voltage
VE = VB VBE = 2.7 0.7 = 2.0 V

Emitter current
IE

VE 2.0 V

2 mA
RE 1 k

Since IB is small, collector current IC IE = 2 mA

Output voltage = VCC ICRC = 10 - 2 mA 2.2 k = 5.6 V
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OHT 21.21

 A common-collector amplifier

unity gain
high input resistance
low output resistance
a very good
buffer amplifier

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OHT 21.22

Other Bipolar Transistor Applications

21.7

A phase splitter

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OHT 21.23

 A voltage regulator

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OHT 21.24

 A logical switch

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OHT 21.25

Key Points
Bipolar transistors are widely used in both analogue and
digital circuits
They can be considered as either voltage-controlled or
current-controlled devices
Their characteristics may be described by their gain or by
their transconductance
Feedback can be used to overcome problems of variability
The majority of circuits use transistors in a common-emitter
configuration where the input is applied to the base and the
output is taken from the collector
Common-collector circuits make good buffer amplifiers
Bipolar transistors are used in a wide range of applications
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 21.26