DC Biasing – BJTs

Topic 4 (Chapter 4)
(Some materials are from Malvino’s book)
 Biasing

Biasing: Applying DC voltages to a transistor in order

to turn it on so that it can amplify AC signals.
 The Three Operating Regions
Active or Linear Region Operation
• Base–Emitter junction is forward biased
• Base–Collector junction is reverse biased
• BJT works as an Amplifier

Cutoff Region Operation

• Base–Emitter junction is reverse biased
• Base–Collector junction is reverse biased
• BJT works as an OFF Switch

Saturation Region Operation

• Base–Emitter junction is forward biased
• Base–Collector junction is forward biased or near forward bias
• BJT works as an ON Switch
 Regions of operation
Cutoff Region

1. Active - - - used for linear amplification

2. Cutoff - - - used in switching applications (OFF)
3. Saturation - - - used in switching applications (ON)

• Breakdown - - - can destroy the transistor and should be

avoided
 DC Biasing Circuits
Fixed-bias or Base-Bias
Emitter Bias
Voltage divider bias circuit
DC bias with voltage feedback
 4.3 Base-Bias or Fixed-Bias
• Setting up a fixed value of base current
• Base current remains constant for given
values of VBB
• Usually VBB and VCC
1 kW RC
are the same supply
VCE

RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Load line
• A visual summary of all the possible
transistor operating points
• Connects saturation current (ICsat) to cutoff
voltage (VCEcutoff )
 Load line
VCC - VCE A graph of this equation
IC = produces a load line.
RC

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
 Saturation
When the transistor is operating in
saturation, current through the transistor
is at its maximum possible value.

V
ICsat  CC
R
C

VCE  0 V
 Understanding Saturation
12 V
IC =
1 kW
1 kW RC
Mental
short

RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Understanding Saturation
12 V This is the
IC = = 12 mA
1 kW Saturation (maximum) current.

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
 Understanding Cutoff

1 kW RC

Mental
open
RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Understanding Cutoff
VCE(cutoff) = VCC

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
4.4 Emitter bias:
Contains an emitter resistor 11 kW
kW RC
VBB - VBE IC @ I E
IE = = 1.95 mA
RE

15 V VCC

VBB 5V 2.2 kW RE

VC = 15 V - (1.95 mA)(1 kW) = 13.1 V

VCE = 13.1 V - 4.3 V = 8.8 V
 BJT DC biasing
• First give appropriate directions of the three
currents (, and )
• Find
• Apply KVL in the base-emitter loop. . Find
• Find and from
• Apply KVL in the collector-emitter loop. Find
• Apply KVL in the base loop to find
• . Find
• . Find
• Apply KVL in the emitter loop to find
 4.5 Voltage divider bias +VCC
• Base circuit contains a
voltage divider RC
• Most widely used R1
• Known as VDB

R2 RE
Voltage divider bias circuit +VCC

{
RC
R1

R1 and R2 form
a voltage divider

R2 RE
Divider analysis:
Rth = R1 || R2

Eth = R2
VCC
R1 + R2
4.6 Collector-feedback bias

Our text calls it DC Bias With Voltage Feedback

Current through
 4.7 EMITTER-FOLLOWER
CONFIGURATION

• The output is taken off the emitter terminal

• Also called Common Collector configuration
EMITTER-FOLLOWER DC ANALYSIS
4.8 COMMON-BASE CONFIGURATION

• The input signal is applied at the emitter terminal

• The base is at ground potential.
• The output signal is applied at the collector terminal
 Which Bias is better?
• Base/Fixed bias simple but not stable with temp
• for and Q-point moves
• Emitter bias better as: (KVL for o/p)
• ; temperature effect neutralized
• Current gain changes with BJT. Better if independent
• Emitter bias KVL for i/p:
• If
• VDB/Self bias better as two base resistors are used in parallel
• &