Bipolar Transistor.

(file 10)
Bipolar transistor or Junctions transistor

As you can see in figure 1, the currents which go through the bipolar transistor are:
IE IPE INE ; IC IPC IC0 ; IB IE IC
We can define next "transistor's constants" :
I
The efficiency of emitter: PE (the ideal value of this constant is 1)
IE
34

* IPC
The carrier factor:
(the ideal value of this constant is 1)
IPE
IC IC0
The current gain :
(the ideal value of this constant is 1)
IE

From last relation we can find the "transistor's relation"

IC IE IC0

1.1.

In practice the current gain constant has values among 0.95 - 0.999 . Then we can use the
approximate relation :
IC IE

1.2.

Such device is grows in the same crystalline lattice. The conditions that are obligatory to
have these relations between currents are:
- the doping of Emitter is higher than the doping of the Base, i.e. NA (E ) ND(B )
- the diffusion length of minority charge carriers who are injected in Base are higher than the
width of neutral region of the Base, i.e. Lp w
In figure 2 we represented the
case of NPN transistor, biased
in active regime (Emitter
junction forward biased and
Collector
junction
reverse
biased). In this case all
currents have inverse direction
than in the case of PNP
transistor. Now, if we take into
account the relation 1.2., we
can compute approximately
the power gain of this device.

Through the junction of emitter, characterised by dynamically resistance rd 10 flow the

current IE . Then the input power, dissipated on this junction is
Pin IErd2
The output power is the power dissipated on collector junction, which is reverse biased, then
is characterised by a higher resistance R C 104 . Then the output power is approximately
35

P
Then the power gain is G out
Pin

2
Pout ICRC

2
ICRC

IErd2

2
IERC

IErd2

104

From last relation we can understand now why this device was called "trans-resistor" or
"transistor" . This device makes possible the transfer of a current which flows through a
region with low resistance, in a region with high resistance, without a sensitive modification
of the current.

The annalitical expresions of transistors currents.

The emitter current has two components, as we see in last section. The electronic
component, must have the same expression like the electronic component of ideal diode,
then:
I nE

AeDn n p0

Ln

VE
VT

2.1.

In this formula we will note the diffusion length of electrons in neutral region of emitter by LE
and the density of minority charge carriers in emitter by nE0 . With these new notations,
formula 2.1 become:
I nE

AeDn n E0
LE

VE

e VT 1

2.2.

For computation of holes component of the emitter current we must take into account than
this current is a diffusion current in neutral region of the base, where this current is a current
made by minority carriers. Then, the expression of this current is like the formula of a
diffusion current:
jpE eDp

dp
dx

2.3.

But we know the expression of the density of minority charge carriers injected in a neutral
region:

pn ( x) pn0 Ke

x
Lp

2.4.

Because the way of these charge carriers through the neutral region of the base is very
short, condition imposed by the design of the device, w L p , we can approximate the
formula 2.4. by:
pn ( x) pn0 K1 K 2 x

2.5.

Then, by replacing 2.5 in 2.3., we will obtain :

36

jpE eDpK 2

2.6.

The values of constants K and K we can obtain from boundary conditions:

1
2
for x=0
pn ( 0) pn0 K1
2.7.
and for x=w
pn ( w ) pn0 K1 K 2 w

2.8.

But the injected density of carriers in point of abscissa x=0, which represents the boundary
between the space charge region of emitter junction and neutral region of the base, is given
by:

pn ( 0) pn0 e

VE
VT

2.9.

Now, if we replace the 2.9. in 2.7. we will obtain the value of K constant:
1
VE

K1 pn0 e VT 1

2.10.

In the same way, taking into account than:

pn ( w ) pn0 e

VC
VT

we will obtain from 2.8. formula the value of K constant:

2

VC

VVE

VT

pn0 e 1 pn0 e T 1

K2
w

2.11.

Now, if we replace the value of K constant, given by 2.11. in 2.6. formula we will obtain the
2
value of holes current which flows through the emitter junction:

I pE

VC

VVE

VT

pn0 e 1 pn0 e T 1

eD p A
w

2.12.

Then the total current which flows through the emitter is:
eAD p pn VVC
0
e 1
e T 1
I E I pE I n E
2.13.

In the same way we can obtain the expression for collector current, which is given by:
eADn nE0 eAD p pn0

LE
w

VE
VT

37

IC IpC IC0

2.14.

The saturation current is like the electrons component of the current of an ideal diode:
I C0

eADn nC0
LC

VC
VT

2.15.

Now, if we neglect the recombination in neutral region of the base , i.e. IpE IpC , the sum of
2.15. and 2.12. formulas will give us the expression for collector current:
eADn nC0 eAD p pn0
I C I pC I C0

LC
w

VC
VT

eAD p pn
0
1
w

VE
VT

2.16.

The relations 2.13. and 2.16. represent the analytic expressions for currents which flow
through the transistor.
These relations can be writing in condensed form such as:
VE

VC

I E a11 e VT 1 a12 e VT 1

I C a21 e

VE
VT

2.17.

VC

1 a22 e VT 1

where the coefficients a are:

ij
a11

a21

eADnnE0
LE
eADppn0
w

eADppn0
w

; a12

eADppn0
w

eADn nC0 eAD p pn0

LC
w

; a22

2.18.

The relations 2.17. are so called "Ebers-Moll" relations.

38