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What Is A Transistor

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51 views5 pages

What Is A Transistor

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SOMOSCO
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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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B CLASS

NAME: SHAFIU ABDULLAHI


REG NO: 2007252147
DEPT: COMPUTER SCIENCE NDII
COURSE: COM 223
QUESTION:
EXPLAIN EXTENSIVELY ON THE TERM TRANSISTOR, WHITE SHOT NOTE ON
SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUIT
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A TRANSISTOR?
A transistor is a miniature semiconductor that regulates or controls current or voltage
flow in addition amplifying and generating these electrical signals and acting as a
switch/gate for them. Typically, transistors consist of three layers, or terminals, of a
semiconductor material, each of which can carry a current.
When working as an amplifier, a transistor transforms a small input current into a bigger
output current. As a switch, it can be in one of two distinct states -- on or off -- to control
the flow of electronic signals through an electrical circuit or electronic device.
WHY TRANSISTORS ARE IMPORTANT
On its own, a transistor has only one circuit element. In small quantities, transistors are
used to create simple electronic switches. They are the basic elements in integrated
circuits (ICs), which consist of a large number of transistors interconnected with circuitry
and baked into a single silicon microchip.
In large numbers, transistors are used to create microprocessors where millions of
transistors are embedded into a single IC. They also drive computer memory chips and
memory storage devices for MP3 players, smartphones, cameras and electronic games.
Transistors are deeply embedded in nearly all ICs, which are part of every electronic
device.
Transistors are also used for low-frequency, high-power applications, such as power-
supply inverters that convert alternating current into direct current. Additionally,
transistors are used in high-frequency applications, such as the oscillator circuits used
to generate radio signals.

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HOW TRANSISTORS REVOLUTIONIZED THE TECH WORLD
Invented at Bell Laboratories in 1947, the transistor rapidly replaced the bulky vacuum
tube as an electronic signal regulator. Considered one of the most significant
developments in the history of the PC, the invention of the transistor fueled the trend
toward miniaturization in electronics. Because these solid-state devices were
significantly smaller, lighter and consumed significantly less power than vacuum tubes,
electronic systems made with transistors were also much smaller, lighter, faster and
more efficient. Transistors were also stronger, required significantly less power and,
unlike vacuum tubes, didn't require external heaters.

PARTS OF A TRANSISTOR
A transistor is like a set of two diodes with their cathodes or anodes tied together. It has
three terminals that carry electrical current and help make a connection to external
circuits:
 the emitter, also known as the transistor's negative lead,
 the base, which is the terminal that activates the transistor, and
 the collector, which is the transistor's positive lead.

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Let's consider an NPN transistor to understand these terminals. In this configuration, the
p-type silicon (base) is sandwiched between two slabs of n-type silicon (the emitter and
collector).
The emitter -- indicated by the letter E -- is moderately sized and heavily doped as its
primary function is to supply numerous majority carriers to support the flow of electricity.
It's called the emitter since it emits electrons.
The base -- indicated by the letter B -- is the center terminal between the emitter and
the collector. It is thin and lightly doped. Its main purpose is to pass the carriers from the
emitter to the collector.
TYPES OF TRANSISTORS

TYPES OF TRANSISTORS
Transistors are classified into two major types:
 Bipolar junction transistor (BJT)
 Field-effect transistor (FET)
A BJT is one of the most common types of transistors, and can be either NPN or PNP.
This means a BJT consists of three terminals: the emitter, the base and the collector. By
joining these three layers, a BJT can amplify an electrical signal or switch the current on
or off.
Two kinds of electrical charge -- electrons and holes -- are involved in creating a current
flow. In its normal operation, the BJT's base-emitter junction is forward-biased with a
very small emitter resistance, while the base-collector junction is reverse-biased with a
large resistance.

3
In a PNP-type BJT, conduction happens through holes or the absence of electrons. The
collector current is slightly less than the emitter current. Changes in the latter affect the
former. The base controls the current flow from the emitter to the collector. In this case,
the emitter emits holes, which are then collected by the collector.
In an NPN-type BJT, electrons pass from the emitter to the base and are collected by
the collector. When this happens, conventional current flows from the collector to the
emitter. The base controls the number of electrons emitted by the emitter.
A field-effect transistor (FET) also has three terminals -- source, drain and gate -- which
are analogous to BJT's emitter, collector and base, respectively. In the FET, the n-type
and p-type silicon layers are arranged differently from those of the BJT. They are also
coated with layers of metal and oxide to create the metal-oxide semiconductor field
effect transistor (MOSFET).

INTRODUCTION
Components of an electrical circuit or electronic circuit can be connected in many
different ways. The two simplest of these are called series and parallel and occur
frequently. Components connected in series are connected along a single path, so the
same current flows through all of the components. Components connected in parallel
are connected along multiple paths, so the same voltage is applied to each component.
A circuit composed solely of components connected in series is known as a series
circuit; likewise, one connected completely in parallel is known as a parallel circuit.
UNDERSTANDING SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS
In a series circuit, the current through each of the components is the same, and the
voltage across the circuit is the sum of the voltages across each component. In a
parallel circuit, the voltage across each of the components is the same, and the total
current is the sum of the currents through each component.
WHAT ARE SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS?
In a series circuit, all components are connected end-to-end to form a single path for
current flow. In a parallel circuit, all components are connected across each other with
exactly two electrically common nodes with the same voltage across each component.
WHAT IS A SERIES CONNECTION?

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The definition of a series circuit is a circuit where the components are connected end-to-
end in a line as illustrated in Figure 1.

WHAT IS A PARALLEL CONNECTION?


The definition of a parallel circuit is a circuit where all components are connected across
each other’s leads as shown in Figure 3.

SERIES VS PARALLEL CIRCUIT REVIEW:


 In a series circuit, all components are connected end-to-end, forming a single
path for current flow.
 In a parallel circuit, all components are connected across each other, forming
exactly two sets of electrically common points.
 A “branch” in a parallel circuit is a path for electric current formed by one of the
load components (such as a resistor).
REFERENCE
Michael Riordan (2005). "How Europe Missed the Transistor". IEEE Spectrum. 42 (11):
52–57. doi:10.1109/MSPEC.2005.1526906. S2CID 34953819. Archived from the
original on February 14, 2008.
"Herbert F. Mataré, An Inventor of the Transistor has his moment". The New York
Times. February 24, 2003. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009.
Bacon, W. Stevenson (1968). "The Transistor's 20th Anniversary: How Germanium And
A Bit of Wire Changed The World". Popular Science. 192 (6): 80–84. ISSN 0161-
7370

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