EXPERIMENT 11

BJT as Common Base Amplifier

Objectives:
 To study the common base amplifier configuration.
 To simulate the circuit in Proteus.
 Implementation of common base circuit on Hardware

Equipment required:
 Oscilloscope
 Function Generator
 Power Supply
 Transistor
 Resistors
 Capacitors
 Digital Multimeter

Background Knowledge:
There are three basic configurations for implementing single stage BJT amplifiers.
 Common Emitter
 Common Collector
 Common Base

In each case, one terminal is common to both input and output signal.
Common Base Amplifier Configuration:

In this circuit, the emitter terminal of the transistor serves as the input, the collector as the output,
and the base is common to both (for example, it may be tied to ground reference or a power
supply rail), hence its name. The properties are low input impedance, high output impedance, a
unity (or less) current gain and a high voltage gain. The aim of any small signal amplifier is to
amplify the entire input signal with the minimum distortion possible to the output. In other
words, the output signal must be an exact reproduction of input signal but only bigger
(amplified).
To clear the concepts of common base, read this example.

It is called the common-base configuration because both the signal source and the load share the
base lead as a common connection point.
The input signal is applied between the emitter and base terminals while the corresponding
output signal is taken across the collector and base terminals. Thus, the base terminal of a
transistor is common for both input and output terminals and hence it is named as common base
configuration. The supply voltage between base and emitter is denoted by V BE while the supply
voltage between collector and base is denoted by V CB. The base-emitter junction JE is always
forward biased and collector-base junction JC is always reverse biased. Therefore, in common
base configuration, the base-emitter junction JE is forward biased and collector-base junction JC
is reverse biased.
Let us consider an NPN transistor in common base configuration. The base-emitter junction J E is
forward biased by the supply voltage VBE while the collector-base junction JC is reverse biased by
the supply voltage VCB. Due to the forward bias voltage VBE, the free electrons (majority carriers)
in the emitter region experience a repulsive force from the negative terminal of the battery
similarly holes (majority carriers) in the base region experience a repulsive force from the
positive terminal of the battery. As a result, free electrons start flowing from emitter to base
similarly holes start flowing from base to emitter. Thus, free electrons which are flowing from
emitter to base and holes which are flowing from base to emitter conducts electric current. The
actual current is carried by free electrons which are flowing from emitter to base. However, we
follow the conventional current direction which is from base to emitter. Thus, electric current is
produced at the base and emitter region.
The width of the base region is very thin and only a small percentage of free electrons from
emitter region will combine with the holes in the base region. The remaining large number of
free electrons cross the base region and enter the collector region. These free electrons which
entered the collector region will experience an attractive force from the positive terminal of the
battery. Therefore, the free electrons in the collector region will flow towards the positive
terminal of the battery. Thus, electric current is produced in the collector region.
The emitter current is greater than the base current and collector current. The emitter current is
the sum of base current and collector current.

Where, emitter current is the input current and collector current is the output current.
The electrical relationship between the three transistor currents can be shown to give the
expressions for alpha, α and Beta, β as shown.

The output collector current is less than the input emitter current, so the current gain of this
amplifier(alpha) is less than 1. In other words, the common base amplifier attenuates the electric
current rather than amplifying it.
The base-emitter junction JE at input side acts as a forward biased diode. So, the common base
amplifier has a low input impedance (low opposition to incoming current). As seen from the
input in the emitter branch, the total input resistance is RE//re where the symbol “//” denotes the
fact that the emitter and small diode resistor are in parallel.
Since the common base amplifier cannot operate as a current amplifier (Ai ≅ 1), it must
therefore have the ability to operate as a voltage amplifier. The voltage gain for the common
base amplifier is the ratio of VOUT/VIN, that is the collector voltage VC to the emitter voltage VE.
In other words, VOUT = VC and VIN = VE. The output voltage VOUT is developed across the
collector resistance, RC, the output voltage must therefore be a function of IC as from Ohms Law,
VRC = IC*RC. So, any change in IE will have a corresponding change in IC. Thus,

As IC/IE is alpha, we can present the amplifiers voltage gain as:

If RE ≫ r’e then the true voltage gain of the common base amplifier will be:

The collector-base junction JC at output side acts somewhat like a reverse biased diode. So, the
common base amplifier has high output impedance. Therefore, the common base amplifier
provides a low input impedance and high output impedance. Transistors with low input
impedance and high output impedance provide a high voltage gain. Even though the voltage gain
is high, the current gain is very low, and the overall power gain of the common base amplifier is
low as compared to the other transistor amplifier configurations.
Following are the applications of the common base amplifier circuit:
 The common base amplifier circuit is used, where the low input impedance is required.
 It is used in moving coil microphones Preamplifiers.
 It is used in UHF and VHF RF amplifiers.
Lab Task:

Procedure:
 Connect the circuit as given in the manual.
 Give an input of 0.2 Vp-p (f = 1 kHz) to the amplifier.
 Observe the output at Oscilloscope.
 Draw the input and output waveforms.
 Voltage Gain: ___________________

Conclusion: