Field-Effect Transistor (FET) is a semiconductor device that consists of a channel

made of a semiconductor material, with two electrodes connected at either end,

namely the drain and the source.
What is FET?
FET is a type of semiconductor device which is having a semiconductor-based
channel connected to two electrodes. The two electrodes named the drain and the
source connected to either end. It has a third electrode named the gate which
controls the current flow between the given two electrodes named the drain and the
source.
The FET is classified into two types based on its mode of operation, specifically
the enhancement mode and depletion mode FETs, depending upon whether the
voltage applied at the gate terminal then increases or decreases the current flow
through the channel. The idea of the field effect transistor depends on the
possibility that a charge on a nearby thing can draw in charges inside a
semiconductor channel. It essentially works by using an electric field effect, and
this is how its name started.

Working of FET Transistor

It has 3 terminals: gate, drain, and source. The working principle is as per
the following:
To allow electrons or holes to flow between the source and drain
terminals, they are doped with material of the n-type or p-type variety.

An electric field is created in the channel area between the source and
drain when a voltage is applied to the gate terminal. This electric field
modulates the conductivity of the channel, behaving like a “valve” that
controls the current flow between the source and drain. For an n-channel
FET, applying a positive voltage to the gate attracts free electrons into the
channel, increasing its conductivity and allowing more current to flow
between the source and drain. For a p-channel FET, a negative voltage
on the gate repulses holes, expanding conductivity.
By changing the gate voltage, the conductivity and current flow through
the channel can be finely controlled. This permits FETs to be utilized as
electronic switches and in amplifying circuits. The electric field effect gives
a high input impedance and low noise performance, making FETs
valuable in RF applications and as sensitive analog signal amplifiers.

Types of FET Transistor

A Field Effect Transistor (FET) operation depends on a controlled input
voltage. By appearance, JFET and bipolar transistors are basically the
same. BJT is a current-controlled device, and JFET is controlled by the
input voltage. Two types of FETs are available.
 Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)
 Metal Oxide Semiconductor FET (MOSFET)

Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)

Junction Field Effect Transistors, or JFETs, operate based on the
movement of electrons or holes, which are the majority carriers. These
transistors are constructed using a silicon bar that contains PN junctions
on its sides. To better understand JFETs, here are some essential points
to keep in mind.
The gate of a JFET is formed by heavily doping the two sides of the N-
type bar using diffusion or alloying techniques. These doped regions are
known as the gate (G). The majority of carriers enter
the semiconductor bar through the source, which serves as the entry
point. On the other hand, the drain acts as the exit point, allowing the
majority of carriers to leave the semiconductor bar. The channel refers to
the N-type material area that facilitates the flow of majority carriers from
the source to the drain. In the realm of semiconductor devices, there are
two commonly used types of JFETs: N-channel JFET and P-channel
JFET. Both variants play a crucial role in various electronic applications.

Output Characteristics of JFET:

The output characteristics of JFET are drawn between drain current (ID)
and drain source voltage (VDS) at constant gate source voltage (VGS), as
shown in the following figure.
Initially, the drain current (ID) rises rapidly with drain source voltage
(VDS), however, at a voltage known as pinch-off voltage (VP). Above the
pinch-off voltage, the channel width turns out to be restricted to such an
extent that it allows a very small drain current to go through it.
Subsequently, drain current (ID) remains constant above the pinch-off
voltage.
The main parameters of JFET are:
 AC drain resistance (Rd)
 Transconductance
 Amplification factor
AC drain resistance (Rd): is the ratio of the change in the drain source
voltage (ΔVDS) to the change in drain current (ΔID) at a constant gate
source voltage. It can be expressed as,
Rd = (ΔVDS)/(ΔID) at constant VGS
Transconductance (gfs): − It is the ratio of the change in drain current
(ΔID) to the change in gate source voltage (ΔVGS) at a constant drain
source voltage. It can be expressed as,

gfs = (ΔID)/(ΔVGS) at constant VDS

Amplification Factor (u) − It is the proportion of progress in channel
source voltage (ΔVDS) to the change in gate source voltage (ΔVGS)
constant drain current (ΔID).
It can be expressed as

u = (VDS)/(VGS) at constant ID
Biasing of JFET
There are two methods in use for biasing the JFET:
 Self-Bias Method
 Potential Divider Method or Voltage Divider Method
Self-Bias Method: The following figure shows the self-bias method for n-
channel JFET. The drain current flows through Rs and produces the
required bias voltage. Therefore, Rs acts as the bias resistor.
‘
Hence, voltage across the bias resistor,
Vs = IDRS
As we know, gate current is negligible; the gate terminal is at DC ground,
VG = 0.
VGS = VG – Vs = 0 – IDRS
VGS = – IDRS
VGS keeps the gate negative with respect to the source.

Voltage Divider Method: The following figure shows the voltage-divider

method for biasing the JFETs. Here, resistors R1 and R2 form a voltage
divider circuit across drain supply voltage (VDD), and it is more or less
identical to the one used in transistor biasing.

The voltage across R2 provides the necessary bias.

V2 = VG = VDD (R1 + R2 ) / R2
= V2 + VGS + ID + RS
Or VGS = V2 – IDRS
The circuit is designed so that VGS is always negative. The following
formula can be used to determine the operating point:
ID = (V2 – VGS ) / RS,
and
VDS = VDD – ID(RD + RS).
Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors
(MOSFET
Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors, or MOSFETs, are a
new addition to the FET family with increased significance. It has a lightly
doped P-type substrate into which two exceptionally doped N-type zones
are diffused. A one-of-a kind component of this device is its gate
construction. The channel is completely insulated from the gate. At the
point when voltage is applied to the gate, it will develop an electrostatic
charge.

FET Amplifiers
 FET (Common Source Amplifier Circuit): The common source FET
configuration is the most commonly used of all the FET circuit
configurations for many applications, providing a high level of all-round
performance. The common source circuit has medium input and output
impedance levels. Both current and voltage gain can be described as
medium; however, the output is the inverse of the input, for example, a
180° stage change. This gives an overall performance, and as such, it
is often considered the most widely used configuration.
 FET (Common Source Amplifier Circuit): The input signal enters by
C. The gate is not affected by any DC voltage generated by the
previous stages by this capacitor. The resistor R1 holds the door at
ground potential. The T value could typically be associated with 1 Mω.
The resistor R2 develops a voltage across it, holding the source over
the ground potential. C2 acts as a bypass capacitor to provide
additional gain at AC. The resistor R3 develops the output voltage
across it, and C3 couples the AC to the next stage while blocking the
DC.
 FET Common drain/source follower amplifier circuit: Like the
transistor emitter follower, the FET source follower configuration
itself gives a high level of buffering and a high input impedance.
Because it is a field-effect device, the FET itself has a very high
actual input resistance. This implies that the source follower circuit
can provide superb performance as a buffer. The voltage gain is
unity, but the current gain is high. The input and output are in phase.
The circuit shown below gives a typical example of a FET source
follower/buffer circuit. The capacitors C1 and C2 are used to couple
the AC signal among stages and block the DC elements. The
resistor R1 gives the gate bias, holding the gate at ground potential.
The source circuit shows the resistor R2 to ground; its value is
determined by the channel current that is required. The source
follower circuit presents a very high impedance compared to the
previous stage, and hence, the source follower is an ideal format for
use as a buffer.
 FET (Common Gate Amplifier Circuit): The FET common gate
amplifier circuit is the least widely used; however, it has a few
characteristics that can be effectively used in certain applications.
As such, the FET common gate circuit is seen as being used in a
 limited number of applications, although the common source and
common drain configurations are used far more widely.

Characteristics of FET
Field Effect A transistor is a unipolar device where the current is carried
only by the majority of part carriers (either by holes or electrons). A FET is
a voltage-controlled device; by controlling the voltage between the gate
and source, the output current gets varied.
Let us consider N-channel JFET for understanding the operating regions.
The operation or characteristics of JFET are divided into three different
regions: the ohmic region, the saturation region, and the cutoff region. The
voltage that is applied to the drain is referred to as VDS (sometimes also
as VDD), and the voltage that is applied to the gate is referred to as VGS
or VGG.

Ohmic Region
This prevents the channel from being pinched off and causes the current
ID to rise because the VDS value is greater than zero and lower than VP.
At the point when we increase the gate source voltage (VGS), the channel
conductance falls and the resistance is increased. In this way, the
depletion regions will spread more, creating a narrow channel. The
channel resistance changes by and large from 100 ohms to 10K ohms
and controls the voltage. Thus, transistors act as voltage-controlled
resistors in this region.
Saturation Region (VDS > VGS-VP )
This region starts from where VDS is greater than VGS minus VP; here
VP is the pinch-off voltage. Around here, the drain current ID completely
depends on the VGS and is not an element of the VDS. The FET operates
in this region to amplify the signal with respect to switching operations as
well. From the figure, it is seen that when VGS is zero, the maximum
current ID flows. The drain current decreases when the VGS is made
more negative. At a specific value of VGS, the drain current flows
constantly through the device. Consequently, this region is also called the
constant current region.

Cutoff Region (VGS < VP)

The region in which the drain current ID is zero and the device is off is
known as the cutoff region (VGS < VP). The gate source voltage VGS is
less than the pinch-off voltage VP. This implies the value of VGS is more
negative than VP. As a result, the channel closes, preventing the device
from receiving any current.
Breakdown Region
This is the last and terminal region of the characteristics curve for the field
effect transistor; you can see this region on the right corner. At this point,
the voltage shown by the VDS between the drain and source is very high.
The voltage is sufficiently high that the conductive channel is broken, and
maximum current goes through the channel into the drain.

FET switching circuits

From the above discussion, the FET can be used as a switch by operating
it in two regions: the cutoff region and the saturation region. At the point
when the VGS is zero, the FET works in the saturation region, and
maximum current flows through it. Consequently, it is like a fully turned-on
condition. Similarly, when the VGS applied is more negative than the
pinch-off voltage, the FET works in the cutoff region and does not allow
any current to flow through the device. Consequently FET is in completely
OFF condition. The FET can be used as a switch in different
configurations; a portion of these are given below.:

 FET as a Shunt Switch

 FET as a Series Switch

FET as a Shunt Switch

At the point when the VGS applied is zero, the FET is turned on by
operating in the saturation region, and its resistance is very small, 100
ohms. The output voltage across the FET is VOUT = Vin * {RDS/(RD +
RDS (ON))}. The output voltage is considered zero due to the large
resistance RD.
At the point when we apply the negative voltage, which is equivalent to
the pinch-off voltage at the gate, the FET operates in the cutoff region and
acts as a high-resistance device, and the output voltage is equivalent to
the input voltage.
FET as a Series Switch
A FET acts as a series switch in this circuit. It acts as a closed switch if
the control voltage is zero and an open switch if the control voltage is
negative. At the point when the FET is ON, the input signal will show up at
the output, and when it is OFF, the output is zero.

Applications of the FET

 Due to their low noise and high input impedance, amplifiers are utilized
in multi-stage amplifiers as preamplifiers, buffers, and stages.
 Power control: Power MOSFETs are used in power control applications
as switches because of their high productivity, low obstruction, and fast
exchanging. utilized in drivers, power executives, and power supplies.
 Changes have the capacity to work as electronic switches by directing
current stream with a little entryway voltage. It is utilized in
computerized power supplies and RF circuits.
 Sensor connection points are utilized as info stages for sensors due to
their high info impedance. Connect with sensors for light, pH, pressure,
and different sensors.
 Oscillators are utilized as dynamic parts in oscillator circuits as a result
of their low contortion and wide recurrence range
 RF circuits are utilized as intensifiers and blenders due to their high
information impedance, low commotion, and ability to work at high
frequencies.
 Logic systems: Because of their lower power utilization, higher rates,
and capacity to work at lower voltages, rationale circuits are
progressively supplanting BJTs.
 Simple circuits are utilized in simple circuits due to their great linearity
and low commotion in circuits like activity amps, channels, and
regulators.

Comparison between FET and BJT

BJT FET

BJT has a three terminals they are FET has a three terminals they are
emitter, collector and base source, gate and drain

BJT has a low input impedance FET has a high input impedance

BJT has a higher gain bandwidth FET has a lower gain bandwidth
product product
 BJT FET

BJT has a higher voltage drop FET has a lower voltage drop

BJT has a bigger size FET has a smaller size