Section 6–1

◆ A small-signal amplifier uses only a small portion of its load line under signal conditions. ◆ The ac
load line differs from the dc load line because the effective ac collector resistance is less than the dc
collector resistance.

Section 6–2
◆ r parameters are easily identifiable and applicable with a transistor’s circuit operation.

◆ h parameters are important because manufacturers’ datasheets specify transistors using h

Section 6–3
◆ A common-emitter amplifier has high voltage, current, and power gains, but a relatively low input
resistance.

◆ Swamping is a method of stabilizing the voltage gain.

Section 6–4
◆ A common-collector amplifier has high input resistance and high current gain, but its voltage gain is
approximately 1.

◆ A Darlington pair provides beta multiplication for increased input resistance.

◆ A common-collector amplifier is known as an emitter-follower.

Section 6–5
◆ The common-base amplifier has a high voltage gain, but it has a very low input resistance and its
current gain is approximately 1.

◆ Common-emitter, common-collector, and common-base amplifier configurations are summarized in

◆ Single-stage amplifiers can be connected in sequence with capacitively-coupling and direct coupling
methods to form multistage amplifiers.

Section 6–7
◆ A differential input voltage appears between the inverting and noninverting inputs of a differential
amplifier.

◆ In the differential mode, a diff-amp can be operated with single-ended or double-ended inputs.

◆ In single-ended operation, there is a signal on one input and the other input is grounded.

◆ In double-ended operation, two signals that are 180° out of phase are on the inputs.

◆ Common-mode occurs when equal in-phase voltages are applied to both input terminals.

ac ground A point in a circuit that appears as ground to ac signals only.

Attenuation The reduction in the level of power, current, or voltage.

Bypass capacitor A capacitor placed across the emitter resistor of an amplifier.

CMRR (common-mode rejection ratio) A measure of a differential amplifier’s ability to reject common-
mode signals.

Common-base (CB) A BJT amplifier configuration in which the base is the common terminal to an ac
signal or ground.

Common-collector (CC) A BJT amplifier configuration in which the collector is the common terminal to
an ac signal or ground.
Common-emitter (CE) A BJT amplifier configuration in which the emitter is the common terminal to an
ac signal or ground.

Common mode A condition where two signals applied to differential inputs are of the same phase,
frequency, and amplitude.

Decibel A logarithmic measure of the ratio of one voltage to another or one power to another.
Differential amplifier An amplifier in which the output is a function of the difference between two input
voltages.

Emitter-follower A popular term for a common-collector amplifier.

Input resistance The resistance seen by an ac source connected to the input of an amplifier.

Output resistance The ac resistance looking in at the output of an amplifier.

r parameter One of a set of BJT characteristic parameters that include ∝𝑎𝑐 , 𝐵𝑎𝑐 , 𝑟′e, 𝑟′b, and 𝑟′c,
TRUE/FALSE QUIZ

TRUE 1. In an amplifier, a coupling capacitor should appear ideally as a short to the signal.

TRUE 2. r parameters include βac and r′e.

FALSE 3. h parameters are never specified on a datasheet

TRUE 4. The r parameter Bac is the same as the h parameter hje

FALSE 5. A bypass capacitor in a CE amplifier decreases the voltage gain.

FALSE 6. If Rc in a CE amplifier is increased, the voltage gain is reduced.

TRUE 7. The load is the amount of current between a load and the output of an amplifier

TRUE 8. In a CE amplifier, the gain can be stabilized by using a swamping resistor.

TRUE 9. An emitter-follower is a CC amplifier.

FALSE 10. A CC amplifier has high voltage gain.

TRUE 11. A Darlington pair consists essentially of two CC amplifiers

FALSE 12. A CB amplifier has high current gain.

TRUE 13. The overall voltage gain of a multistage amplifier is the product of the gains of each stage.

TRUE 14. A differential amplifier amplifies the difference of two input signals.

FALSE 15. CMRR is the common-mode resistance ratio.

SELF TEST

A 1. A small-signal amplifier

(a) uses only a small portion of its load line

(b) always has an output signal in the mV range

(c) goes into saturation once on each input cycle (d) is always a common-emitter amplifier

B 2. The parameter hfe corresponds to

(a) BDC (b) Bac (c) r’e (d) r’c

C 3. If the dc emitter current in a certain transistor amplifier is 3 mA, the approximate value of r’e is

(a) 3kΩ (b) 3Ω (c) 8.33Ω d) 0.33Ω

(a) the circuit will become unstable

(b) the voltage gain will decrease

(c) the voltage gain will increase

(d) the Q-point will shift

A 5. For a common-emitter amplifier, Rc = 1.0 kO, RE = 390 N, r'e = 15 0, and Bac = 75. Assuming that
RE is completely bypassed at the operating frequency, the voltage gain is

(a) 66.7 (b) 2.56 (c) 2.47 (d) 75

Av = Rc/ r’e = 1000/15 = 66.7

B 6. In the circuit of Question 5, if the frequency is reduced to the point where XC (bypass)= RE, the
voltage gain

B 7. In a common-emitter amplifier with voltage-divider bias, RIN(BASE)=68kΩ, R1= 33kΩ, and R2=
15kΩ. The total ac input resistance is

(a) 68kΩ (b) 8.95kΩ (c) 22.2kΩ (d) 12.3kΩ

Rin(base) = R1||R2|| Rin(base)

33(15) 10.3125(68)
= 10.3125 = 8.95 kohm
33+15 10.3125+68

D 8. A CE amplifier is driving a 10 kΩ load. If Rc = 2.2 kΩ and r’e = 10 Ω the voltage gain is

(a) 220 (b) 1000 (c) 10 (d) 180

D 9. For a common-collector amplifier, RE= 100Ω, r’e =10Ω, and = 150. The ac input
resistance at the base is

(a) 1500 Ω (b) 15k Ω (c) 110 Ω (d) 16.5 kΩ

D 10. If a 10 mV signal is applied to the base of the emitter-follower circuit in Question 9, the
output signal is approximately

(a) 100 mV (b) 150 mV (c) 1.5 V (d) 10 Mv

(a) 50Av (b) 50 (c) 1 (d) answers (a) and (b)

C 12. In a Darlington pair configuration, each transistor has an ac beta of 125. If RE is 560 ohms, the
input resistance is

(a) 560 Ω (b) 70 kΩ (c) 8.75M Ω (d) 140 kΩ

A 13. The input resistance of a common-base amplifier is

(a) very low (b) very high (c) the same as a CE (d) the same as a CC

C 14. Each stage of a four-stage amplifier has a voltage gain of 15. The overall voltage gain is

(a) 60 (b) 15 (c) 50,625 (d) 3078

A 15 . The overall gain found in Question 14 can be expressed in decibels as

(a) 94.1 dB (b) 47.0 dB (c) 35.6 dB (d) 69.8 Db

D 16. A differential amplifier

(a) is used in op-amps

(b) has one input and one output

(c) has two outputs

(d) answers (a) and (c)

B 17. When a differential amplifier is operated single-ended,

(a) the output is grounded

(b) one input is grounded and a signal is applied to the other

(c) both inputs are connected together

(d) the output is not inverted

A 18. In the double-ended differential mode,

(a) opposite polarity signals are applied to the inputs

(b) the gain is 1

(c) the outputs are different amplitudes

(d) only one supply voltage is used

C 19. In the common mode,

(a) both inputs are grounded

(c) an identical signal appears on both inputs

(d) the output signals are in-phase

CIRCUIT ACTION QUIZ

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

B 2. If C2 is removed from the circuit in Figure 6–8, Vout will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

A 3. If the value of RC in Figure 6–8 is increased, Vout will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

B 4. If the amplitude of Vin in Figure 6–8 is decreased, Vout will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

A 5. If C2 in Figure 6–27 is shorted, the average value of the output voltage will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

C 6. If the value of RE in Figure 6–27 is increased, the voltage gain will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

C 7. If the value of C1 in Figure 6–27 is increased, Vout will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

C 8. If the value of RC in Figure 6–32 is increased, the current gain will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

C 9. If C2 and C4 in Figure 6–34 are increased in value, Vout will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change

C 10. If the value of R4 in Figure 6–34 is reduced, the overall voltage gain will

(a) increase (b) decrease (c) not change