c Copyright 2010. W. Marshall Leach, Jr., Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The Common-Collector Amplier

Basic Circuit
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a single stage common-collector amplier. The object is to solve for the small-signal voltage gain, input resistance, and output resistance.

Figure 1: Common-collector amplier.

DC Solution
(a) Replace the capacitors with open circuits. Look out of the 3 BJT terminals and make Thvenin equivalent circuits as shown in Fig. 2. VBB VEE = V V + R2 + V R1 = R1 + R2 REE = RE RBB = R1 kR2 VCC = V + RCC = RC

(b) Make an educated guess for VBE . Write the loop equation between the VBB and the VEE nodes. IC IC VBB VEE = IB RBB + VBE + IE REE = RBB + VBE + REE (c) Solve the loop equation for the currents. IC = IE = IB = VBB VEE VBE RBB / + REE /

(d) Verify that VCB > 0 for the active mode. VCB = VC VB = (VCC IC RCC ) (VBB IB RBB ) = VCC VBB IC (RCC RBB / ) 1

Figure 2: Bias circuit.

Small-Signal or AC Solutions
(a) Redraw the circuit with V + = V = 0 and all capacitors replaced with short circuits as shown in Fig. 3.

Figure 3: Signal circuit. (b) Calculate gm , r , re , and r0 from the DC solution. gm = IC VT r = VT IB re = VT IE r0 = VA + VCE IC

(c) Replace the circuits looking out of the base with a Thvenin equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 4. R1 kR2 vtb = vs Rtb = R1 kR2 Rs + R1 kR2

Figure 4: Signal circuit with Thvenin base circuit. Exact Solution (a) Replace the BJT in Fig. 4 with the Thvenin base emitter circuits as shown in Fig. 5. Solve for ve(oc) . r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) ve(oc) = vtb 0 Rtc = 0 re + r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) Note that the Thvenin resistance Rtc looking out of the collector is zero in the original circuit. The exact solution gives the correct answer even if Rtc 6= 0.

Figure 5: Base and emitter equivalent circuits. (b) Solve for vo . RE kRL R1 kR2 r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) RE kRL = vs 0 rie + RE kRL Rs + R1 kR2 re + r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) rie + RE kRL r0 + Rtc Rtb + rx + r Rtb + rx 0 0 rie = re = r = + re e 0 + r + R / (1 + ) re 1+ 1+ 0 tc (c) Solve for the voltage gain. vo = ve(oc) Av = (d) Solve for rin . rin = R1 kR2 krib rib = rx + r + Rte 3 (1 + ) r0 + Rtc r0 + Rte + Rtc Rte = RE kRL RE kRL vo R1 kR2 r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) = 0 vs Rs + R1 kR2 re + r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) rie + RE kRL

(e) Solve for rout . (f) Special case for r0 = . ve(oc) = vtb rout = rie kRE rib = rx + r + (1 + ) Rte
0 rie = re

Example 1 For the CC amplier in Fig. 1, it is given that RS = 5 k, R1 = 120 k, R2 = 100 k, RE = 5.6 k, RL = 20 k, V + = 15 V, V = 15 V, VBE = 0.65 V, = 99, = 0.99, rx = 20 , VA = 100 V and VT = 0.025 V. Solve for Av , rin , and rout . Solution. Because the dc bias circuits are the same as for the common-emitter amplier example, the bias values, re , gm , and r are the same. Because VCE is dierent, a new value of r0 must be calculated. The collector-to-emitter voltage is given by IE + RBB VBE = 17.01 V VCE = VC VE = V VBB 1+ VA + VCE = 55.93 k IE In the signal circuit, the Thvenin voltage and resistance seen looking out of the base are given by R1 kR2 vs = 0.916vs Rtb = RS kR1 kR2 = 4.58 k vtb = RS + R1 kR2 The Thvenin resistances seen looking out of the emitter and the collector are r0 = Rte = RE kR3 = 4.375 k Rtc = 0 Thus r0 has the value

0 Next, we calculate re , ve(oc) , rie , and rib , where Rtc = 0. 0 = re

Rtb + rx + re = 57.83 1+

r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) vtb = 0.999vtb + r0 + Rtc / (1 + ) r0 + Rtc 0 = 57.77 rie = re 0 + r + R / (1 + ) re 0 tc (1 + ) r0 + Rtc rib = rx + (1 + ) re + Rte = 407 k r0 + Rte + Rtc The output voltage is given by ve(oc) =
0 re

vo =

Rte ve(oc) = 0.987 0.999 0.916vs = 0.903vs rie + Rte Av = 0.903

Thus the voltage gain is The input and output resistances are given by rin = R1 kR2 krib = 48.1 k 4 rout = rie kRE kRL = 57.02

Alternate Solutions
These solutions are exact because the Thvenin resistance Rtc looking out of the collector is zero. If Rtc 6= 0, replace r0 with an open circuit in all formulas, i.e. let r0 = In this case, the solutions are no longer exact, they are approximate. Emitter Equivalent Circuit Solution (a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuits looking out of the base, replace the BJT with the emitter equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 6: Simplied T model.

0 (b) Solve for re . 0 re =

Rtb + rx + re 1+

Rtb = RS kR1 kR2

(c) Solve for vo . vo = vtb

0 re

r0 kRE kRL R1 kR2 r0 kRE kRL = vs 0 + r0 kRE kRL Rs + R1 kR2 re + r0 kRE kRL r0 kRE kRL vo R1 kR2 = 0 vs Rs + R1 kR2 re + r0 kRE kRL rib = rx + (1 + ) (re + r0 kRte )
0 kRE rout = r0 kre

(d) Solve for the voltage gain. Av =

(e) Solve for rin . Because the base node is absorbed, use the formula for rib . rin = R1 kR2 krib (f) Solve for rout . Example 2 Use the simplied T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example 1. Av = 0.916 0.986 = 0.903 rin = 48.51 k 5 rout = 57.18 Rte = RE kRL

 Model Solution (a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuits looking out of the base and emitter, replace the BJT with the model as shown in Fig. 7.

Figure 7: Hybrid- model. (b) Solve for i0e . vtb = ib (Rtb + rx + r ) + i0e r0 kRE kRL = vtb Rtb + rx + r + r0 kRE kRL 1+ i0e (Rtb + rx + r ) + i0e r0 kRE kRL 1+

= i0e = (c) Solve for vo .

vo = i0e r0 kRE kRL =

vtb r0 kRE kRL Rtb + rx + r + r0 kRE kRL 1+ R1 kR2 r0 kRE kRL = vs Rs + R1 kR2 Rtb + rx + r + r0 kRE kRL 1+

(d) Solve for the voltage gain. Av = r0 kRE kRL vo R1 kR2 = vs Rs + R1 kR2 Rtb + rx + r + r0 kRE kRL 1+

(e) Solve for rib and rin . vb = ib (rx + r ) + i0e r0 kRE kRL = ib (rx + r ) + (1 + ) ib r0 kRE kRL = ib [rx + r + (1 + ) r0 kRE kRL ] rib = vb = rx + r + (1 + ) r0 kRE kRL ib 6

(f) Solve for rout .First, solve for the open-circuit output voltage. This is the output voltage with RL = . r0 kRE vo(oc) = vtb Rtb + rx + r + r0 kRE 1+ Next, solve for the short-circuit output current. This is the output current with RL = 0. The output current is given by io = r0 kRE kRL r0 kRE vo vtb vtb = = Rtb + rx + r Rtb + rx + r RL RL R + r0 kRE + r0 kRE kRL + r0 kRE kRL L 1+ 1+ Now, let RL = 0 to obtain vtb io(sc) = Rtb + rx + r 1+ The output resistance is given by vo(oc) Rtb + rx + r Rtb + rx + r r0 kRE = kr0 kRE = rout = Rtb + rx + r io(sc) 1+ 1+ + r0 kRE 1+
0 Note this is simply re kr0 kRE , an answer that is obvious using the emitter equivalent circuit.

rin = R1 kR2 krib

Example 3 Use the -model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example 1. Av = 0.916 0.986 = 0.903

rin = 48.51 k T Model Solution

rout = 57.18

(a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuits looking out of the base and emitter, replace the BJT with the T model as shown in Fig. 8. (b) Solve for i0e . vtb = ib (Rtb + rx ) + i0e i0e (Rtb + rx ) + i0e (re + r0 kRE kRL ) (re + r0 kRE kRL ) = 1+ vtb

= i0e =

Rtb + rx + re + r0 kRE kRL vtb r0 kRE kRL Rtb + rx + re + r0 kRE kRL R1 kR2 r0 kRE kRL = vs Rs + R1 kR2 Rtb + rx + re + r0 kRE kRL 7

(c) Solve for vo . vo = i0e r0 kRE kRL =

Figure 8: T model circuit. (d) Solve for the voltage gain. Av = r0 kRE kRL vo R1 kR2 = vs Rs + R1 kR2 Rtb + rx + re + r0 kRE kRL

(e) Solve for rib and rin . vb = ib rx + i0e (re + r0 kRE kRL ) = ib rx + (1 + ) ib (re + r0 kRE kRL ) = ib [rx + (1 + ) (re + r0 kRE kRL )] vb = rx + (1 + ) (re + r0 kRE kRL ) rib = ib rin = R1 kR2 krib

(f) Solve for rout . First, solve for the open-circuit output voltage. This is the output voltage with RL = . r0 kRE vo(oc) = vtb Rtb + rx + re + r0 kRE Next, solve for the short-circuit output current. This is the output current with RL = 0. The output current is given by io = r0 kRE kRL r0 kRE vo vtb vtb = = Rtb + rx Rtb + rx RL RL R + r0 kRE + re + r0 kRE kRL + re r0 kRE kRL L 1+ 1+ io(sc) = The output resistance is given by rout vo(oc) r0 kRE = = Rtb + rx io(sc) + re + r0 kRE 1+ Rtb + rx + re 1+ 8 = Rtb + rx + re kr0 kRE 1+ vtb Rtb + rx + re 1+

Now, let RL = 0 to obtain

This is the same answer obtained from the emitter equivalent circuit. Example 4 Use the T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example 1.

Av = 0.916 0.986 = 0.903 rin = 48.51 k rout = 57.18