© Ahmad El-Banna

Benha University
Faculty of Engineering at Shoubra

ECE-312
Electronic Circuits (A)
Lecture #3

October 2014
BJT Biasing Circuits
Instructor:
Dr. Ahmad El-Banna
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Agenda
Operating Point

Transistor DC Bias Configurations

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Design Operations

Various BJT Circuits

Troubleshooting Techniques & Bias Stabilization

Practical Applications 2
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Introduction
• Any increase in ac voltage, current, or power is the result of a
transfer of energy from the applied dc supplies.
• The analysis or design of any electronic amplifier therefore has two
components: a dc and an ac portion.

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• Basic Relationships/formulas for a transistor:

• Biasing means applying of dc voltages to establish a fixed level of

current and voltage. >>> Q-Point
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Operating Point
• For transistor amplifiers the resulting dc current and voltage
establish an operating point on the characteristics that define the
region that will be employed for amplification of the applied signal.
• Because the operating point is a fixed point on the characteristics, it

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is also called the quiescent point (abbreviated Q-point).

Transistor Regions Operation:

1. Linear-region operation:
Base–emitter junction forward-biased
Base–collector junction reverse-biased
2. Cutoff-region operation:
Base–emitter junction reverse-biased
Base–collector junction reverse-biased
3.Saturation-region operation:
Base–emitter junction forward-biased 4
Base–collector junction forward-biased
 © Ahmad El-Banna
ECE-312 , Lec#3 , Oct 2014
• Fixed-Bias Configuration
• Emitter-Bias Configuration
• Voltage-Divider Bias Configuration
• Collector Feedback Configuration
• Emitter-Follower Configuration
• Common-Base Configuration
• Miscellaneous Bias Configurations

TRANSISTOR DC BIAS CONFIGURATIONS 5

 © Ahmad El-Banna
Fixed-Bias Configuration
• Fixed-bias circuit. • DC equivalent ct.

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• Base–emitter loop. • Collector–emitter loop.

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 Fixed-Bias Configuration Example

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Fixed-Bias Configuration ...
• Transistor Saturation

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• Saturation regions:
(a) Actual
(b) approximate.

• Determining ICsat • Determining ICsat for the fixed-bias configuration.

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Fixed-Bias Configuration ...
• Load Line Analysis

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Emitter-Bias Configuration
• BJT bias circuit with emitter resistor. • DC equivalent ct

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• Base-Emitter Loop

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Emitter-Bias Configuration
Collector-Emitter Loop

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Emitter-Bias Configuration
• Improved bias stability (check example 4.5)
The addition of the emitter resistor to
the dc bias of the BJT provides
improved stability, that is, the dc bias
currents and voltages remain closer to

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where they were set by the circuit
when outside conditions, such as
temperature and transistor beta,
change.

• Saturation Level
• Load Line Analysis

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Voltage-Divider Configuration
• Voltage-divider
bias configuration.
• Exact Analysis

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• DC components of the
voltage-divider configuration.

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Voltage-Divider Configuration
• Approximate Analysis • Transistor Saturation

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• Load-Line Analysis

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 Voltage-Divider Configuration Example

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Collector Feedback Configuration
• DC bias circuit with • Base–Emitter Loop
voltage feedback.

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• Collector–Emitter Loop

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Collector Feedback Configuration
• Saturation Conditions

Using the approximation I’C = IC

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• Load-Line Analysis

Continuing with the approximation

I’C = IC results in the same load
line defined for the voltage-divider
and emitter-biased configurations.

The level of IBQ is defined by the

chosen bias configuration.
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Emitter-Follower Configuration
• Common-collecter
(emitter-follower) configuration.

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• dc equivalent ct
i/p ct

o/p ct 18
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Common-Base Configuration
• Common-base configuration

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• i/p ct

• Determining VCB & VCE

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 MISCELLANEOUS BIAS CONFIGURATIONS

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 Summary Table

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 Summary Table..

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DESIGN OPERATION
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Design Operations
• Discussions thus far have focused on the analysis of existing networks.
All the elements are in place, and it is simply a matter of solving for the
current and voltage levels of the configuration.
• The design process is one where a current and/or voltage may be

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specified and the elements required to establish the designated levels
must be determined.
• The design sequence is obviously sensitive to the components that are
already specified and the elements to be determined. If the transistor
and supplies are specified, the design process will simply determine
the required resistors for a particular design.
• Once the theoretical values of the resistors are determined, the
nearest standard commercial values are normally chosen and any
variations due to not using the exact resistance values are accepted as
part of the design. 24
 Design Operations Example

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Design Operations Example..
• Design of a Current-Gain-Stabilized (Beta-Independent) Circuit

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
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• MULTIPLE BJT NETWORKS
• CURRENT MIRRORS
• CURRENT SOURCE CIRCUITS
• Bipolar Transistor Constant-Current Source
• Transistor/Zener Constant-Current Source
• PNP TRANSISTORS
• TRANSISTOR SWITCHING NETWORKS

VARIOUS BJT CIRCUITS 27

 © Ahmad El-Banna
MULTIPLE BJT NETWORKS
• R–C coupling

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• Darlington configuration

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 MULTIPLE BJT NETWORKS..

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 •
Feedback Pair
MULTIPLE BJT NETWORKS…

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 •
Direct Coupled
MULTIPLE BJT NETWORKS….

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 CURRENT MIRRORS

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
CURRENT SOURCE CIRCUITS

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• Bipolar Transistor • Transistor/Zener
Constant-Current Source Constant-Current Source

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
pnp TRANSISTOR SWITCHING
TRANSISTORS NETWORKS

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 TRANSISTOR SWITCHING NETWORKS..

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TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES
• For an “on” transistor, the voltage VBE should be in the neighborhood of 0.7 V.
• For the typical transistor amplifier in the active region, VCE is usually about 25% to
75% of VCC .

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
BIAS STABILIZATION
• The stability of a system is a measure of the sensitivity of a network
to variations in its parameters.
• In any amplifier employing a transistor the collector current IC is
sensitive to each of the following parameters:

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
BIAS STABILIZATION .. S(Ico)
• emitter-bias configuration

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there is a reaction to an increase
in IC that will tend to oppose the
change in bias conditions.

• feedback configuration
• fixed-bias configuration

a stabilizing effect as described for

the emitter-bias configuration.

• voltage-divider bias
the level of IC would continue
to rise with temperature, with
IB maintaining a fairly constant The most stable of the
value—a very unstable situation. configurations
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 © Ahmad El-Banna
BIAS STABILIZATION .. S(VBE)& S(β)

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For fixed-bias

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• BJT Diode Usage and Protective Capabilities
• Relay Driver
• Light Control
• Maintaining a Fixed Load Current
• Alarm System with a CCS
• Voltage Level Indicator
• Logic Gates

PRACTICAL APPLICATION 41
 © Ahmad El-Banna
Practical Application
• BJT Diode Usage and Protective Capabilities

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• Relay Driver

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Practical Application..
• Light Control

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• Maintaining a Fixed Load Current

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
Practical Application…
• Alarm System with a CCS

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• Voltage Level Indicator

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 •
Logic Gates
Practical Application….

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 © Ahmad El-Banna
• For more details, refer to:
• Chapter 4 at R. Boylestad, Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory,
11th edition, Prentice Hall.
• The lecture is available online at:

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• https://speakerdeck.com/ahmad_elbanna
• For inquires, send to:
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

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