EEE174 : Electronic Systems

and Design
pnpn and Other Devices

Engr. Kevin O. Maglinte, MSEE

Power Electronics

• -Branch of electronics which deals with the control of power at

50Hz
• a branch of electrical engineering that focuses on the control
and conversion of electrical power. It involves the study and
application of electronic devices and circuits to efficiently
manage and manipulate electrical energy. The primary goal of
power electronics is to convert electrical power from one form
to another, control its voltage, current, and frequency, and
ensure that it is delivered with high efficiency and minimal
losses.
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Outline

• Shockely Diode
• Diac
• Triac
• Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
• Phototransistor
• Opto-Isolators
• Programmable Unijunction Transisor

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 SHOCKLEY DIODE
The Shockley diode is a four-layer pnpn diode with only two external terminals, as shown
in the figure

Basic construction and symbol Characteristics

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SHOCKLEY DIODE

Trigger Switch

When the circuit is energized, the voltage across the

capacitor will begin to change toward the supply voltage.
Eventually, the voltage across the capacitor will be
sufficiently high to first turn on the Shockley diode and
then the SCR.

Shockley diode application- trigger

switch for an SCR

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DIAC
The diac is basically a two-terminal parallel-inverse combination of semiconductor
layers that permits triggering in either direction

Characteristics
Basic construction and symbol
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DIAC
Example
In the figure below, the switch is closed. A diac with breakover voltage of 30 V is
connected in the circuit. If the triac has a trigger voltage of 1V and a trigger current of
10 mA, what is the capacitor voltage that triggers the triac?

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TRIAC
The triac is fundamentally a diac with a gate terminal for controlling the turn-on
conditions of the bilateral device in either direction. In other words, for either direction
the gate current can control the action of the device in a manner very similar to that
demonstrated for an SCR.

Basic construction and symbol Characteristics

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TRIAC
Phase Control Circuit

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TRIAC
Application

A. High-power lamp switch B. Electronic change over of transformer taps

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TRIAC
Example
The switch is closed. If the triac has fired, what is the current through
50 ohms resistor when (i) triac is ideal (ii) triac has drop of 1V

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TRIAC
Example
The switch is closed. If the triac has fired, what is the current through
50 ohms resistor when (i) triac is ideal (ii) triac has drop of 1V

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
A unijunction transistor (UJT) is a three-terminal semiconductor switching device. This device has
a unique characteristic that when it is triggered, the emitter current increases regeneratively until
it is limited by emitter power supply. Due to this characteristic, the UJT can be employed in a
variety of applications e.g., switching, pulse generator, saw-tooth generator etc.

Basic construction and symbol

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Operation
The device has normally B2 positive w.r.t. B1

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Equivalent circuit
The image shows the equivalent circuit of UJT. The resistance of the silicon bar is
called the inter-base resistance Rbb. The inter-base is presented by two resistor in
series viz.
Inter-base resistance:
𝑅𝐵𝐵 = 𝑅𝐵1 + 𝑅𝐵2

Voltage across Rb1: 𝑅𝐵1

𝑉1 = 𝑉
𝑅𝐵1 + 𝑅𝐵2 𝐵𝐵
Intrinsic stand-off ration:
𝑉1 𝑅𝐵1
==
𝑉𝐵𝐵 𝑅𝐵1 + 𝑅𝐵2
Peak point voltage:
𝑉𝑝 = 𝜂𝑉𝐵𝐵 + 𝑉𝐷

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Characteristic The figure shows the curve between emitter voltage(Ve) and emitter current (Ie) of
a UJT at a given voltage Vbb between the bases. This is known as emitter
characteristic of UJT.

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Example;

1. The Intrinsic stand-off ration for a UJT is determined

to be 0.6. if the inter-base resistance is 10k, what are
the values of Rb1 and Rb2?

2. A UJT has 10 V between the bases. If the intrinsic stand-

off ratio is 0.65, find the value of stand-off voltage. What will
be the peak-point voltage if the forward drop in the pn
junction is 0.7 V?

3. In the figure at the right shows the UJT circuit. The

parameter are =0.65 and Rbb = 7k find Rb1 and Rb2,
Vb1b2 and Vp.

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Advantage and Applications;
Advantages;
(i) It is low cost device.
(ii) It has excellent characteristic.
(iii) It is low-power absorbing device under normal
operating conditions.
Due to above reasons, this device is being used in
variety of applications. A few include oscillators, trigger
circuits, saw-tooth generators, bistable network etc.

UJT as relaxation oscillator , the figure on the side

shows UJT relaxation oscillator where the discharching
of capacitor through UJT can develop a saw-tooth
output as shown. UJT as relaxation oscillator

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Example; The circuit shown uses variable resistor RE to change
the frequency of pulses delivered at Vout. The variable
resistor is initially set at 5k and is then adjusted to
10k. Determine the frequency of the voltage spikes
produced for (i) 5k setting and (ii) 10k setting

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Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Example; The circuit shows the relaxation oscillator. The parameters
of UJT are RBB = 5k and =0.6.

(i) Determine RB1 and RB2 at IE=0

(ii) Calculate the voltage Vp necessary to turn on the UJT
(iii) Determine the frequency of oscillation

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Phototransistors
A phototransistor is a semiconductor device that is sensitive to light. It is a type
of transistor that can be used to detect and amplify light or optical signals.
Phototransistors are widely used in various applications, including light
detection, optical communication, remote control systems, and more.

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Phototransistors
Applications
High-Isolation AND Gate
A high-isolation AND gate is shown in Fig. 17.51 using
three phototransistors and three LEDs (light-emitting
diodes). The LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit
light at an intensity determined by the forward current
through the device.

The terminology high isolation simply refers to the lack of

an electrical connection between the input and
output circuits.

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OPTO-ISOLATORS
The opto-isolator is a device that incorporates many of the characteristics
described in the preceding section. It is simply a package that contains both an
infrared LED and a photodetector such as a silicon diode, transistor Darlington
pair, or SCR. The wavelength response of each device is tailored to be as
identical as possible to permit the highest measure of coupling possible.

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)

the PUT is a four-layer pnpn device with a gate connected

directly to the sandwiched n -type layer

As the symbol suggests, it is essentially an SCR with a

control mechanism that permits a duplication of the
characteristics of the typical SCR.

The term programmable is applied because RBB, h, and V P as

defined for the UJT can be controlled through the resistors RB1,
RB2, and the supply voltage VBB. Note in Fig. 17.61 that
through an application of the voltage-divider rule, when IG = 0,

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
PUT characteristics. As noted on the diagram, the “off” state ( I low, V between 0 and VP)
and the “on” state (I >IV, V >VV) are separated by the unstable region
as occurred for the UJT. That is, the device cannot stay in the
unstable state—it will simply shift to either the “off” or the “on”
stable state.

firing potential V P :

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
Example

1. Determine RB1 and VBB for a silicon PUT if it is determined that

 = 0.8, VP = 10.3 V, and RB2 = 5 k

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
Relaxation Oscillator
One popular application of the PUT is in the relaxation oscillator of Fig. 17.64
. The instant the supply is connected, the capacitor will begin to charge toward
V BB volts since there is no anode current at this point. The charging curve
appears in Fig. 17.65 . The period T required to reach the firing potential V P is
given approximately by

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
Relaxation Oscillator
The waveforms of vA, vG, and v K appear in Fig. 17.66 . Note that T determines
the maximum voltage that vA can charge to. Once the device fires, the
capacitor will rapidly discharge through the PUT and RK , producing the drop
shown.

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
Relaxation Oscillator
(example)
For the network of Fig. 17.64 , if VBB = 12 V, R = 20k , C = 1 μF,
RK = 100 , RB1 = 10 k , RB2 = 5 k , IP = 100 μA, VV = 1 V, and
IV = 5.5 mA, determine:
a. V P .
b. R max and R min .
c. T and frequency of oscillation.
d. The waveforms of vA, vG, and v K .

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PROGRAMMABLE UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR (PUT)
Relaxation Oscillator
(example)

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