MECHATRONICS

APPLICATION OF TRANSISTORS

PUSHPARAJ MANI PATHAK

MECHANICAL & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEEING, IIT ROORKEE

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Introduction

• Because of the Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) base-collector

current characteristics, it can be used to
– amplify current
– simply switch current on and off.
• Transistor as a switch is basis for most digital computers
because it allows easy implementation of a two state binary
representation.
• We focus on switch design in our mechatronic applications
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Transistor Connections

• Common base connection

• Common emitter connection
• Common collector connection

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Common Emitter Connection

• Input current IB
• Output current IC
• Base current amplification
∆𝐼𝐶
factor = =𝛽
∆𝐼𝐵
• ∆𝐼𝐵 < 5% ∆𝐼𝐸
• 𝛽 > 20 (IC ≈ IE)
• 𝛽 ≈ 100

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• If a BJT’s emitter is grounded
and we apply an input voltage
to the base, we get the
common emitter circuit.
• Input characteristics IB VCE=1V
• VBE v/s IB for VCE=constant

VBE

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Output Characteristic

• VCE v/s IC for constant base

current (IB)
• As IB increases, base to emitter
conducts when VBE = 0.6V,
IC= 𝛽IB
• As IB is further increased, VBE
slowly increases to 0.7V, IC
rises exponentially.

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• As IC increases, voltage
drop across RC increases,
so VCE drops towards
ground.
• Transistor is said to go to
saturation i.e., collector
current is determined by
RC and linear relation
between IC and IB no
longer holds.
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• When designing a transistor switch, we need to guarantee
that the transistor is in fully saturation condition.
• VCE minimum is about 0.2 V for BJT.
• Power dissipated is smallest= IC VCE for given collector current
when it is fully saturated.
• If transistor is not fully saturated it gets hot faster and can fail.

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Bipolar Transistor Switch

• If VBE<0.7V, BE junction is not

forward bias, so IC=0, IB=0

Off

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• If VBE=0.7V, BE junction is
forward biased. Current
passes through CE circuit
• Vo is close to ground
potential (0.2V) for
saturated BJT.

ON

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• RB required to limit base current
𝑉𝑖 − 𝑉𝐵𝐸
𝐼𝐵 =
𝑅𝐵
• When Vi < 0.7 V, IB = 0 and VBE=Vi
• Transistors used for power application are called power
transistor.

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Bipolar Transistor Packages

Signal transistor Power transistor Used in Printed

Circuit Boards
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13
Darlington Transistor

• Pair of transistors
• Current gain is product of
two individual transistor
gains.
• Can be of the order of
10000
• Used in power circuit of
mechatronic system.

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Phototransistor

• A special class of transistor whose junction between base and

emitter acts as photo diode are phototransistor.
• LED’s and Phototransistor are used in pairs, where the LED is
used to create the light, and this light in turn biases the
phototransistor.
• The pair can be used to detect the presence of an object that
may partially or completely interrupt the light beam between
the LED and phototransistor.

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Optoisolator

• Comprised of a LED and a phototransistor

separated by a small gap.
• The light emitted by LED causes the current
to flow in the phototransistor circuit.
• Output circuit for different ground reference
and supply voltage VS can be chosen to
establish a desired output voltage range.
• The opto isolator creates a start of electrical
isolation between the input and output
circuit by transmitting the signal optically.

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Angular Position of a Robotic Scanner

• Problem statement
• In design of autonomous robot,
include a laser scanning device to
sweep the environment to detect the
obstacles. Head of the scanner is
rotated through 360˚ by a DC motor.
Find
– Angular position of scan head.
– What should be done, if on board
computer to use this scanned
value.

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• Solution
• Design a sensor that provides digital output.
• Use LED-photo transistor pair called photo-interrupter.
• The device produce a light that can be broken or
interrupted.
• Provide a disk attached to motor passing through slot.
• Each slot will provide digital pulse as it interrupts the
light beam during rotation.
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• R1- current limiting resistor
• R2- pull up resistor to provide
output.
• As slotted disk rotates
• When light passes, transistor
conducts – 0 o/p.
• Slot interrupted, 5V o/p returned.
• No of pulses is measure of rotation.
• If 360 slots, 1 pulse = 1˚

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Field Effect Transistors

• Drawback of bipolar transistors

– Low input impedance due to forward bias emitter junction.
– Considerable noise level.
• In FET: current conduction is by one type of carrier i.e, electrons or
holes.
• With a FET, the electric field produced by a voltage on one electrode
controls the availability of charge carriers in a narrow region, called a
channel, through which a current can be made to flow.
• Therefore, a FET the output current is controlled by an input voltage.

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 Construction Details
Drain(D) Drain(D)
• A p-type or n type silicon
bar containing two pn
n p
junctions at the sides.
p p n
• Bar forms the conducting Gate(G) n
Gate(G)
channel for the charges n p
carriers.
• If bar is n type, it is called
n channel FET and if it is p Source(S) Source(S)
type it is p channel FET. n-Channel FET p-Channel FET

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 Drain(D)
• The two pn junctions forming
diodes are connected internally
and common terminal is called
n
Gate.
p p
• Thus FET has three terminals Gate(G)
i.e., Gate (G), Source (S) and n
Drain (D).

Source(S)
n-Channel FET
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FET Polarities
Drain(D)
• Voltage between
Gate and Source is
such that it is reverse n
biased. p p
Gate(G) VDS
• Drain and Source n
terminals are VGS
interchangeable.
Source(S)

n-Channel FET
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Working principle of FET
Drain(D)
• (i) As VDS>0, VGS=0
• pn junction establishes
depletion layer.
n
• Electrons flow from
source to drain through p p
Gate(G) VDS
channel between
n
depletion layer. VGS
• Size of layer determines
width of channel and
current through the bar. Source(S)

n-Channel FET
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 Drain(D)
• Reverse voltage at VGS
• Width of depletion layer
increases
n
• Width of conducting
channel decreases p p
Gate(G) VDS
• Resistance increases of n n
type bar VGS
• Current flow decreases.
• Current can be controlled
Source(S)
by reverse voltage.
n-Channel FET
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Schematic Symbol

D D

G G

S S
n-Channel FET p-Channel FET

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Difference between FET and Bipolar Transistor
Bipolar FET
• Both n and p type carrier • Unipolar(either n or p type carrier)
• Low input impedance • High input impedance (isolation
possible)
• Current driven device • Voltage driven device
• Characterise by current • Characterise by transconductance
gain (ratio of change in o/p current to
i/p (gate) voltage.

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Output Characteristic of FET
𝐼𝐷
• Keep VGS at some
constant value
• ID rapidly increases, as 𝑉𝐺𝑆 = 1𝑉
VDB increases. 𝑉𝐺𝑆 = 2𝑉
• After pinch off voltage, 𝑉𝐺𝑆 = 3𝑉
channel width becomes
𝑉𝐷𝑆
narrow so constant O A
current is obtained.

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Metal Oxide Semiconductor FET (MOSFET)

• The input impedance of MOSFET is much more than that of a

FET because of very small gate leakage current.
• The same equations apply as used for FET

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MOSFET Construction Details
Drain(D)
• Only a single p region Oxide layer D
• A thin layer of metal oxide
(usually silicon dioxide) is n
deposited over the left side Subtrate Subtrate
of the channel. p G
Gate(G)
• A metallic gate is deposited n
over the oxide layer.
• As silicon dioxide is an S
insulator , so gate is
insulated from channel Source(S)
n-Channel FET

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Working of MOSFET

• Here gate is formed as capacitor Drain(D)

• One plate of capacitor is gate, other is channel
Oxide layer
and metal oxide is dielectric.
• When negative voltage is applied at gate, n
electrons accumulated on it. Subtrate
p
• These electrons repel the conduction band Gate(G)
electrons in the n channel. n
• So less no of electrons are available for
conduction through channel.
• If gate is given positive voltage , more electrons
Source(S)
are made available in the n channel. So current
from source to drain increases.
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References

• W. Bolton, Mechatronics: Electronic Control Systems in

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (6th Edition), Pearson,
2015
• D.G. Alciatore and Michael B. Histand, Introduction to
Mechatronics, Tata Mc Graw Hill, 2012.

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Thank You

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