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ELECTRONIC DEVICES
CHAPTER 2

Bipolar Junction Transistor

Lecturer: Dr. Đào Việt Hùng

Department of Electronics
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Email: hunget.bk@gmail.com
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History
 In 1906, the first triode was
invented. This could be used to
amplify signal

 vacuum tube generation

 In 1947, the first semiconductor

transistor was invented by J.
Bardeen, W. Brattain, and W.
Shockley at the Bell Telephone
Laboratories

 Transistor could also be used to

amplify signal; but “solid”, not
vacuum

 solid-state generation
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What is Bipolar Junction Transistor?
 Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) or Bipolar
Transistor = Transistor tiếp xúc lưỡng cực.
 Bipolar transistors use both e and h charge
carriers; different from Unipolar transistors use
only one kind of charge carriers (e.g., FET).
 BJT is also simply called as transistor.
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Contents

1. Structure and basic operation

2. Transistor bias circuits
3. Transistor models
4. Transistor parameters and datasheets
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1 - Structure and basic operation

 BJT structure
 Basic operation
 Collector characteristic curves
 Switching mode and amplification mode
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1.1 BJT structure
 BJT is constructed with three doped semiconductor
regions separated by two P-N junctions  NPN or PNP
 The three regions are called emitter, base, and collector
(also the names of 3 pins of actual transistors):
– Collector, C: moderately doped
– Base, B: lightly doped and very thin
– Emitter, E: heavily doped
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1.1 BJT structure
 Most bipolar transistors
used today are NPN

… because: electron
mobility is higher than
hole mobility

 Symbol:
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1.2 Basic operation

 BJT needs to be biased in normal operation

 In forward-active (amplification) mode(*):
– Base-emitter (BE) : needs to be forward-biased
– Base-collector (BC): needs to be reverse-biased

(*) BJT has 3 operation modes: forward-active (amplification), saturation, and cut-off
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1.2 Basic operation
 Operation, e.g. of the
NPN type:
– BE is forward-biased
e move from E to B
– In B region (very thin)
• A few e recombine
with h  small IB
• Most e passed to C by
high electric field of BC
junction  large IC
– Small change in IB
strongly affects IC 
amplification capability
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1.2 Basic operation
 DC current gain: is the ratio of IC to IB
and is designated DC beta (βdc or
simply β)
– Usually known as an equivalent hybrid
parameter: hFE IC

– β or hFE is affected by: IC , UCE, and tº IB
– Range of hFE can be found in datasheet
IC
– A less-used parameter: αdc (simply α) 
IE
 
  
 1 1 
 How about βac, αac?
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1.2 Basic operation

 Example: β (hFE) of transistor 2SA1013

IC = 700 mA, IC = 700 mA,

IC < 200 mA, UCE = ─2V, UCE = ─5V, IC = 100 mA, UCE = ─10V,
β ≈ 93 β ≈ 20 β ≈ 73 β0 ≈ 80, β25 ≈ 95, β100 ≈ 140
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1.3 Collector characteristic curves
 Collector characteristic curves show how IC varies
with the UCE for specified values of IB
 Using a circuit shown in figure, a set of collector
characteristic curves can be generated.
 Both VBB and VCC can be adjusted
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1.3 Collector characteristic curves

 One curve:
– With IB = constant,
there is one curve
that show how IC
varies with the UCE
– There are 4 region
• Saturation: UCE ≈ 0
• Active: linear
amplification, IC = β.IB
• Breakdown: UCE is too
high  BJT is broken
down
• What is 4th region?
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1.3 Collector characteristic curves

 With many value of fixed IB  Set of curves

When IB = 0  IC ≈
0  transistor
stops conducting

 Cutoff region:
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1.3 Collector characteristic curves

 Comments:
– Active region: transistor can amplify signal, IC = β.IB
– Saturation region : UCE ≈ 0  Drop out voltage is
small  Load (RC) is “ON”, IC = max ≈ VCC/RC
– Cutoff region : UCE ≈ EC  transistor stops
conducting Load is “OFF”, IC = Idrift ≈ 0
– Breakdown region: transistor is destroyed by high
electric field

When BJT can

be destroyed?
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1.3 Collector characteristic curves
 Maximum rating:
– Collector current (IC) too large  damage
– Power dissipation (PD ≈ IC.UCE) to high  damage

Note: PD(max) is not the product of IC(max) and UCE(max)

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1.4 Switching mode and amplification mode

 Linear amplification:
– Output = K × Input (I, U,…)
– BJTs work in the active region
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1.4 Switching mode and amplification mode

 Switching mode = OFF + ON

– OFF: IB = 0, IC = 0  LED off
– ON: IB > 0, UCE = 0  LED on
 Applications:
• Switch ON/OFF many loads at the same time
• ON A if B = OFF, and vice versa
• ON A if B = ON and C = ON
• OFF A if B = ON or C = OFF
…
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1.4 Switching mode and amplification mode

 Switching mode:
– OFF (cutoff): IC = 0; UCE = EC  PD = 0
– ON (saturation): UCE = 0; IC = EC/RC PD = 0
 Ideal BJT: in switching-mode, power dissipation = 0
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Contents

1. Structure and basic operation

2. Transistor bias circuits
3. Transistor models
4. Transistor parameters and datasheets
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2 - Transistor bias circuits

 DC operating point and DC load line

 BJT bias circuits
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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 BJT is working at a DC operating point when:

– After being biased, and
– Before being applied input signal  Quiescently

Q-point = DC operating
point , is represented
by: IBQ, ICQ, UCEQ
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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 When IB is increased  IC increases, UCE decreases

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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 All positions of Q-point (when IB is changed) 

a straight line that called DC load line
 Equation: EC = IC.RC + UCE
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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 When applying input signal (BJT is no longer quiescent)

 IB changed  IC and UCE changed (center is Q-point)

Note: There is also AC load line, may be different from the DC one
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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 Is the position of Q-point important?

– Case 1: close to saturation

Waveform distortion
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2.1 DC operating point and DC load line

 Is the position of Q-point important?

– Case 2: close to cutoff

Waveform distortion Waveform

distortion
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2.2 BJT bias circuits
 What is transistor DC biasing?
Bias circuit establishes the DC operating point
(Q-point) for proper linear operation of a BJT.

 Bias methods:
– Base bias
– Collector-feedback bias
– Emitter-feedback bias
– Voltage-divider bias
– Emitter bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits

 What should a good bias circuit do?

– 1st: Establishes the DC operating point

– 2nd: Maintains the “Q-point stability” (position of Q-

point on the DC load line) when β changes.
In other words: circuits operate identically when
• Mass produced (β varies part by part)
• Temperature changes (β is changed)
• Even, replace a BJT by another model (β is really different)

– Additional requirements:
• Maximized the amplification ability of BJTs
• Simple, practical
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2.2 BJT bias circuits
 Base bias (fixed bias):
– Simplest method
– Q-point…
Remarks:
– IC strongly depends on βdc

• Q-point is moved when
temperature changes.
• Q-point is moved after
replacing the BJT by a
same one.
 Only suitable for biasing
BJTs that work in the
switching mode
Base bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits

 Collector-feedback bias:
– RB gives “feedback” the change
in VC (∝ IC) to VB
– Q-point…
Remarks:
– Compared with base bias, the
dependence of IC on βdc is
reduced  less temperature
dependence.
– Simple circuit with relatively
stable Q-point but poor ac
Collector-
characteristics feedback
bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits
 Emitter-feedback bias:
– RE gives “feedback” the
change in IE (= IC) to VB
– Q-point…
Remarks:
– RE reduces the
dependence of IC on βdc
 less temperature
dependence.
– Good: Input impedance is
increased
– Bad: amplification factor Emitter-
(also called gain) is feedback
decreased bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits
 Voltage-divider bias:
– VB is set by R1 and R2
– Q-point…
Remarks:
– RE reduces the dependence
of IC on βdc  less
temperature dependence.
– Generally, IR2 >> IB  called
stiff voltage divider in which
VB is relatively independent of
different transistors and
temperature effects  good
stability, good for mass
production
Voltage-divider bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits

 Emitter bias:
– Using both a positive (VCC)
and a negative (VEE) sources
– Q-point…

Remarks:
– Advantage: excellent bias
stability
– Disadvantage: need the
negative source (VEE)  not
very practical, less used. Emitter
bias
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2.2 BJT bias circuits
Collector- Emitter- Voltage-
Base Emitter
feedback feedback divider
Bad stability Good stability Good stability Very good Excellent
stability, the stability, but
most popular complicated
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Contents

1. Structure and basic operation

2. Transistor bias circuits
3. Transistor models
4. Transistor parameters and datasheets
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3 - Transistor models

 Large signal BJT models

 Small signal BJT models:

– z-parameters model (impedance)
– y-parameters model (admittance)
– h-parameters model (hybrid)
– re model

 High frequency BJT models

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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 Two port representation of a BJT:

– I-V characteristics of BJTs are not linear 
complicated
– When BJT is used for processing small signals, only
small parts of non-linear characteristics are used 
the linear approximations at the quiescent operating
points are possible  at processing of small signals,
the linear models of BJTs can be used.
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 Sets of equations, describing BJTs:

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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 z-parameters model:
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 z-parameters model:
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 y-parameters model:
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=
( )

=
( )

…
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 h-parameters model:
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 h-parameters model:
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 h-parameters model:
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 h-parameters model:
– h11 or hi: input resistance with shortened output
– h12 or hr: open circuit reverse voltage gain
– h21 or hf: short circuit forward current gain
– h22 or ho: output conductance with input open

What is hFE
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 re model:

re or r'e?
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 re model: an example
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3.2 Small signal BJT models

 Additional example: a common-emitter (CE)

amplifier, voltage divider bias
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3.2 Small signal BJT models
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4 - Transistor parameters and datasheets

 BJT parameters
 BJT classifications
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4.1 BJT parameters
 Electrical, mechanical parameters and others
 See datasheets…
 Important parameters:
– hFE  number or curve
– UCE(max)
– IC(max)
– PD(max)
– fc: cutoff frequency
– …

 Mechanical:
– Temperature dependency,
– Casing (TO-xxx), pin, …
– …
 Others: manufacture technology, typical applications
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4.2 BJT classifications

 There are many way to classify BJTs:

– Type: NPN or PNP
– Frequency: low (audio), medium, high, …
– Power: small, medium, high
– Application: amplification, switching
– Integrated: regular, darlington, digital
Darlington
Digital
transistor
transistor
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4.2 BJT classifications

 BJTs and countries

– US:
• E.g.: 2N3055, 2N2222, …
• 2N…. (1N = diode; 3N = FET)
– Japan:
• PNP: 2SA… (high frequency), 2SB… (audio frequency)
• NPN: 2SC… (high frequency), 2SD… (audio frequency)
• Note: 2S is usually omitted in part marking. E.g.: C828
– Europe:
• E.g.: BC327, BD140, …
• 1st letter: A = Ge, B = Si, C = GaAs, …
• 2nd letter: A, B, E, H, X, Y, Z = diode; C, D, F, L, S, U =
transistor; …
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Summary

 Studied
– Structure and basic operation
– Transistor bias circuits
– Transistor models
– Transistor parameters and datasheets
 Important, for GPA & CPA enhancement
– Structure, basic operation, curves
– Bias circuits, DC load line, Q-point
– re model
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Lecturer: Dr. Đào Việt Hùng

Department of Electronics
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Email: hunget.bk@gmail.com