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BJT James M. Early Reverse Bias Depletion Width

The Early effect is a phenomenon in bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) where an increase in the reverse bias across the collector-base junction causes the width of the neutral base region to decrease. This narrowing of the base width has two consequences: [1] it reduces the chance of recombination within the base, and [2] it increases the charge gradient across the base, thereby increasing the minority carrier injection and collector current. In circuit models, the Early effect is represented by a resistor in parallel with the collector-emitter junction that accounts for the finite output resistance of the transistor.

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460 views3 pages

BJT James M. Early Reverse Bias Depletion Width

The Early effect is a phenomenon in bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) where an increase in the reverse bias across the collector-base junction causes the width of the neutral base region to decrease. This narrowing of the base width has two consequences: [1] it reduces the chance of recombination within the base, and [2] it increases the charge gradient across the base, thereby increasing the minority carrier injection and collector current. In circuit models, the Early effect is represented by a resistor in parallel with the collector-emitter junction that accounts for the finite output resistance of the transistor.

Uploaded by

Anton Nugroho
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Early effect

The Early effect is the variation in the width of the base in a BJT due to a variation in the
applied base-to-collector voltage, named after its discoverer James M. Early. A greater reverse
bias across the collector–base junction, for example, increases the collector–base depletion
width, decreasing the width of the charge neutral portion of the base.

Figure 1. Top: pnp base width for low collector–base reverse bias; Bottom: narrower pnp
base width for large collector–base reverse bias. Light colors are depleted regions.
In Figure 1 the neutral base width is dark blue, and the depleted base regions are light blue. The neutral
emitter and collector regions are dark red and the depleted regions pink. Under increased collector–base
reverse bias, the lower panel of Figure 1 shows a widening of the depletion region in the base and the
associated narrowing of the neutral base region.

The collector depletion region also increases under reverse bias, more than does that of the base,
because the collector is less heavily doped. The principle governing these two widths ischarge neutrality.
The emitter–base junction is unchanged because the emitter–base voltage is the same.

Figure 2. The Early voltage as seen in the output-characteristic plot of a BJT


Base-narrowing has two consequences that affect the current:

1
 There is a lesser chance for recombination within the "smaller" base region.
 The charge gradient is increased across the base, and consequently, the current of minority
carriers injected across the emitter junction increases.

Both these factors increase the collector or "output" current of the transistor with an increase in the
collector voltage. This increased current is shown in Figure 2. Tangents to the characteristics at large
voltages extrapolate backward to intercept the voltage axis at a voltage called the Early voltage, often
denoted by the symbol VA.

Large-signal model
In the forward active region the Early effect modifies the collector current ( IC) and the forward common-
emittercurrent gain (βF), as typically described by the following equations:[1][2]

Where

 VCE is the collector–emitter voltage


 VT is the thermal voltage kT / q; see thermal voltage: role in semiconductor physics
 VA is the Early voltage (typically 15 V to 150 V; smaller for smaller devices)
 βF0 is forward common-emitter current gain at zero bias.

Some models base the collector current correction factor on the collector–base voltage VCB (as described
inbase-width modulation) instead of the collector–emitter voltage VCE.[3] Using VCB may be more physically
plausible, in agreement with the physical origin of the effect, which is a widening of the collector–base
depletion layer that depends on VCB. Computer models such as those used in PSPICE use the collector–
base voltageVCB.[4]

Small-signal model
The Early effect can be accounted for in small-signal circuit models (such as the hybrid-pi model) as a
resistor defined as (see [5]

in parallel with the collector–emitter junction of the transistor. This resistor can thus account for the
finite output resistance of a simple current mirror or an actively loaded common-emitter amplifier.

In keeping with the model used in SPICE and as discussed above using VCB the resistance becomes:

2
,

which almost agrees with the textbook result. In either formulation, rO varies with DC reverse bias VCB, as
[citation needed]
is observed in practice.

In the MOSFET the output resistance is given in Shichman–Hodges model[6] (accurate for very old
technology) as:

where VDS = drain-to-source voltage, ID = drain current and λ = channel-length modulation parameter,
usually taken as inversely proportional to channel length L. Because of the resemblance to the bipolar
result, the terminology "Early effect" often is applied to the MOSFET as well.

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