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Transistor

What is a transistor? A transistor is a type of

semiconductor device that can be used to
conduct and insulate electric current or voltage.
A transistor basically acts as a switch and an
amplifier. In simple words, we can say that a
transistor is a miniature device that is used to
control or regulate the flow of electronic signals.

Download Complete Chapter Notes of

Semiconductors and electronic devices

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Transistors are one of the key components in

most of the electronic devices that are present
today. Developed in the year 1947 by three
American physicists, John Bardeen, Walter
Brattain and William Shockley, the transistor is
considered one of the most important
inventions in the history of science.

Table of Contents
Parts of a Transistor

Types of Transistors

How Do Transistors Work?

Characteristics of Transistor

Advantages of Transistor

Parts of a Transistor
A typical transistor is composed of three layers
of semiconductor materials or, more
specifically, terminals which help to make a
connection to an external circuit and carry the
current. A voltage or current that is applied to
any one pair of the terminals of a transistor
controls the current through the other pair of
terminals. There are three terminals for a
transistor. They are listed below:

Base: This is used to activate the transistor.

Collector: It is the positive lead of the

transistor.

Emitter: It is the negative lead of the

transistor.

Well, the very basic working principle of a

transistor is based on controlling the flow of
current through one channel by varying the
intensity of a smaller current that is flowing
through a second channel.

Also Read:

Transistor as a Switch

Transistor as an Amplifier

Types of Transistors
There are mainly two types of transistors, based
on how they are used in a circuit.

Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)

The three terminals of BJT are the base, emitter
and collector. A very small current flowing
between the base and emitter can control a
larger flow of current between the collector and
emitter terminal.

Furthermore, there are two types of BJT, and

they include:

P-N-P Transistor: It is a type of BJT where

one n-type material is introduced or
placed between two p-type materials. In
such a configuration, the device will
control the flow of current. PNP transistor
consists of 2 crystal diodes which are
connected in series. The right side and left
side of the diodes are known as the
collector-base diode and emitter-base
diode, respectively.

N-P-N Transistor: In this transistor, we will

find one p-type material that is present
between two n-type materials. N-P-N
transistor is basically used to amplify weak
signals to strong signals. In an NPN
transistor, the electrons move from the
emitter to the collector region, resulting in
the formation of current in the transistor.
This transistor is widely used in the circuit.

There are three types of configuration, which are

common base (CB), common collector (CC)
and common emitter (CE).

In common base (CB) configuration, the base

terminal of the transistor is common between
input and output terminals.

In common collector (CC) configuration, the

collector terminals are common between the
input and output terminals.

In common emitter (CE) configuration, the

emitter terminal is common between the input
and the output terminals.

Field Effect Transistor (FET)

For FET, the three terminals are Gate, Source and
Drain. The voltage at the gate terminal can
control a current between the source and the
drain. FET is a unipolar transistor in which N-
channel FET or P-channel FET are used for
conduction. The main applications of FETs are in
low noise amplifiers, buffer amplifiers and
analogue switches.

Other Types
Apart from these, there are many other types of
transistors which include MOSFET, JFET,
insulated-gate bipolar transistor, thin-film
transistor, high electron mobility transistor,
inverted-T field-effect transistor (ITFET), fast-
reverse epitaxial diode field-effect transistor
(FREDFET), Schottky transistor, tunnel field-effect
transistor, organic field-effect transistor (OFET),
diffusion transistor, etc.

How Do Transistors Work?

Let us look at the working of transistors. We know
that BJT consists of three terminals (Emitter,
Base and Collector). It is a current-driven device
where two P-N junctions exist within a BJT.

One P-N junction exists between the emitter and

base region, and the second junction exists
between the collector and base region. A very
small amount of current flow through the
emitter to the base can control a reasonably
large amount of current flow through the device
from the emitter to the collector.

In the usual operation of BJT, the base-emitter

junction is forward-biased, and the base-
collector junction is reverse-biased. When a
current flows through the base-emitter junction,
the current will flow in the collector circuit.

In order to explain the working of the transistor,

let us take an example of an NPN transistor. The
same principles are used for the PNP transistor,
except that the current carriers are holes, and
the voltages are reversed.

Operation of NPN Transistor

The emitter of the NPN device is made of n-type
material; hence, the majority of carriers are
electrons. When the base-emitter junction is
forward-biased, the electrons will move from
the n-type region towards the p-type region,
and the minority carrier holes move towards the
n-type region.

When they meet each other, they will combine,

enabling a current to flow across the junction.
When the junction is reverse-biased, the holes
and electrons move away from the junction,
and now, the depletion region forms between
the two areas and no current will flow through it.

When a current flows between the base and

emitter, the electrons will leave the emitter and
flow into the base, as shown above. Normally,
the electrons will combine when they reach the
depletion region.

But the doping level in this region is very low,

and the base is also very thin. This means that
most of the electrons are able to travel across
the region without recombining with holes. As a
result, the electrons will drift towards the
collector.

In this way, they are able to flow across what is

effectively a reverse-biased junction, and the
current flows in the collector circuit.

Also Read: p-n Junction

Characteristics of Transistor
Characteristics of the transistor are the plots
which can represent the relation between the
current and the voltage of a transistor in a
particular configuration.

There are two types of characteristics.

Input characteristics: It will give us the

details about the change in input current
with the variation in input voltage by
keeping output voltage constant.

Output characteristics: It is a plot of output

current with output voltage by keeping the
input current constant.

Current transfer characteristics: This plot

shows the variation of the output current
with the input current by keeping the
voltage constant.

Input Characteristics
CB Configuration

The following chart will describe the variation of

emitter current, IE with base – Emitter voltage,
VBE keeping collector voltage constant, VCB.

CC Configuration

It shows the variation in IB in accordance with

VCB with collector-emitter voltage VCE keeping
constant.

CE Configuration

Here it shows the variation in IB in accordance

with VBE by keeping VCE constant.

Output Characteristics
CB Configuration

This chart shows the variation of collector

current, IC with VCB, by keeping the emitter
current IE constant.

CC Configuration

This exhibits the variation in IE against the

changes in VCE by keeping IB constant.

CE Configuration

Here, it shows the variation in IC with the

changes in VCE by keeping IB constant.

Current Transfer Characteristics

CB Configuration

It gives the variation of IC with the IE by keeping

VCB as constant.

CC Configuration

This shows the variation of IE with IB by keeping

VCE constant.

CE Configuration

Here, it shows the variation of IC with IB by

keeping VCE constant.

Advantages of Transistor
Lower cost and smaller in size.

Smaller mechanical sensitivity.

Low operating voltage.

Extremely long life.

No power consumption.

Fast switching.

Better efficiency circuits can be

developed.

Used to develop a single integrated circuit.

Limitations of Transistors
Transistors have a few limitations, and they are
as follows:

Transistors lack higher electron mobility.

Transistors can be easily damaged when

electrical and thermal events arise. For
example, electrostatic discharge in
handling.

Transistors are affected by cosmic rays

and radiation.

Video Lessons

Semiconductors – Important
Questions

1,364

Semiconductors – Important
Topics

4,414

Frequently Asked Questions on

Transistor

Q1 Which region of the transistor is lightly

doped?

The base of the transistor is lightly doped.

Q2 How is the emitter region of the transistor

different from the collector region?

The emitter is more heavily doped than the

collector.

Q3 What is the normal biasing of the diodes of

the transistor?

The emitter-base junction is forward-biased, and

the collector-base junction is reversed-biased.

Q4 How many depletion regions does a transistor

have?

The transistor has two depletion regions.

Test your Knowledge on

Transistor

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of this concept to test
by answering a few
MCQs. Click ‘Start Quiz’
to begin!

Select the correct answer and click on

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