DC Biasing – BJTs

Topic 4 (Chapter 4)
(Some materials are from Malvino’s book)
 Biasing

Biasing: Applying DC voltages to a transistor in order

to turn it on so that it can amplify AC signals.
The Three Operating Regions

Active or Linear Region Operation

• Base–Emitter junction is forward biased
• Base–Collector junction is reverse biased

Cutoff Region Operation

• Base–Emitter junction is reverse biased

Saturation Region Operation

• Base–Emitter junction is forward biased
• Base–Collector junction is forward biased or
near forward bias
 Regions of operation

1. Active - - - used for linear amplification

2. Cutoff - - - used in switching applications
3. Saturation - - - used in switching applications

• Breakdown - - - can destroy the transistor and should

be avoided
 Current gain is not fixed
• Depends on:

Transistor
Collector current
Temperature
 DC Biasing Circuits
Fixed-bias or Base-Bias
Emitter Bias
Voltage divider bias circuit
DC bias with voltage feedback
 Base-Bias or Fixed-Bias
• Setting up a fixed value of base current
• Usually VBB and VCC are the same supply
VBB - VBE
IB =
RB 1 kW RC

VCE = VCC - ICRC VCE

RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Typical Base-Bias or
Fixed-Bias Amplifier Circuit

• A single supply is used

• Coupling capacitors are used to shield the
circuit from input and output DC voltages
 Load line
• A visual summary of all the possible
transistor operating points
• Connects saturation current (ICsat) to cutoff
voltage (VCEcutoff )
 Load line
VCC - VCE A graph of this equation
IC = produces a load line.
RC

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
 Saturation
When the transistor is operating in
saturation, current through the transistor
is at its maximum possible value.

V
ICsat  CC
R
C

VCE  0 V
 Understanding Saturation
12 V
IC =
1 kW
1 kW RC
Mental
short

RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Understanding Saturation
12 V This is the
IC = = 12 mA
1 kW Saturation (maximum) current.

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
 Understanding Cutoff

1 kW RC

Mental
open
RB 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
 Understanding Cutoff
VCE(cutoff) = VCC

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
The Effect of VCC on the Q-Point
The Effect of RC on the Q-Point
The Effect of IB on the Q-Point
 Operating point
• Determined by:

Finding saturation current and cutoff voltage

points
Connecting points to produce a load line
The operating (Q) point is established by the
value of base current
 Operating point
A circuit can operate at any point on the load line.

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
 Operating point
The operating point is determined by the base current.
VBB - VBE
IB =
RB
1 kW RC
12 V - 0.7 V
IB = = 40 mA
283 kW

RB = 283 kW 12 V VCC

VBB 12 V
The operating point is called the Q or quiescent point.

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
Q 40 mA
6
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
This Q point is in the linear region.
Saturation and cutoff are non-linear operating points.

14 100 mA
12 80 mA
10 60 mA
IC in mA 8
6 40 mA
4 20 mA
2
0 mA
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VCE in Volts
These Q points are used in switching applications.
 Transistor circuits
• Amplifying and switching
• Amplifying – Q point is in the active region
• Switching – Q point switches between
saturation and cutoff
 Transistor Switching Networks
Transistors with only the DC source applied can be
used as electronic switches.
 Transistor Switch Using Base Bias
• Base bias is used
• The Q point switches between saturation and
cutoff
• Switching circuits, also called two-state
circuits, are used in digital applications
Hard Saturation Used In
Transistor Switches
 +VCC

Problems with
Base bias RC
RB

•The least predictable

•Q point moves with replacement
•Q point moves with temperature
•Not practical
 Emitter bias:
11 kW
kW RC
VBB - VBE IC  IE
IE = = 1.95 mA
RE

15 V VCC

VBB 5V 2.2 kW RE

VC = 15 V - (1.95 mA)(1 kW) = 13.1 V

VCE = 13.1 V - 4.3 V = 8.8 V
Comparing Base Bias and Emitter Bias
• Base bias is subject to variations in
transistor current gain.
• Base bias is subject to temperature effects.
• Emitter bias almost eliminates these
effects.
• The transistor current gain is not required
when solving circuits with emitter bias.
 Base-Biased and Emitter-Biased
LED Drivers

Base-biased Emitter-biased

• The base-biased LED driver is designed to operate

between cutoff and hard saturation
– LED voltage drop changes LED current and brightness
• The emitter-biased LED driver is designed to
operate between cutoff and active region
– LED voltage drop has no effect on LED current
 Voltage divider bias +VCC
• Base circuit contains a
voltage divider
RC
• Most widely used R1
• Known as VDB

• Very stable
• Eliminates the need for
two supplies of emitter R2 RE
bias.
 Requires just 1 supply
• The most popular
Voltage divider bias circuit +VCC

RC
R1

R1 and R2 form
a voltage divider

R2 RE
 Divider analysis: +VCC

R1

R2
VBB = VCC +VBB
R 1 + R2

ASSUMPTION: The base R2

current is normally much
smaller than the divider current.
 Now the circuit can be viewed this way:
+VCC
To complete the analysis:
VBB - VBE RC
IE =
RE
I C  IE
VC = VCC - ICRC
VCE = VC - VE VBB RE
 VDB analysis
• The base current must be much smaller than
current through the divider
• With the base voltage constant, the circuit
produces a stable Q point under varying
operational conditions
Is the divider a stiff source? +VCC

RC
R1

Find the Thevenin

resistance.

RTH = R1 R2 R2 RE
A Thevenin model of the bias circuit:
+VCC

RC

RTH

VBB RE
The 100:1 rule applied to the bias circuit:
+VCC

RC
RTH < 0.01 RIN
RTH
RIN

When this rule is met,

VBB the divider is stiff. RE
Sometimes a firm divider is chosen. +VCC

R1 R2 < 0.1 bdcRE RC

R1

A closer approximation:

VBB - VBE
IE = R2
R1 R2 RE
RE +
bdc
 VDB load line and Q point
• VDB is derived from emitter bias
• The Q point is immune to changes in current
gain
• The Q point is moved by varying the emitter
resistor
Two-supply emitter bias
VEE - 0.7 V 3.6 kW 10 V
IE =
RE
Assume 0 V

2.7 kW 1 kW

2 V - 0.7 V 2V
IE = = 1.3 mA
1 kW
 Find the voltages:
3.6 kW 10 V
VC = 10 V - (1.3 mA)(3.6 kW) = 5.32 V

VCE = 5.32 V - (-0.7 V) = 6.02 V

2.7 kW 1 kW

2V
Other Biasing Techniques
 Emitter-feedback bias or Emitter-
Stabilized Bias Circuit
+VCC

RC
RB

• Adding an emitter resistor to RE

base-bias stabilizes the circuit.
• Uses Feedback Compensation
Figure: DC Equivalent Circuit
• Q point still moves
• Not popular
 Collector-feedback bias +V
CC

RC
RB

•Better than emitter-feedback bias

•Q point still moves
•Some applications because of circuit
simplicity
Collector- and emitter-feedback bias:
Our text calls it DC Bias With Voltage Feedback
+VCC

RC
RB

•Better than emitter-feedback bias RE

•Not as good as voltage-divider bias
•Limited application
 EMITTER-FOLLOWER
CONFIGURATION

• The output is taken off the emitter terminal

– In fact, any of the bias configurations can be used
so long as there is a resistor in the emitter leg.
EMITTER-FOLLOWER DC ANALYSIS
 COMMON-BASE CONFIGURATION

• The input signal is applied at the emitter terminal

• The base is at ground potential.
• It is a fairly popular configuration because in the ac
domain it has a very low input impedance, high
output impedance, and good gain.
 Multiple BJT Networks:
R-C Coupled BJT Amplifiers

• The R–C coupling is probably the most common.

• The collector output of one stage is fed directly into the base
of the next stage using a coupling capacitor CC
• The capacitor is chosen to ensure that it will block dc between
the stages and act like a short circuit to any ac signal.
 Multiple BJT Networks:
R-C Coupled BJT Amplifiers

• Substituting an open-circuit equivalent for CC

and the other capacitors of the network
results in the two bias circuits
 Multiple BJT Networks:
The Darlington Configuration
• The output of one stage is directly fed into the
input of the succeeding stage.
• If the output is taken directly
off the emitter terminal, the ac
gain is very close to 1 but the
input impedance is very high
 Attractive for use in
amplifiers operating off
sources that have a
relatively high internal
resistance.
• If the output taken off the
collector terminal, the
configuration would provide a
very high gain
The Darlington Configuration

where
 Multiple BJT Networks:
The Cascode Configuration
• It ties the
collector of one
transistor to the
emitter of the
other.
• A network with a
high gain and a
reduced Miller
capacitance (to be
discussed later)
The Cascode Configuration: DC
Analysis

RE
 CURRENT MIRRORS
• A dc network in which the current through a
load is controlled by a current at another
point in the network
CURRENT MIRRORS

The resistor R can be used to

set the control current
 CURRENT SOURCE CIRCUITS

• An ideal current source provides a constant

current regardless of the load connected to it.
• Constant-current circuits can be built using
bipolar devices, FET devices, and a
combination of these components.
 Bipolar Transistor Constant-
Current Source
• Bipolar transistors can be connected in a
number of ways to form constant-current
sources

• IC is the constant current

provided by the circuit.
 Transistor/Zener
Constant-Current Source

• Provides an improved
constant-current source
• The constant current
depends on the Zener
diode voltage and the
emitter resistor RE
• The voltage supply VEE has
no effect on the value of I.
 Biasing PNP Transistors

EC IC
EB IB

EE IE
Electron flow Conventional flow
• The analysis for pnp transistor biasing
circuits is the same as that for npn transistor
circuits.
– The only difference is that the currents are
flowing in the opposite direction.
 -VCC
PNP Biasing with a
negative supply RC
R1

R2 RE
 +VEE
PNP Biasing with a
positive supply RE
R2

R1 RC
 Troubleshooting a transistor
• Ohmmeter resistance tests
• DMM resistance or hFE function tests
• In-circuit voltage measurements
Troubleshooting: Out-of- Circuit Tests
In- Circuit Test: Transistor curve tracer
 More Optoelectronic devices
• A phototransistor has current gain and is
more sensitive than a photodiode
• Combined with an LED, a phototransistor
provides a more sensitive optocoupler
Optocoupler with LED and
phototransistor
Logic Gates