Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

UNIT 5
Analysis of transistor circuit becomes easier
when it is represented in terms of hybrid
parameters of the device. In this unit you will
learn about how to analyse transistor circuits
TRANSISTOR
using these parameters. CIRCUIT
ANALYSIS

Structure
5.1 Introduction 5.5 Analysis of Common Base Amplifier
Expected Learning Outcomes 5.6 Analysis of Common Collector Amplifier
5.2 h-Parameters 5.7 Summary
Interpretation of h-parameters 5.8 Terminal Questions
5.3 Equivalent Circuit of a Transistor 5.9 Solutions and Answers
5.4 Analysis of Common Emitter Amplifier
Current Gain
Voltage Gain
Input Impedance
Output Impedance

STUDY GUIDE
So far you have learnt about different semiconductor devices. When we want to use them in various
applications, it is important to know their behaviour in advance under various current and voltage
conditions. An equivalent circuit of a device in the form of basic components, like resistors, capacitors,
voltage/current sources is very handy for this purpose.
In this unit, you will learn about the equivalent circuit of the bipolar junction transistor and express its
circuit in the form of hybrid-parameters (h-parameters in short).
You will require the basic knowledge of calculus and first order differential equations for studying this
unit. You should attempt all the SAQs and Terminal Questions given in this unit on your own, before
turning to the answers and hints provided at the end of the unit.

“My first toy was a box of transistors.” Ann

Makosinski

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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the earlier units you have learnt about different electronic devices. When
you use them for some applications and you want to analyse the circuit, it is
possible to do so by replacing these devices by some equivalent circuit.
Therefore, in this unit, we will discuss how this can be done for a bipolar
junction transistor.

A transistor equivalent circuit is basically a circuit consisting of ideal voltage

and/or current “source” or “generators” and passive components (R, L and C),
which acts electrically exactly like the transistor. In other words, the transistor
can be replaced by an appropriate collection of generators and passive
components of the equivalent circuit. The advantage of the equivalent circuit is
that we can predict the transistor’s exact behaviour (gain, etc.) by applying the
basic circuit laws (Kirchhoff voltage and current laws) for the various loops
and junctions and solving for the desired quantities by using only algebra and
Ohm’s law.

In an equivalent circuit, we consider the input and output currents and

voltages as variables. We can write linear equations relating these variables.
The coefficients in these equations are called the hybrid or h-parameters. We
will discuss these parameters in detail in Sec. 5.2.

You have learnt in Unit 4 that the transistor is a three-terminal device, and we
can apply supply voltages to these terminals by treating one of them as the
common terminal. So, we have three basic configurations of transistor biasing,
namely, CB, CC and CE configurations. In each of these configurations, one
side is treated as input part and another as output part.

In Sec. 5.3, you will study about the representation of a transistor in its
equivalent circuit form. You will also learn how to express various transistor
parameters (like gains) in terms of h-parameters. In Sec. 5.4, you will learn
how to analyse the common emitter (CE) configuration of the transistor and
obtain expressions for voltage gain, current gain, input and output impedances
in terms of h-parameters.

You will also apply a similar process for analysing common base (CB) and
common collector (CC) configurations in Secs. 5.5 and 5.6, respectively.

Based on the relations obtained for different configurations, you will be able to
compare the transistor configurations on the basis of their properties like gains
and impedances and choose a suitable configuration for the intended
application.

Expected Learning Outcomes

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

 obtain h-parameters for a 4-terminal network;

 represent the bipolar junction transistor in its equivalent circuit form;

 define all the h-parameters for a transistor;

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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

 derive the expressions for voltage gain, current gain, input impedance
and output impedance in terms of h-parameters for common-emitter
configuration of the transistor; and

 obtain the expressions for the gains and impedances for common base
and common collector configurations of the transistor.

5.2 h-PARAMETERS
To obtain the circuit parameters, let us begin by representing the circuit in a
simple form. Circuit analysis becomes straightforward if we treat the circuit as
a black box with two ends or ports, i.e., 4 terminals corresponding to input and
output sides, as shown in Fig. 5.1.

Fig. 5.1: Circuit as a black box with 2 ports or 4-terminal.

Here the voltage at the input terminal is v 1 , and current flowing into the circuit The current flowing
is i1 (positive). The voltage across output terminals is v 2 and the current into the circuit is
considered to be
flowing into the circuit is i 2 (positive). The relations between i1 , v 1 , i 2 and
positive, while the
v 2 can be represented by linear equations. one coming out is
taken to be negative.
If we consider the currents to be independent variables and voltages to be
dependent variables, then we get a circuit as shown in Fig. 5.2a.

Fig. 5.2: a) z- and b) y-parameter circuits.

We can write the input and output voltages in terms of input and output
currents as given below:

v1  z11 i1  z12 i 2 (5.1a)

v 2  z21 i1  z22 i 2 (5.1b)

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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
In these equations, the coefficients are impedances and are indicated by
z-parameters.
You are aware that Another way to treat the equivalent circuit could be by considering the
the impedances are voltages to be independent variables, while currents to be dependent
indicated by z while
variables. In this case we can depict the circuit as shown in Fig. 5.2b. Here
the admittances are
indicated by symbol y. you will observe that the current sources are connected in parallel to
admittances. The equations in this case are:
i1  y11 v1  y12 v 2 (5.2a)

i 2  y 21 v1  y 22 v 2 (5.2b)

The coefficients in the equations are admittances represented by

y-parameters. But a more appropriate combination of variables for analysing
the transistor circuit is to consider the input current ( i1 ) and output voltage
( v 2 ) as independent variables and input voltage ( v 1 ) and output current ( i 2 )
as dependent variables. Then we can write following relations:
v 1  h11 i1  h12 v 2 (5.3)

and i2  h21i1  h22 v 2 (5.4)

The coefficients h11, h12 , h21 and h22 are called the hybrid parameters or
h-parameters. It is possible to obtain different characteristics of transistor
circuits like current or voltage gains and input or output impedances using
these parameters.
Fig. 5.3 shows the circuit with h-parameters.

Fig. 5.3: 4-terminal network with h-parameters.

Let us now learn what the different h-parameters represent.

5.2.1 Interpretation of h-Parameters

Let us understand the physical significance of the h-parameters.
Refer to Fig. 5.3. To understand the meaning of h11 and h21 , let us assume
that the output terminals (2-2) are short circuited as shown in Fig. 5.4, then the
output voltage v 2 will be zero.

Fig. 5.4: h-parameter circuit with short circuited output.

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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis
Hence, from Eq. (5.3) and (5.4), we get

v1  h11 i1 (5.5)

and i2  h21 i1 (5.6)

a) Input impedance ( h11 )

From Eq. (5.5), we can write

v
h11  1 (with output short circuited) (5.7)
I1

It is clear that h11 is a quantity obtained by dividing a voltage term by a

current term; that is, it represents an impedance and since both voltage
and current are corresponding to the input part, we call it input
impedance with short-circuited output.

b) Current gain ( h21 )

From Eq. (5.6), we can write

i
h21  2 (with output short-circuited) (5.8)
I1

Since this is a ratio of output and input currents, h21 represents the current
gain of the circuit, when output is short-circuited.

After learning about the input impedance and current gain, let us find out the
significance of remaining two h-parameters. For this purpose, we take the
input terminals (1-1) in Fig. 5.3 to be open as shown in Fig. 5.5. With this, we
get zero current entering the circuit from input side and so i1  0. Hence,
Eqs. (5.3) and (5.4) take the following form:

v1  h12 v 2 (5.9) Fig. 5.5: h-parameters

circuit with open input
and i2  h22 v 2 (5.10) terminals ( i1 = 0 ).

c) Reverse voltage gain (h12 )

Normally, we
From Eq. (5.9), we can write
consider the gain of a
v circuit as a ratio of
h12  1 (with input terminals open) (5.11) output (voltage or
v2
current) or input
Because we have a ratio of input and output voltages, it is termed as reverse (voltage or current). It
is referred to as
voltage gain. The word “reverse” is used to denote transfer from the output
forward gain or simply
back to input. gain of the circuit.
d) Output admittance ( h22 )

From Eq. (5.10), we get the expression for h22 as

i
h22  2 (with input terminal open) (5.12)
v2
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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
Here the parameter is the ratio of current to voltage; hence, it represents
admittance (reciprocal of impedance). The unit of admittance is siemens,
indicated by S (also referred to as mho, as it is reciprocal of ohm.)

Now, you have learnt the significance of all the h-parameters in terms of
electrical quantities. Table 5.1 summarizes the meaning of each h-parameter
and the required condition.

Table 5.1: h-parameters

Parameter Meaning Equation Condition

h11 Input impedance v1 Output shorted

i1

h12 Reverse voltage gain v1 Input open

v2

h21 Current gain i2 Output shorted

i1

h22 Output admittance i2 Input open

v2

You may now like to attempt an SAQ.

SAQ 1 – h-parameters
a) In the circuit shown in Fig. 5.4, v1  50 mV, i1  20 A and
i 2  4 mA. Calculate the input impedance and current gain of the circuit.

b) In the circuit shown in Fig. 5.5, v1  50 mV, i 2  4 mA and v 2  1 V.

Calculate the reverse voltage gain and output admittance of the circuit.

Now that you are familiar with the h-parameters for any general circuit
represented by a 2-port (4-terminal) network, we will apply them to bipolar
junction transistor circuits. For this purpose, we first represent the transistor in
its equivalent circuit form.

5.3 EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT OF A TRANSISTOR

Any device in practice behaves differently than its expected ideal
characteristics. For example, a voltage source is expected to supply a
constant voltage irrespective of the current we draw from it.
However, if you look at the output voltage of a voltage source, you will find
that it decreases as we increase the current drawn from it. This is because an
ideal voltage source is expected to have zero resistance. But in practice, there
is always a finite (however small, but non-zero) resistance of a practical
voltage source. Hence, we represent a practical voltage source as an ideal
voltage source (V) in series with a finite source resistance (Rs ) as shown in
Fig. 5.6.
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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

Fig. 5.6: Practical voltage source.

The same is true for a transistor circuit. We can replace the transistor by
equivalent circuit components and then apply the circuit laws to obtain various
transistor parameters.

Suppose some transistor’s equivalent circuit is simply an ideal voltage

generator of magnitude Av in in series with a resistance R as shown in
Fig. 5.7.

Fig. 5.7: Simple equivalent circuit of a transistor.

Algebraically, A is a positive number, and v in is the amplitude of the input

voltage to the transistor. The resistor R L is the load resistance connected to
the output terminals and current i is flowing through the circuit. The voltage
generator produces a voltage A times as large as the input, so we may
intuitively think of A as the voltage gain at this stage of the calculation.
However, the voltage gain is

v iR
Av  out  L (5.13)
v in v in

and the current i can be obtained from the Kirchhoff voltage law for the loop
containing the generator, R and R L . Hence,

Av in  iR  iRL  0

Av in
or i (5.14)
R  RL

Thus, the voltage gain becomes

v iR Av inRL
Av  out  L 
v in v in (R  RL )v in

 RL 
or Av  A   (5.15)
 R  RL  113
Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
We see that the voltage gain depends on A, R and R L , and only as
R L becomes very large compared to R we get Av  A.

This was a very simplistic approach just for understanding the treatment
involved in working with equivalent circuits. But, in general, we consider the
device to be a black box with four terminals. Two of these terminals act as
input while the other two as output. You know that the transistor has three
terminals, whereas our black box from which the equivalent circuit is
developed has four. Hence, for the equivalent circuit to be applied to a
transistor, one transistor terminal must be common between the input and
output. This can either be the emitter, the collector or the base called
respectively the “common emitter” (CE), “common collector” (CC) or the
“common base” (CB) configurations. You have learnt about these
configurations in Unit 4.

Fig. 5.8: CE configuration of transistor as a 4-terminal network.

Consider the transistor shown in Fig. 5.8, where we have taken the CE
configuration. Here 1, 1 are the input terminals and 2,2 are the output
terminals, i b and v be are the input current and input voltage while i c and v ce
are the corresponding values of current and voltage in the output circuit,
respectively. Thus, we have four quantities, two of which are currents and two
are voltages. Of these four quantities, we can take two as dependent
quantities and the other two as independent quantities. Then we express the
dependent quantities in terms of the independent ones. For a transistor, an
equivalent circuit by the selection of i b and v ce as independent and i c , v be as
dependent is widely used due to the simplicity involved. Thus, we write
i c  f (i b , v ce ) (5.16)

and v be  f (i b ,v ce ) (5.17)

So, in terms of the general 4-terminal circuit for CE configuration, we have

i1  i b
i2  ic
v1  v be
v 2  v ce
For the general network, we have expressed v 1 and i 2 in terms of i1 and v 2
in Eqs. (5.3) and (5.4). You must have noticed that Eq. (5.3) is merely the
Kirchhoff voltage equation for the input and Eq. (5.4) is the Kirchhoff current
equation for the output. From those equations, we can arrive at the equivalent
114 circuit in terms of h-parameters.
Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis
The term h21 i1 means that there is a current generator of magnitude h21
multiplied by i1 . The term h22 v 2 means the voltage v 2 appears across an
1
admittance h22 (or equivalently across a resistance of ohms). The term
h22
h11 i1 means the current i1 flows through an effective resistance of h11 ohms.
The term h12 v 2 means there is a voltage generator of magnitude h12 v 2 . The
input signal is represented by source es with internal resistance rs and at the
output, load rL is connected. Therefore, we can draw the equivalent circuit as
shown in Fig. 5.9. The physical significance of the h-parameters can be
understood from the equivalent circuit of Fig. 5.9.

Fig. 5.9: Transistor h-parameter equivalent circuit.

The input resistance h11 is a resistance in the input circuit. The term h12 v 2
is the amplitude of a voltage generator in the input; it represents how much of
the output voltage v 2 is transferred or fed back to the input and h12 is also
called reverse voltage transfer ratio. The parameter h21 represents how much
of the input current i1 is transferred to the output, i.e., the current gain. The
higher the value of h21, the larger is the change in output current for a given
input current change. We call h22 the output admittance because it is an
admittance or conductance directly across the output terminals parallel to the
load resistor rL .
The h-parameters of transistor can be listed as follows:
hi  h11
hr  h12
hf  h21
ho  h22
where hi = input impedance with output shorted
hr = reverse voltage gain with input open
hf = forward current gain with output shorted
ho = output admittance with input open
To remember this, notice that the subscript is the first letter of the description.
i = input
r = reverse
f = forward
o = output 115
Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
The h-parameters of a transistor depend on the configuration: CE, CC or CB.
Because of this, the letter e is included for CE configuration, c for CC
configuration and b for CB configuration. Table 5.2 summarises the notation
for commonly used transistor h-parameters. As you can see, the parameters
corresponding to CE are hie, hre , hfe and hoe .

Table 5.2: h-parameters for different transistor configurations

Parameter CE CC CB
h11 hie hic hib

h12 hre hrc hrb

h21 hfe hfc hfb

h22 hoe hoc hob

The general h-parameter equivalent circuit of Fig. 5.9 and Eqs. (5.3) and (5.4)
are widely used to calculate the voltage gain, current gain, input impedance
and output impedance of the transistor amplifier in its three configurations.

You may like to attempt an SAQ now.

SAQ 2 – Transistor h-parameters

Write down the electrical units of h-parameters h11 , h12 , h21 and h22 .

You will now learn how to obtain the expression for these transistor
parameters.

5.4 ANALYSIS OF COMMON EMITTER

AMPLIFIER
Fig. 5.10 shows a common emitter (CE) amplifier. A small sine wave is
applied at the input. This produces variations in the base current. Because of
current gain , the collector current is an amplified sine wave of the same
frequency. This sinusoidal collector current flows through the collector
resistance and produces an amplified output voltage.

Notice that the ac output voltage is inverted with respect to the ac input
voltage, meaning that it is 180 out of phase with the input. During the positive
half cycle of input voltage, the base current increases, causing the collector
current to increase. This produces a larger voltage drop across the collector
resistor. Therefore, the collector voltage decreases, and we get the first
negative half cycle of output voltage.

Conversely, on the negative cycle of input voltage, less collector current flows
and the voltage drop across the collector resistor decreases. For this reason,
the collector-to-ground voltage rises and we get the positive half cycle of the
output voltage.
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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

Fig. 5.10: Common emitter amplifier.

Now that you have learnt the working of CE amplifier, let us obtain the
expressions for the circuit characteristics in terms of h-parameters. For this we
represent the CE circuit in its h-parameter model shown in Fig. 5.11.

Fig. 5.11: CE hybrid circuit.

5.4.1 Current Gain

The current gain of an amplifier is defined as the ratio of the ac output current
to ac input current. In symbols,
i
Ai  2 (5.18)
i1

Using Eq. (5.4), we can rewrite Eq. (5.18) as

h i  h22v 2 v
Ai  21 1  h21  h22 2
i1 i1

From Fig. 5.9 you can see that, output voltage v 2  i 2rL . (The negative sign
of current i 2 is because it is considered to be coming out of the output port
and flowing into the load resistor.) Substituting this in Eq. (5.18), we get

i r
Ai  h21  h22 2 L  h21  Ai h22rL
i1
Solving for Ai , we get

h21
Ai  (5.19)
1 h22rL
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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
5.4.2 Voltage Gain
The voltage gain of an amplifier is defined as the ratio of the ac output voltage
to ac input voltage:

v
Av  2 (5.20)
v1

From Eq. (5.3), we can write

v2  i 2 rL
Av  
h11i 1  h12 v 2 h11i 1  h12 i 2 rL

Dividing the numerator and denominator by i 2 gives

 rL
Av 
h11
 h12rL
Ai

Substituting for Ai from Eq. (5.19) and simplifying we get:

 h21rL
Av  (5.21)
h11  (h11h22  h12h21) rL

5.4.3 Input Impedance

The input impedance of a loaded two port network is

v
Zin  1 (5.22)
i1

On substituting for v 1 from Eq. (5.3), we get

h i h v h v
Zin  111 12 2  h11  12 2
i1 i1

Using v 2  i 2rL , and

h i r
Zin  h11  12 2 L
i1

i2
However,  Ai , hence
i1

Zin  h11  Ai h12 rL

Using Eq. (5.19), we get

h h r
Zin  h11  12 21 L (5.23)
1  h22 rL

5.4.4 Output Impedance

To get the output impedance, the source voltage shown in Fig. 5.9 is reduced
to zero. When we drive the output terminals with a signal v 2 , the circuit takes
the form as shown in the Fig. 5.12.
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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

Fig. 5.12: Determination of output impedance by removing input voltage.

The ratio of v 2 to i 2 is the output impedance (reciprocal of admittance) of the

two-port network:

v
Zout  2 (5.24)
i2

Substituting for i 2 from Eq. (5.4) in Eq. (5.24), we have:

v2
Zout  (5.25)
h21i1  h22v 2

Applying Ohm’s law on the input side in Fig. 5.12 we can write:

 h12 v 2
i1 
rs  h11

When this is substituted in Eq. (5.25), we get:

rs  h11
Zout  (5.26)
(rs  h11) h22  h12h21

Thus, for a CE amplifier, the h formulas can be written using the symbols from
Table 5.2 as follows:

hfe
Ai  (5.27a)
1  hoerL

 hfe rL
Av  (5.27b)
hie  (hiehoe  hrehfe ) rL

h h r
Zin  hie  re fe L (5.27c)
1  hoerL

rs  hie
Z out  (5.27d)
(rs  hie ) hoe  hre hfe

Now, we will consider the analysis of other configurations of transistor

amplifiers.

But before studying further, you may like to solve SAQ 3.

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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices

SAQ 3 – Analysis of CE configuration of transistor

For a transistor in CE configuration the values of h-parameters are:

h11  5 k , h12  1.2  104

h21  200 , h22  10 S .

Calculate the current gain, voltage gain and input impedance of the circuit if
rL  2 k.

5.5 ANALYSIS OF COMMON BASE AMPLIFIER

Fig. 5.13 shows a common base amplifier.

Fig. 5.13: Common base amplifier.

The base terminal is common to both the input and the output. The input is at
the emitter, and the output is taken off the collector, i.e., across the collector
resistor RC .

In the common base configuration, the output is in phase with the input. A
positive input makes the emitter more positive, that is v be reduces, and
hence, the collector current decreases. This decrease in the collector current
causes the output voltage at the collector to rise, thus giving a higher positive
output.

For calculating the current gain, voltage gain, input impedance and output
impedance, we need to use the CB parameters hib, hrb, h jb and hob as shown
in Fig. 5.14.

Fig. 5.14: Hybrid circuit of CB configuration.

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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis
Then the basic formulas become:
hfb
Ai  (5.28a)
1  hob rL
 hfb rL
Av  (5.28b)
hib  (hib hob  hrb hfb ) rL
h h r
Zin  hib  rb fb L (5.28c)
1  hob rL
rs  hib
Zout  (5.28d)
(rs  hib ) hob  hrb hfb

You may now like to attempt an SAQ.

SAQ 4 – Common base amplifier

For a transistor, the h-parameters for CB configuration are
hib  20 , hrb  3  10 4 , hfb  0.98, hob  0.5 s. Calculate the Ai , Av and
Z in . The load resistance is 1 k.

Next, we consider the common collector amplifier.

5.6 ANALYSIS OF COMMON COLLECTOR

AMPLIFIER
In the common collector configuration shown in Fig. 5.15, the collector
terminal is common to both the input and the output. The input is at the base
and the output is taken off the emitter, that is, across the emitter resistor RE .

As the input goes more positive, the current flows in the transistor and IE
increases, which means that the output also goes more positive. In other
words, the output voltage is in phase with the input voltage. The common
collector amplifier is thus often called the “emitter follower” because the output
voltage on the emitter “follows” the input voltage at the base.

Fig. 5.15: Common collector amplifier.

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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
To calculate the current gain, voltage gain, input impedance and output
impedance we need to use the h-parameters in CC configuration: hic , hrc , hfc
and hoc as depicted in the hybrid circuit of CC configuration shown in
Fig. 5.16.

Fig. 5.16: Hybrid circuit of CC configuration.

Thee relations associated with CC configuration are as follows:

hfc
Ai  (5.29a)
1  hoc rL
 hfc rL
Av  (5.29b)
hic  (hichoc  hrc hfc ) rL
hrc hfc rL
Zin  hic  (5.29c)
1  hoc rL
rs  hic
Zout  (5.29d)
(rs  hic ) hoc  hrc hfc

To sum up, in Table 5.3 we give comparison among three types of amplifier
circuits.
Table 5.3: Comparative study of three types of amplifier circuits

Property Common emitter Common base Common

collector

Transistor Medium input A relatively low High input

impedance impedance and input impedance impedance and
medium output and high output low output
impedance impedance impedance

Current gain Large current Approximately no Current gain is

gain current gain high

Voltage gain Large voltage Voltage gain is Voltage gain is

gain fair less than unity

Phase of input Input and output No phase No phase reversal

and output signals are 180 reversal
signals apart

Principal use In transistor In very high In driving low

amplifiers frequencies impedance loads
like loudspeakers
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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

5.7 SUMMARY

Concept Description

4-terminal device  A four terminal (two port) network can be analysed by considering it to
be a black box with two specified currents (input-output) and two
specified voltages (input-output).

z-parameters  When the currents are taken to be independent variables and

voltages as dependent variables, then we get z-parameters.

y-parameters  With voltages as independent and currents as dependent variables,

we get y-parameters.

h-parameters  If input current and output voltage are taken to be independent, we get
hybrid (or h-) parameters. The basic equations are:
v1  h11 i1  h12 v 2

and i2  h21i1  h22 v 2

where h11 is input impedance, h12 is reverse voltage gain, h21 is

current gain and h22 is output admittance.

Transistor  The transistor parameters in terms of h-parameters are:

parameters i h21
 Current gain, Ai  2 
i1 1  h22 rL

v  h21rL
 Voltage gain, AV  2 
v1 h11  (h11h22  h12h21) rL
v h h r
 Input impedance, Zin  1  h11  12 21 L
i1 1 h22 rL
v rs  h11
 Output impedance, Zout  2 
i 2 (rs  h11) h22  h12h21


h-parameters for
different transistor
Parameter CE CC CB
configurations
h11 hie hic hib

h12 hre hrc hrb

h21 hfe hfc hfb

h22 hoe hoc hob

5.8 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Using the hybrid circuit for the CB configuration shown in Fig. 5.14, prove
hfe
that hfb  .
1  hfe
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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
2. For a transistor with the following h-parameters for CC configuration,
calculate the values of current gain and output impedance:
hic  10 k
hrc  1
hfc  100
hoc  20 S

It is given that source resistance rs  500  and load resistance rL  50  .

5.9 SOLUTIONS AND ANSWERS

Self-Assessment Questions
v 50 mV
1. a) h11  1   2.5 k
i1 20 A
i 4 mV
h21  2   200
i1 20 A
v 50 mV
b) h12  1   0.05
v2 1V
i 4 mA
h22  2   0.004 S  4 mS
v2 1V
2. h11  ohm ()

h12  no units (ratio of voltages)

h21  no units (ratio of currents)

h22  siemens or mho (S or  1)

3. Given that for CE configuration

h11  hie  5 k, h12  hre  1.2  104 ,
h21  hfe  200, h22  hoe  10 S and rL  2 k

For CE configuration:

i) Current gain

hfe 200
Ai  
1  hoerL 1  10  10 6  2  10 3

200 200
   196.0
1  2  10  2 1.02

ii) Voltage gain

 hfe rL
Av 
hie  (hie hoe  hre hfe ) rL

200  2  103

(5  103 )  (5  103  10  10 6 )  (1.2  10 4  200) (2  103 )
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Unit 5 Transistor Circuit Analysis

400  10 3

5  10 3  [0.05  0.024]  (2  10 3 )

 400  10 3  400
   79.18
(5  10 )  (0.052  10 )
3 3 5 .052

iii) Input impedance

h h r
Z in  hie  re fe L
1  hoerL

1.2  10 4  200  2  103

 (5  103 ) 
1  10  10  6  2  103
48
 5000   5000  47.06  4952.9 
1  0.02
4. For CB configuration,
hfb
Ai 
1  hob rL
 0.98  0.98
   0.98

1  (0.5  10 ) (1 10 ) 1  0.0005
6 3

 hfb rL
Av 
hib  (hib hob  hrb hfb ) rL

 0.98  1 103

20  [(20  0.5  10  6 )  (3  10  4  ( 0.98)]  (1 103 )

0.98  103

20  [(10  10  6 )  (2.94  10  4 )]  103

0.98  103 980

 
20  (0.1  2.94)  10 4  103 20  0.304

= 48.27
hrbhfb rL
Zin  hib 
1  hob rL

(3  10 4 )  ( 0.98) (1 103 ) 0.294

 20   20 

1  (0.5  10  1  10 )
6 3 1.0005

= 20.29 

Terminal Questions
1. For the common base circuit, the input current is i e , whereas output
i
current is i c . Hence hfb  c . The relation between the collector and
ie
emitter current is given by Eq. (3.1a):
ie  ic  ib

Now, from Eq. (4.2b), you know that the current gain  of the transistor is
given by
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Block 1 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
i
 c,
ib

But in common emitter configuration,

i
Current gain = hfe  c ( )
ib

From Eq. (3.1a), we can write

 1 
ie  i b  ic  ic   1
 hfe 

Current gain in CB configuration:

i ic hfe
hfb  c  
ie  1  1  hfe
ic   1
 fe
h 

2. Current gain in CC configuration is given by:

hfc
Ai 
1  hocrL

100 100
   100
6
1  (20  10  50) 1.001

rs  hic
Output impedance, Zout 
(rs  hic ) hoc  hrc hfc

500  (10  103 )


[(500  (10  103 ))  20  10 6 ]  (1 100)

10.5  103

(10.5  103  20  10 6 )  100

10.5  103 10.5  103

   105 
0.210  100 100

126