Experiment 4

BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR

OBJECTIVES:

1. Be able to test a transistor, identifying the base, emitter and collector terminals of a transistor.
2. Learn how to test To study the input and output characteristics of a PNP transistor in Common
Base mode and determine transistor parameters

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

A Bipolar Junction Transistor, or BJT is a three terminal device having two PN-junctions
connected together in series. Each terminal is given a name to identify it and these are known as the
Emitter (E), Base (B) and Collector (C). There are two basic types of bipolar transistor construction,
NPN and PNP, which basically describes the physical arrangement of the Ptype and N-type
semiconductor materials from which they are made. Bipolar Transistors are "CURRENT" Amplifying or
current regulating devices that control the amount of current flowing through them in proportion to the
amount of biasing current applied to their base terminal. The principle of operation of the two transistor
types NPN and PNP, is exactly the same the only difference being in the biasing (base current) and
the polarity of the power supply for each ty]pe.

Figure 7-1. BJT PNP and NPN Equivalent Circuit

The symbols for both the NPN and PNP bipolar transistor are shown above along with the direction
of conventional current flow. The direction of the arrow in the symbol shows current flow between the
base and emitter terminal, pointing from the positive P-type region to the negative N-type region, exactly
the same as for the standard diode symbol. For normal operation, the emitter-base junction is forward-
biased and the collector-base junction is reverse-biased.

Transistors have three terminals called the emitter, base and collector, usually abbreviated E, B,
and C, respectively. In an NPN transistor, the base is constructed from P type material, while the
emitter and collector are constructed from N type material. A PN junction exists between the base
and the emitter, and a second PN junction exists between the base and collector. Similarly, a PNP
transistor has an NP junction between the base and the emitter and a second NP junction from the
base to the collector.

For testing purposes, the transistor may be thought of as two diodes in series, connected back-to-
back as shown in figure 5-3 and 5-4. An ohmmeter may be used to check the base collector diode or
the base to emitter diode in exactly the same way that conventional diodes are tested. The figures
show the symbols used to represent NPN and PNP transistors.
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MATERIALS REQUIRED:

Power Supply, Multimeter, Breadboard

Transistor (NPN, 1 pc, 2N222), Resistors (2 pcs, 150Ω)

PROCEDURE:

Testing the transistor

1. Use multimeter to identify the terminals of a transistor. An ohmmeter is used to test transistor
junctions in the same way it is used to test a diode junction.

2. Refer to the TRANSISTOR JUNCTION block in FACET for reference.

3. When the ohmmeter leads are connected to forward bias the junction, the meter indicates
conduction if the junction is good. When the ohmmeter leads are connected to reverse bias the
junction, the meter indicates no conduction if the junction is good.

4. The emitter-base junction of a transistor conducts:

a. In both direction
b. In one direction
c. Only for high applied voltages
d. Only for low applied voltages

5. For the transistor used, what pin is the base? emitter? collector?
Since the transistor used is an NPN transistor, the base is the p-type pin in the middle.
Where the base and collector (both of n-type pins) are the ones in the edges.

Angeles, M., Nalunat, J. (2023)

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6. Is it PNP or NPN transistor?

The transistor is an NPN transistor.

Transistor as a switch
7. Locate the PNP DC BIAS circuit block. Connect the circuit shown in Figure below.

8. Based on the circuit connection, is Q1 biased in the forward or reverse direction?

Forward Direction

9. When power is applied to the circuit, what will be the voltage VBE? VCE? VR2?
The voltage is VBE.

10. Move the R1 two-post connector from the plus voltage to the minus source voltage.

11. Based on the circuit connection, is Q1 biased in the forward or reverse direction?
The direction is forward.

12. When power is applied to the circuit, what will be the voltage VBE? VCE? VR2?
VBE

Angeles, M., Nalunat, J. (2023)

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13. Fill-out the table 5-2 and 5-3 below

Table 5-2.
TEST POINT MEASURED READING
Source Voltage (VS ) -15V
VDS1 -4.23V
VR2 -4.69V
V𝐶𝐸(𝑠𝑎𝑡) -4.81V

V𝐵𝐸 -4.24V

V𝑅1 -6.21V

Table 5-3.
CALCULATION RESULT
IC=IDS1=IR2=VR2/R2 -3.1267 mA
IS = VR1/R1 -0.0621 mA
PQ1 = VCE (sat) x IC 15.022 mW

14. When a transistor is operated in a saturated mode, should it have a high or a low voltage drop?
When a transistor is in saturation mode, it should ideally have a low voltage drop across
the collector-emitter junction. This is because the transistor is fully turned on, allowing maximum
current to flow through it with minimal resistance.
15. In the series loop made up of transistor Q1, R2, and DS1, which component drops most of the
circuit source voltage?
In the series loop consisting of transistor Q1, resistor R2, and DS1 (which likely
represents a load), the component that typically drops most of the circuit source voltage is the
transistor Q1 itself. This is because in saturation mode, the transistor acts as a short circuit,
allowing almost all of the source voltage to appear across it.
16. Is the base current greater than, equal to, or less than the load current?
In most cases, the base current of a transistor is significantly less than the load current.
The base current is the current flowing into the base terminal of the transistor, controlling its
operation. The load current is the current flowing through the collector-emitter junction, powering
the external circuit (the load). Typically, the base current is on the order of microamps (μA), while
the load current can be on the order of milliamps (mA) or higher. Therefore, the base current is
much smaller than the load current.

OBSERVATION:

In the experiment, the testing of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) was successfully conducted,
and the NPN transistor's terminals were identified using a multimeter. Ohmmeter testing in both forward
and reverse bias configurations confirmed the expected conduction and non-conduction states of the
transistor junctions. The emitter-base junction of the NPN transistor was found to conduct in one
direction. Subsequently, the experiment proceeded to investigate the transistor's behavior as a switch in a

Angeles, M., Nalunat, J. (2023)

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PNP DC BIAS circuit block. The biasing direction of Q1 was determined, and voltage readings for VBE,
VCE, and VR2 were observed. The transition of R1 from plus to minus source voltage was executed,
maintaining Q1's forward bias, and further voltage readings were recorded for analysis.

CONCLUSION:

The experiment provided valuable insights into the characteristics and behavior of an NPN
transistor. The successful identification of terminals and understanding of the forward and reverse bias
conditions lay the foundation for more advanced transistor applications. The results obtained from the
PNP transistor used in the switching circuit demonstrated the expected behavior in forward bias,
highlighting the significance of saturation mode. Additionally, the calculated values in Table 5-3, such as
IC, IS, and PQ1, provided quantitative measures of the transistor's performance in the specific circuit
configuration. Overall, the experiment enhanced comprehension of transistor testing, biasing, and
switching characteristics, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of bipolar junction transistors.

Angeles, M., Nalunat, J. (2023)