BASIC

ELECTRONICS
 DIODE

ideal diode passing electricity in one direction but not

the other
 DIODES
1 One application of diodes is in rectification

2 In practice, no real diode has ideal characteristics but semiconductor pn

junctions make good diodes

3 To understand such devices we need to look at some properties of materials

the example below shows a half-wave rectifier
 Electrical Properties of Solids
Conductors
e.g. copper or aluminium
have a cloud of free electrons (at all temperatures above absolute zero).
If an electric field is applied electrons will flow causing an electric current

Insulators
e.g. polythene
electrons are tightly bound to atoms so few can break free to conduct electricity
 pn Junctions
When p-type and n-type materials are joined this forms a pn junction
• majority charge carriers on each side diffuse across the junction where they
combine with (and remove) charge carriers of the opposite polarity
• hence around the junction there are few free charge carriers and we have a
depletion layer (also called a space-charge layer)

The diffusion of positive charge in one direction and negative charge in the other
produces a charge imbalance
Forward bias

• if the p-type side is made positive with

respect to the ?n-type side the height of the
barrier is reduced
• more majority charge carriers have sufficient
energy to surmount it
• the diffusion current therefore increases
while the drift current remains the same
• there is thus a net current flow across the
junction which increases with the applied
voltage
Reverse bias

• if the p-type side is made negative with respect

to the ?n-type side the height of the barrier is
increased
• the number of majority charge carriers that have
sufficient energy to surmount it rapidly
decreases
• the diffusion current therefore vanishes while
the drift current remains the same
• thus the only current is a small leakage current
caused by the (approximately constant) drift
current
• the leakage current is usually negligible (a few
nA)
 Semiconductor Diodes
Silicon diodes
• generally have a turn-on voltage of about 0.5 V
• generally have a conduction voltage of about 0.7 V
• have a breakdown voltage that depends on their
construction
perhaps 75 V for a small-signal diode
perhaps 400 V for a power device
• have a maximum current that depends on their
construction
perhaps 100 mA for a small-signal diode
perhaps many amps for a power device
 Special-Purpose Diodes
Zener diodes
Light-emittinag diodes uses the relatively constant reverse breakdown voltage to
• discussed earlier when we produce a voltage reference
looked at light actuators breakdown voltage is called the Zener voltage, VZ
output voltage of circuit shown is equal to VZ despite
variations in input voltage V
a resistor is used to limit the current in the diode
Tunnel diodes

high doping levels produce a very thin

depletion layer which permits ‘tunnelling’ of
charge carriers
results in a characteristic with a negative
resistanceregion
used in high-frequency oscillators, where they
can be used to ‘cancel out’ resistance in
passive components
Schottky diodes
• formed by the junction between a
layer of metal (e.g. aluminium) and a
semiconductor
• action relies only on majority charge
carriers
• much faster in operation than a pn
junction diode
• has a low forward voltage drop of
about 0.25 V
• used in the design of high-speed logic
gates
Tunnel diodes
high doping levels produce a very thin
depletion layer which permits
‘tunnelling’ of charge carriers
results in a characteristic with a
negative resistance region
used in high-frequency oscillators,
where they can be used to ‘cancel out’
resistance in passive components
Varactor diodes
• a reversed-biased diode has two conducting
regions separated by an insulating depletion
region
• this structure resembles a capacitor
• variations in the reverse-bias voltage change
the width of the depletion layer and hence
the capacitance
• this produces a voltage-dependent capacitor
• these are used in applications such as
automatic tuning circuits
Laser diode: Focused single color light source in compact disc player

Photo diode: light sensor in a remote control unit

Power diode: rectifying power supply circuit (rectifier = perenus) ̣

Signal diode: signal sensor in radar

BIPOLAR JUNCTION TR
ANSISTOR
What is a Bipolar Junction
Transistor (BJT)?
A bipolar junction transistor is a three-
terminal semiconductor device that consists
of two p-n junctions which are able to amplify
or magnify a signal
 Bipolar Junction Transistor Symbol
• The three terminals of the BJT are the
base, the collector, and the emitter.

• A signal of a small amplitude applied

to the base is available in the
amplified form at the collector of the
transistor. This is the amplification
provided by the BJT

• BJT require an external source of DC

power supply to carry out the
amplification process
 Construction of Bipolar Junction Transistor
BJT is a semiconductor device that is constructed with 3
doped semiconductor Regions i.e. Base, Collector &
Emitter separated by 2 p-n Junctions.
Bipolar transistors are manufactured in two
types, PNP and NPN, and are available as separate
components, usually in large quantities.
 Operation of Bipolar Junction Transistor
There are three operating regions of a
bipolar junction transistor:
• Active region: The region in which the
transistors operate as an amplifier.
• Saturation region: The region in which
the transistor is fully on and operates as a
switch such that collector current is equal
to the saturation current.
• Cut-off region: The region in which the
transistor is fully off and collector current
is equal to zero.
 Function of Bipolar Junction Transistor
An NPN transistor consists of two semiconductor
junctions that have a thin p-doped anode region and
PNP transistor also consists of two
semiconductor junctions that have a thin n- doped
cathode region.

The flow of charge in a Bipolar transistor is due to the

diffusion of charge carriers between the two regions
belonging to different charge concentrations. Regions
of BJT are known as the base, collector, and emitter.

The emitter region is highly doped when compared to

other layers. Both collector and base layers have the
same charge carrier concentrations. Among these
junctions, the base-emitter junction is forward biased,
and the base-collector junction is reverse
biased. Forward biased means p-doped region has
more potential than the n-doped side.
 Voltage, Charge Control and Current
The base-emitter current is controlled by the collector-emitter
current. This conclusion is drawn by the current-voltage relation of
the base-emitter junction. Collector current has a base region where
minority carriers are concentrated.

Transistor models such as the Glenn poon model are responsible

for the distribution of the charge which explains the behaviour of a
transistor.
Configuration of Bipolar Junction Transistors
Since a Bipolar Junction Transistor is a three-terminal device, there are three ways to connect it within an electric circuit while one
terminal is the same for both output and input. Every method of connection responds differently to the input signals within a circuit.
⚬ Common Emitter Configuration – has both voltage and current gain
⚬ The common Collector Configuration – has no voltage gain but has a current gain
⚬ The common base configuration – has no current gain but has a voltage gain
 Common Emitter
Configuration
In common emitter configuration, base is the input
terminal, collector is the output terminal and emitter
is the common terminal for both input and output.
That means the base terminal and common emitter
terminal are known as input terminals whereas
collector terminal and common emitter terminal are
known as output terminals.

The emitter terminal is grounded so the common

emitter configuration is also known as grounded
emitter configuration. Sometimes common emitter
configuration is also referred to as CE configuration,
common emitter amplifier, or CE amplifier. The
common emitter (CE) configuration is the most
widely used transistor configuration.
 Common Base
Configuration
In common base configuration, emitter is the input
terminal, collector is the output terminal and base
terminal is connected as a common terminal for both
input and output. That means the emitter terminal and
common base terminal are known as input terminals
whereas the collector terminal and common base
terminal are known as output terminals.
The base terminal is grounded so the common base
configuration is also known as grounded base
configuration. Sometimes common base configuration is
referred to as common base amplifier, CB amplifier, or CB
configuration.
Common Collector In this configuration, the base terminal of the transistor
serves as the input, the emitter terminal is the output and
Configuration the collector terminal is common for both input and
output. Hence, it is named as common collector
configuration. The input is applied between the base and
collector while the output is taken from the emitter and
collector.

The collector terminal is grounded so the common

collector configuration is also known as grounded collector
configuration.
 FET
(Field Effect Transistor)
FET ( Field Effect Transistor) Field-effect transistors
 Type of FET
2 types of FET
• Junction field- effect transistor ( JFET )
 Type of FET
2 types of FET
• Junction field- effect transistor ( JFET )

• Insulated- gate field effect transistor ( IGFET )

• Usually the insulation layer used is the oxide layer, so it is also called
metal - oxide - semiconductor transistor ( MOSFET).
Symbol

A B C
 Advantages and Advantages

disadvantages of FETs FETs have a very high input impedance

over BJTs
The noise in FETs is much less than in bipolar
transistors.

FETs does not compensate for the voltage at line

ID=0 and therefore it is a good power breaker.

FETs has high thermal stability

FETs has high working frequency.

 Advantages and
disadvantages of FETs
over BJTs
Disadvantages

The gain coefficient is much lower than that

of bipolar transistors.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BJT AND FET TRANSISTOR
Parameters BJT BJT

01. Type of control Current Controlled (Ic) Voltage Controlled (Vgs)

02. Main types NPN, PNP N-channel, P-channel

03. Terminals Emitter, Base, Collector Source, Gate, Drain

04. Input Impedance Low High

[Link] Impedance Medium to Low High

06. Switching Speed Moderate (Slower than FET) Fast (Faster than BJT)
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BJT AND FET TRANSISTOR
Parameters BJT BJT

07. Gain Curren gain Voltage gain

08 Linearity Good Excellent

[Link] performance Moderate Low

10. Power Consumption Higher Lower

11. Temperature
More sensitive Less sensitive
sensitivity

12. Applications Amplifiers, switching, voltage regulation High frequency amplifiers, low noise amplifiers,
digital logic circuits (CMOS), switches
JFET structure
 JFET structure
• There are 2 types of JFETs: n-channel and P-channel.
• N-channel JFETs are more common.
• The JFET has 3 poles: the S Source pole (source); pole G door
(gate); D-trough pole (drain).
• Terminal D and terminal S are connected to channel n.
• Terminal G is connected to semiconductor material p
 JFET structure
n-channel P-channel
 Basics of JFET operation

Water pressure source-accumulation of e- particles at the

negative electrode of the supply voltage source from D
and S.

Outlet water pipe - lack of e- or holes at the anode of the

supply voltage source from D and S.

Control the amount of opening and closing water-voltage

at G controls the width of channel n, controls the flow of
e- in channel n from S to D.
 JFET diagram
n-channel P-channel
 MOSFET

THE MOSFET IS CLASSIFIED INTO TWO

TYPES SUCH AS;
• DEPLETION MODE MOSFET
• ENHANCEMENT MODE MOSFET

Depletion Mode: When there is zero voltage When there is no voltage on the gate
on the gate terminal, the channel shows its terminal the device does not conduct.
maximum conductance. As the voltage on the More voltage applied on the gate
gate is negative or positive, then decreases terminal, the device has good
the channel conductivity. conductivity.
APPLICATION
DIODES application
• Computer Systems
• Power Supply Systems
• Radar Circuit
 Computer systems
Logic gates
Each input of a diode logic gate connects through a diode connected to a shared wired
logic output. Depending on the voltage level of each input and direction of the diode,
each diode may or may not be forward-biased. If any are forward-biased, the shared
output wire will be one small forward voltage drop within the forward-biased diode's
input.

For instance, AND and OR Logic Gates

AND GATES

This circuit mirrors the previous gate: the diodes

are reversed so that each input connects to the
cathode of a diode and all anodes are connected
together to the output, which has a pull-up
resistor.
OR Logic Gates
Each input connects to the anode of a diode. All
cathodes are connected to the output, which has
a pull-down resistor.
 Power Supply Systems
• The diode can be used to protect against transient overvoltages from the first
or second power supply, depending on the system setup.
• The diode can also protect against transient overvoltage on the load side of the
diode or even short circuit and/or overload on the power supply side
Half-Wave Rectifier
• The normal p-n junction diode is well-suited for this
Radar Circuit
purpose as it conducts very heavily when forward biased
(low-resistance direction) and only slightly when reverse
biased (high-resistance direction).
• If we place this diode in series with a source of ac power,
the diode will be forward and reverse biased every cycle.
• The simplest rectifier circuit is a half-wave rectifier which
consists of a diode, an ac power source, and a load
resistor.
BJT application
• Motor Control
• Switch
• Occilator
• Radio transmitter
 Motor Control
• BJTs are used in audio oscillator circuits to generate audio-frequency signals, which are
important in audio equipment testing and sound synthesis applications.
 Switch

• High-power applications such as

switched-mode power supplies
• Low-power applications such as
logic gates.
 AUDIO OCCILATORS
• BJTs are crucial components in oscillator
circuits, which generate continuous waveforms
at specific frequencies. They are used in radio
transmitters, signal generators, and timing
circuits.
• Used in audio oscillator circuits to generate
audio-frequency signals, which are important in
audio equipment testing and sound synthesis
applications.
 Radio Transmitter
• Audio signal after being converted to Electrical
Signal penetrates at the base of the PNP transistor
which increases the amplitude of the signal.
FET application

• Voltmeter
• Oscilloscopes
 Voltmeter
• A voltmeter with a FET front end gives it a much
higher input impedance and low current are more
susceptible to loading problem
 Oscilloscopes
• The circuit is a very simple one using a dual-
gate FET, but the interest comes in the PCB
and screening can design to ensure good RF
performance. Off-the-shelf cans have four
sides, so to accommodate the circuit one
wall of the can had to be removed. The end
result is a tiny PCB with miniature co-ax
connectors for power and signal, which
when characterised was found to have a 1.3
GHz bandwidth and a very low input
capacitance.
THANK YOU