Online Activity #4 ELP01E: Summary of "Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (9 Edition) " Chapter 3
Online Activity #4 ELP01E: Summary of "Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (9 Edition) " Chapter 3
Online Activity #4 ELP01E: Summary of "Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (9 Edition) " Chapter 3
ELP01E
SUMMARY OF “ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND CIRCUIT THEORY
(9TH EDITION)” CHAPTER 3
Summary:
Transistors are three terminal devices of three semiconductor layers having a base or
center layer a great deal thinner than the other two layers. The outer two layers are both of
either n or p type materials, with the sandwiched layer the opposite type. One p-n junction of a
transistor a forward biased, whereas the other is reverse biased. The collector current is made-
up of two components: the majority component and the minority current also called the
leakage current.
The dc emitter current is always the largest current of a transistor, whereas the base
current is always the smallest. The emitter current is always the sum of the other two. The
arrow in the transistor symbol defines the direction of conventional current flow for the emitter
current and thereby defines the direction for the other currents of the device. A three terminal
device needs two sets of characteristics to completely define its characteristics.
Semiconductor devices have the following advantages over vacuum tubes: They are
of smaller size, more lightweight, more rugged, and more efficient. In addition, they have no
warn-up period, no heater requirement, and lower operating voltages. In the active region of a
transistor, the base emitter junction is forward biased, whereas the collector base junction is
reverse biased. In the cutoff region the base emitter and collector base junctions are forward
biased.
In the saturation region the base emitetr and collector base junctions are forward
biased. On an average basis, as a first approximation, the base to emitter voltage of an
operating transistor can be assumed to be 0.7V . The quantity alpha relates the collector and
emitter currents and is always close to one. The impedance between terminals of a forward
biased junction is always relatively small, whereas the impedance between terminals of a
reverse biased junction is usually quite large. The arrow in the symbol of an npn transistor
points out of the device (not pointing in), whereas the arrow points in to the center of the
symbol for a pnp transistor (pointing in).
For linear amplication purposes, cutoff for the common emitter configuration will
be defined by Ic = Iceo. The quantity beta provides an important relationship between the base
and collector currents and is usually between 50 and 400. The dc beta is defined by a simple
ratio of dc currents at an operating point, whereas the ac beta is sensitive to the characteristics
in the region of interest. For most applications, however, the two are considered equivalent as
a first approximation. To ensure that a transistor is operating within its maximum power level
rating, simply find the product of the collector to emitter voltage and the collector current, and
compare it to the rated value.
Definition of Terms: