BJT Transistor Modeling
One of our first concerns in the sinusoidal ac analysis of transistor networks is the
magnitude of the input signal. It will determine whether small-signal or large-signal
techniques should be applied. There are two models commonly used in the small-signal
ac analysis of transistor networks: the re model and the hybrid equivalent model.
1- Amplification in The AC Domain:
That is, the output sinusoidal signal is greater than the input signal or, stated another
way, the output ac power is greater than the input ac power. The question then arises as
to how the ac power output can be greater than the input ac power? Conservation of
energy dictates that over time the total power output, Po, of a system cannot be greater
than its power input, Pi, and that the efficiency defined by ⁄ cannot be greater
than 1. The factor missing from the discussion above that permits an ac power output
greater than the input ac power is the applied dc power. In fact, a conversion efficiency
is defined by ⁄ .
2- BJT Transistor Modeling
The ac equivalent of a network is obtained by:
a- Setting all dc sources to zero and replacing them by a short-circuit equivalent
b- Replacing all capacitors by a short-circuit equivalent
c- Removing all elements bypassed by the short-circuit equivalents introduced by
steps a and b.
d- Redrawing the network in a more convenient and logical form.
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 68
If we establish a common ground and rearrange the elements, R1 and R2 will be in
parallel and RC will appear from collector to emitter as shown in Fig. below.
For the two-port (two pairs of terminals) system, the input side (the side to which the
signal is normally applied) is to the left and the output side (where the load is connected)
is to the right. In fact, for most electrical and electronic systems, the general flow is
usually from the left to the right.
Input Impedance, Zi: For the input side, the input impedance Zi is defined by Ohm’s
law as: ⁄
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 69
It is particularly noteworthy that for frequencies in
the low to mid-range (typically ≤100 kHz): The
input impedance of a BJT transistor amplifier is
purely resistive in nature and, depending on the
manner in which the transistor is employed, can
vary from a few ohms to megohms.
The importance of the input impedance of a system can best be demonstrated by:
The input voltage must be determined using
the voltage-divider rule as follows:
Thus, only 66.7% of the full-input signal is
available at the input.
Output Impedance, Zo: In particular, for frequencies in the low to mid-range
(typically≤100 kHz): The output impedance of a BJT transistor amplifier is resistive in
nature and, depending on the configuration and the placement of the resistive elements,
Zo, can vary from a few ohms to a level that can exceed 2 MΩ.
Voltage Gain, Av: One of the most important characteristics of an amplifier is the
small-signal ac volt-age gain as determined by: ⁄
For the system of Fig. below having a source resistance R s, the level of Vi would first
have to be determined using the voltage-divider rule before the gain V o/Vs could be
calculated. That is,
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 70
Current Gain, Ai: The current gain defined by:
For the loaded situation
⁄ ⁄
Phase Relationship: For the typical transistor amplifier at frequencies that permit
ignoring the effects of the reactive elements, the input and output signals are either 180°
out of phase or in phase.
3- The Hybrid Equivalent Model:
Our description of the hybrid equivalent model will begin with the general two-port
system of Fig. below. It is the most frequently employed in transistor circuit analysis.
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 71
If we arbitrarily set Vo=0 (short circuit the output
terminals) and solve for h11
Ohms
If Ii is set equal to zero by opening the input leads, the following will result for h12
It has no units since it is a ratio of voltage levels and is called the open-circuit reverse
transfer voltage ratio parameter.
If Vo is equal to zero by again shorting the output terminals, the following will result for
h21
Note that we now have the ratio of an output quantity to an input quantity. The term
forward will now be used rather than reverse as indicated for h12
It is called the open-circuit out-put admittance parameter.
The complete “ac” equivalent circuit for the basic three-terminal linear device is
indicated in Fig. below with a new set of subscripts for the h-parameters. The choice of
letters is obvious from the following listing:
h11 →input resistance →hi
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 72
h12 →reverse transfer voltage ratio → hr
h21 →forward transfer current ratio→ hf
h22 →output conductance →ho
4- Approximate Hybrid Equivalent Circuit
a- Fixed-Bias Configuration
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 73
Example: For the circuit shown: Determine
b- Voltage-Divider Configuration (Bypassed Emitter-Biase):
For the voltage-divider bias configuration of Fig. below, the resulting small-signal ac
equivalent network will have the same appearance as fixed bias configuration, with RB
replaced by .
c- Unbypassed Emitter-Bias Configuration:
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 74
d- CC Amplifier Analysis:
Let , , , , and . Drawing direct
analogies with the CE amplifier, find expressions for the (a) current-gain ratio Ai, (b)
voltage-gain ratio Av,(c)input impedance Zin, and (d) output impedance Zo. (e)
Evaluate this typical CC amplifier.
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 75
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) Based on the typical values of this example, the characteristics of the CB amplifier
can be summarized as follows:
1. High current gain
2. Voltage gain of approximately unity
3. Power gain approximately equal to current gain
4. No current or voltage phase shift
5. Large input impedance
6. Small output impedance
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 76
e- Common-Base Configuration
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 77
Example: For the network of Fig. below, determine:
Assistance Professor Dr. Mahmood 16 February 2019 Page 78
