BIPOLAR JUNCTION

TRANSISTOR (BJT)
BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR (BJT)
• Bipolar junction transistor was invented by William Shockley, Bartain and Bardeen
in 1947.
• Bi Polar device – both holes and electrons are responsible for current conduction
• Bi Junction – consists of two junctions – two diodes connected back to back

Two types

P-type semiconductor sandwiched N-type semiconductor sandwiched

between two N-type semiconductor between two P-type semiconductor
materials - NPN transistor. materials - PNP transistor
REGIONS first regions is EMITTER -emits The middle region - Third region –
charge carriers which are BASE - transport COLLECTOR -collects
responsible for the current flow region charge carriers

DOPING Heavily doped Lightly doped Moderately doped

AREA Moderate Smallest Largest

Transistor action:
The emitter and collector junctions can be biased in four different ways

Emitter jn. Collector jn. Region of Application

operation
Forward Biased Reverse Biased Active Amplifiers

Forward Biased Forward Biased Saturation

Switching
application in
Reverse Biased Reverse Biased Cutoff digital circuits

Reverse Biased Forward Biased Inverted Performance

degradation –
rarely used
 Transistor operation

• Transistor is biased in active mode

E-B forward bias

• Holes move from emitter to base and electrons move from base to emitter – Emitter current
• Few holes injected from emitter will recombine in the base region and the remaining will reach the collector - ICp

C-B reverse bias ( consider that the E-B junction is open circuited)
• Minority carrires ( holes in the base region and electrons in the collector region) will flow across the c-B junction.
• This constitute the lekage current or minority carrier current at the collector.
 Current components in a BJT

 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡h𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠

𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ❑
  𝐼 𝐸 =𝐼 𝐸 𝑝 +𝐼 𝐸 𝑛

  , after recombination in the base=

∴𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙
  𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 , 𝐼 𝐶 =𝐼 𝐶𝑝 +𝐼 𝐶𝑂

 
• 
• Appliying Kirchoff's current law to the transistor as if it were a single node
IE = IC + IB ……………..(1)

• The collector current comprises two components - The minority carrier component
leakage current - ICBO and the majority carrier component, which is the fraction of
emitter current reaching the collector(αIE) .
IC = αIE + ICO ………………(2)

α is called the current transfer ratio ( also known as the current gain of common
base configuration). The value of α is always less than1.

If we neglect the leakage current (since it is in microampere range) eqn. (2) becomes
IC = αIE
α=
Parameters Related to Current Components
 EmitterInjection Efficiency (γ) - The ratio of emitter current due to holes to the total
emitter current

Base Transportation Factor () – fraction of holes injected from the emitter

reaching the collector.
ICp denotes the portion of IEp that reaches the collector

Base Transit Time () - Average time taken by the injected carrier to travel or diffuse
through base region
BASE WIDTH MODULATION / EARLY EFFECT /
BASE NARROWING

• When the reverse voltage across the collector base junction is

increased, the depletion region extends more towards the
lightly doped base region.
• Hence the effective width of the base decreases
• This effect is called Early effect or base width modulation.

Consequences
• Since the base width is less, recombination in the base region
decreases and hence base current decreases.
• Since IC=IE-IB, collector current increases.
Transistor configurations
• 3 transistor configurations, based on the BJT terminals to which input and output
are connected.
1.Common base configuration (CB)
2.Common emitter configuration(CE)
3.Common collector configuration(CC)

• The term common is used to denote the terminal or electrode or region that is
common to both input and output circuit.
• Since the transistor is a three terminal device, one of its terminal should be a
common terminal which is generally grounded.
Common Base Configuration Common Emitter Configuration Common Collector Configuration

Input current - IE Input current - IB Input current - IB

Input
Outputcurrent - I-E IC
current Input
Outputcurrent - I-B IC
current Input
Outputcurrent - I-B IE
current
Output
Current current
gain, - IC Output
Current current
gain, - IC Output
Current current
gain, - IE
Value of α is always less than 1 β lies between 20 and 500 γ is high
Voltage gain - High Voltage gain - Medium Voltage gain - low
Value of α is always less than 1 β lies between 20 and 500 γ is high
Input impedance
Voltage gain - High- Low Input impedance
Voltage - Medium
gain - Medium Input impedance
Voltage gain - low- High
Output impedance – Very high Output impedance - High Output impedance - Low
Phase shift -0 ͦ - Low
Input impedance shift – 180 ͦ- Medium
Input impedance
Phase shift – 0 ͦ - High
Input impedance
Phase
Output impedance – Very high Output impedance - High Output impedance - Low
Phase shift -0 ͦ Phase shift – 180 ͦ Phase shift – 0 ͦ
Common Emitter Configuration

• Input applied between base and emitter terminals

and output taken across collector and base terminals.

• Commonly used configuration for transistor based amplifiers

• The input impedance is LOW as it is connected to a forward

biased PN-junction, while the output impedance is HIGH as
it is taken from a reverse biased PN-junction.

• Hence this configuration offers  the highest current and power gain of all the three
bipolar transistor configurations.
Input characteristics
Plots the variation in input current ( IB) corresponding to the input voltage
(VBE) variation, for a constant output voltage (VCE).

 Dynamic input resistance of the transistor at a given voltage VCE is

ri = | VCE = constant
 Output characteristics
Plots the variation in output current ( Ic) corresponding to the output voltage (VCE)
variation, for a constant input current(IB).

  In the active region, the collector current IC is β times

greater than the base current. Thus, small input current IB,
causes large output current IC
β =

 When VCE falls below a few tenth of a volt, IC decreases

rapidly as VCE decreases. At this point, the collector-base
junction also becomes forward biased. The transistor is
working in the saturation region.
 Dynamic output resistance
 The collector current IC is not zero when IB is zero. ICEO, the
ro = | IB = constant
reverse leakage current flows through the collector in this
region. This region of operation is called cut off region.
Relation between current gains in CB, CE and CC configurations
• 

  Relation between β and α   Relation between α and γ

   
……….(1) ……….(1)

Substituting (2) in (1), Substituting in (2) in(1),

• In
  CE configuration, IB becomes the input current and the IC is the output current.
IE = IC + IB ........................(1)
IC = αIE + ICBO ...............(2)

Substituting (1) in (2)

IC = α(IC + IB ) + ICBO
IC (1- α ) = αIB + ICBO

IC = IB + ICBO ........................(3)

Ic = βIB + ICEO where ICEO = (1 + β) ICBO

• BJT is a current controlled device, because in BJT the base current controls the
flow of current from emitter to the collector.
• BJT is a temperature sensitive device – thermal runaway