NOTES ON ELECTRONICS FOR PHY 204

BIPOLAR TRANSISTORS
A bipolar transistor or Bi-Junction Transistor (BJT) is a semiconductor device commonly
used for amplification. The device can amplify analogue or digital signals. It can also switch
DC or function as an oscillator or in controlling signals. Physically, a bipolar
transistor amplifies current, but it can be connected in circuits designed to amplify voltage
or power. The name Transistor comes from Transfer Varistor.

TRANSFER TRANSFER
TRANSISTOR ≡ ≡
VARISTOR RESISTOR

Basically a transistor consists of a germanium or silicon crystal which contains three regions.
There are two types of Bipolar Transistors: NPN and PNP. They are generally classified into
one into one of the following groups:
(a) small-signal low-frequency
(b) small-signal high-frequency
(c) high-power low-frequency
(d) low-power and medium-power low-frequency
(e) medium-power and high-power high-frequency
(f) switching

← Circuit
Diagram

← Block
Diagram

There are three parts that make up the transistor, as shown in the picture above. The middle
of the three regions in the transistor is known as the BASE and the two outer regions are
known as the EMITTER and the COLLECTOR.

• The emitter is the source for all current flow through the transistor.
 • The collector is the recipient of most of the current from the emitter. In most
transistors, the collector region is made physically larger than the emitter region
because it will be expected to dissipate a greater power.

• The difference between the two types of bi-junction transistors is in the arrowhead on
the circuit drawing. If it points into the base, we have PNP transistor. If the
arrowhead does not point into the base, it is an NPN transistor.

TRANSISTOR ACTION
(i) Emitter: The section on one side that supplies charge carriers (electrons or holes) is
called the emitter. The emitter is always forward biased with respect to the base so that it
can supply a large number of majority carriers. In figures below, the emitter (p-type) of
pnp transistor is forward biased and supplies holes to its junction with the base. Similarly
the emitter (n-type) of npn transistor has a forward bias and supplies free electrons to its
junction with the base.

(ii) Collector: The section on the other side that collects the charges is called the
collector. The collector is always reverse biased. Its function is to remove charges from
its junction with the base. The collector (p-type) of pnp transistor has a reverse bias and
receives hole charges that flow in the output circuit. Similarly the collector (n-type) of
npn transistor has reverse bias and receives electrons

(iii) Base: The middle section which forms two pn junctions between the emitter and
collector is called the base. The base-emitter (B-E) junction is forward biased and
allows low resistance for the emitter circuit. The base-collector (C-B) junction is
reverse biased and provides high resistance in the collector circuit.

(iv) The emitter is heavily doped so that it can inject a large number of charge carriers into
the base.

(v) The base is lightly doped with fewer charge carriers and very thin. So that less than 5%
of charge carriers coming from the emitter can recombine in the base. And it can pass
most of the emitter injected charge carriers to the collector.
(vi) The collector is moderately doped.

(vii) The transistor has two pn junctions that means it is like two diodes. The junction
between emitter and base may be called emitter-base diode or simply the emitter diode.
The junction between base and collector may be called collector-base diode or simply
collector diode.

(viii) The resistance of emitter diode is very small as compared to collector diode.
Therefore, forward bias applied to the emitter diode is generally very small whereas
reverse bias on the collector diode is much higher.

So we have the voltage network around both transistors would look like:

NPN PNP

Using a NPN transistor we can see the transistor action in this form:
 n–p → forward biased p–n → Reverse biased
junction (low resistor) junction (high resistor)

VBE = IB RBE VCB = IC RCB

The total current flowing into the transistor must be equal the total current flowing out of
it. Hence the emitter current IE is equal to the sum of the collector current IC and the base
current IB.

That is: IE = IC + IB

1. Voltage Amplifier (V = IR)

VBE = IE RBE

VCB = IC RCB

IE = IC + IB

Since the size of the base is very thin compared to the collector and the emitter, the
current in
the base IB is very small so we can say that it is approaching zero.

Þ IE ≈ I C

If VBE is forward bias, VCB is reverse bias and

RBE is smaller than RCB (RBE << RCB) then

Therefore VBE << VCB

2. Power Amplifier (P = I2R)

PBE = IE2 RBE

PCB = IC2 RCB

IE = IC + IB

Since RBE << RCB and IE ≈ IC

Therefore PBE << PCB