Chapter 7: Transistor Amplifiers

Harry Aintablian

BEE 332: Spring 2024

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Amplifier classification
› Three broad classes of amplifiers:

– Inverting amplifiers provide high voltage gain with a 1800 phase

shift: common-emitter and common-source configurations

– Non-inverting amplifiers provide high voltage gain with no phase

shift: common-base and common-gate configurations

– Followers provide nearly unity gain similar to the op amp voltage

follower: common-collector and common-drain configurations

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Common Drain (CD) amplifier (or source follower)

Figure 7.42 (a) Common-drain amplifier or source follower with the bias circuit omitted. (b) Equivalent circuit of the
source follower obtained by replacing the MOSFET with its T model.

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 Common Drain (CD) amplifier

Input resistance: 𝑅 =∞

𝑣 𝑣 𝑅
Overall gain: = =
𝑣 𝑣 1
𝑅 +𝑔

Close to unity voltage gain because

1/gm is usually low compared to RL

1
Output resistance: 𝑅 =
𝑔

Figure 7.42 (a) Common-drain amplifier or source follower with the bias circuit omitted. (b) Equivalent circuit of the
source follower obtained by replacing the MOSFET with its T model.

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Common Collector (CC) amplifier (or emitter follower)

Figure 7.43 (a) Common-collector amplifier or emitter follower with the bias circuit omitted.(b)Equivalent circuit
obtained by replacing the BJT with its T model.

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 Common Collector (CC) amplifier

Input resistance: 𝑅 = 𝛽+1 𝑟 +𝑅

𝑣 𝑅
=
𝑣 𝑅 +𝑟

𝑣 𝛽+1 𝑅
Overall gain: =
𝑣 𝛽+1 𝑅 + 𝛽+1 𝑟 +𝑅

Output resistance: 𝑅 =𝑟 = Incomplete; more on this coming up

Figure 7.43 (a) Common-collector amplifier or emitter follower with the bias circuit omitted.(b)Equivalent circuit
obtained by replacing the BJT with its T model.

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CC amplifier voltage gain
𝑣 𝛽+1 𝑅
=
𝑣 𝛽+1 𝑅 + 𝛽+1 𝑟 +𝑅

Divide by 𝛽 + 1

𝑣 𝑅
=
𝑣 𝑅
𝑅 +𝑟 +
𝛽+1

The gain is close to unity voltage gain

because re + Rsig/(b+1) is usually small Equivalent circuit synthesized
from equation

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 CC amplifier Rout

To find Rout, set vsig = 0 (similar to finding Thevenin equivalent

Resistance)

Equivalent circuit

𝑅
Output resistance: 𝑅 =𝑟 + obtained by setting vsig=0
𝛽+1

Note that Rout is different than Ro = re

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Buffer In the circuit below the output signal is attenuated (diminished)

Inserting a buffer circuit between the source and the load greatly enhances the output signal

A buffer has high input resistance and

low output resistance which matches the
behaviors of the CD and CC circuits (or source
or emitter followers)

Figure 7.41 Illustrating the need for a unity-gain voltage buffer amplifier.

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CD and CC Amplifiers
› Example 7.10

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MOSFET amplifier summary

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MOSFET amplifier comparison
› The CS amplifier has an ideally infinite input resistance
and reasonably high gain – but a rather high output
resistance and limited frequency response. It is used to
obtain most of the gain in a cascade amplifier.
› Adding a resistance Rs in the source lead of the CS
amplifier can lead to beneficial results.
› The CG amplifier has a low input resistance and thus it
alone has limited and specialized applications. However,
its excellent high-frequency response makes it attractive
in combination with the CS amplifier.
› The source follower has (ideally) infinite input resistance,
a voltage gain lower than but close to unity, and a low
output resistance. It is employed as a voltage buffer and
as the output stage of a multistage amplifier.
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BJT amplifier summary

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BJT Amplifier Comparison
› The CE configuration is one of the best suited for realizing
the bulk of the gain required in an amplifier. Depending on
the magnitude of the gain required, either a single stage or
a cascade of two or three stages may be used.
› Including a resistor Re in the emitter lead of the CE stage
provides a number of performance improvements at the
expense of gain reduction.
› The low input resistance of the CB amplifier makes it useful
only in specific applications.
› The emitter follower finds application as a voltage buffer for
connecting a high resistance source to a low-resistance
load.

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Complete Amplifier Circuits

Complete Amplifier Circuits

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Discrete-Circuit Amplifier's
› Putting everything together
– Three amplifier circuits: Inverting, non-inverting and follower
circuits
– Added to that are the dc bias circuits studied previously
› Discrete-circuit amplifiers commonly use BJTs
› Integrated circuit amplifiers are made of MOSFETs
› The three classes of amplifiers again:
– CS and CE amplifiers
– CG and CB amplifiers
– CD and CC amplifiers

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Common source (CS) amplifier

Figure 7.55 (a) A common-source amplifier using the classical biasing arrangement of Fig. 7.48(c).
(b) Circuit for determining the bias point. (c) Equivalent circuit and analysis.

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CS amplifier: Exercise D7.38-7.39 simulation

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CS amplifier: Exercise D7.37-7.38 simulation
› Operating Point ---
› V(d): 6 voltage
› V(g): 5 voltage
› V(s): 3.5 voltage
› Id(M1): 0.0005 device_current
› Ig(M1): 0 device_current
› Is(M1): -0.0005 device_current

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CS amplifier: Exercise D7.37-7.38 simulation

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Common Emitter (CE) Amplifier

Figure 7.56 (a) A common-emitter amplifier using the classical biasing arrangement of Fig. 7.52(a). (b) Equivalent circuit and analysis.

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Common Emitter (CE) Amplifier with ext. Re

Figure 7.57 (a) A common-emitter amplifier with an unbiased emitter resistance Re. (b) The amplifier small-signal model and analysis.

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Common Base (CB) Amplifier

𝒗 𝑹𝒊𝒏
= 𝒈 𝑹 ||𝑹
𝒗𝒔𝒊𝒈 𝑹𝒊𝒏 + 𝑹𝒔𝒊𝒈 𝒎 𝑪 𝑳

Figure 7.58 (a) A common-base amplifier using the structure of Fig. 7.53 with RB omitted (since the base is grounded). (b)
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Equivalent circuit obtained by replacing the transistor with its T model.
Common Collector (CC) Amplifier

𝑹𝒊𝒃 = 𝜷 + 1 𝒓𝒆 + 𝑹𝑬 ||𝒓𝒐 ||𝑹𝑳

𝒗 𝑹𝒊𝒏 𝑹𝑬 ||𝒓𝒐 ||𝑹𝑳

=
𝒗𝒔𝒊𝒈 𝑹𝒊𝒏 + 𝑹𝒔𝒊𝒈 𝒓𝒆 + 𝑹𝑬 ||𝒓𝒐 ||𝑹𝑳

𝑹𝑩 ||𝑹𝒔𝒊𝒈
𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒕 = 𝒓𝒐 || 𝑹𝑬 || 𝒓𝒆 +
𝜷+1

Figure 7.59 (a) An emitter-follower circuit. (b) Small-signal equivalent circuit of the emitter follower with the transistor
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replaced by its T model. Note that ro is included because it is easy to do so. Normally, its effect on performance is small.
Amplifier Frequency Response

Figure 7.60 Sketch of the magnitude of the gain of a CE (Fig. 7.56) or CS (Fig. 7.55) amplifier versus frequency. The
graph delineates the three frequency bands relevant to frequency-response determination.

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