KALAM ZERO RESEARCH FUNDING LAB
The bipolar junction transistor, or BJT, is one of the fundamental building blocks of electronic circuits. It can operate as an amplifier or as a switching device.
To study the input and output characteristics of an NPN transistor in the common-emitter configuration and to understand how a small base current can control a larger collector current.
The experiment also demonstrates the basic principle of a common-emitter amplifier.
A bipolar junction transistor has three terminals: Emitter (E), Base (B), and Collector (C). For an NPN transistor, a small current injected into the base controls a substantially larger collector current.
In the common-emitter configuration, the emitter is the common reference terminal. The input is applied between base and emitter, while the output is measured between collector and emitter.
where β, or hFE, is the DC current gain of the transistor.
A small AC signal applied to the base can produce a larger voltage variation at the collector. The common-emitter amplifier generally produces a phase inversion between its input and output voltage.
The common-emitter amplifier produces an amplified output with approximately 180° phase inversion in the simplified simulation.
For output characteristics, the graph shows collector current IC against collector-emitter voltage VCE for several base-current levels.
Set a measurement point and click ADD OBSERVATION.
| Trial | VBE | IB | VCE | IC | Region |
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Need help understanding transistor operation? Ask CHITTI for guidance.
"What is a BJT?"
"What is transistor beta?"
"Explain cut-off, active and saturation."
"Why does a common-emitter amplifier invert the signal?"
"What is the difference between a transistor switch and transistor amplifier?"
If the base current is increased while the transistor remains in the active region, what should happen to the collector current?
In a physical circuit, transistor voltage and current ratings must always be respected. Excessive collector current or power dissipation can permanently damage the transistor.