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BasicBJTAmplifierConfigurations

Electronic

Devices and Circuits

Engineering Sciences 154

BasicBJTAmplifierConfigurations
Thereareplentyoftextsaroundonbasicelectronics,sothisisaverybrieflookatthethreebasic
waysinwhichabipolarjunctiontransistor(BJT)canbeused.Ineachcase,oneterminalis
commontoboththeinputandoutputsignal.Allthecircuitsshownherearewithoutbiascircuits
andpowersuppliesforclarity.

CommonEmitterConfiguration

Heretheemitterterminaliscommontoboththeinputandoutputsignal.Thearrangementisthe
sameforaPNPtransistor.Usedinthiswaythetransistorhastheadvantagesofamediuminput
impedance,mediumoutputimpedance,highvoltagegainandhighcurrentgain.

CommonBaseConfiguration

Herethebaseisthecommonterminal.UsedfrequentlyforRFapplications,thisstagehasthe
followingproperties.Lowinputimpedance,highoutputimpedance,unity(orless)currentgain
andhighvoltagegain.

CommonCollectorConfiguration

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Thislastconfigurationisalsomorecommonlyknownastheemitterfollower.Thisisbecause
theinputsignalappliedatthebaseis"followed"quitecloselyattheemitterwithavoltagegain
closetounity.Thepropertiesareahighinputimpedance,averylowoutputimpedance,aunity
(orless)voltagegainandahighcurrentgain.Thiscircuitisalsousedextensivelyasa"buffer"
convertingimpedancesorforfeedingordrivinglongcablesorlowimpedanceloads.

TransistorConfigurationComparisonChart
(seeSedra&Smithand"DetailedAnalysis"below)
AMPLIFIERTYPE

COMMON
BASE

COMMON
EMITTER

COMMON
EMITTER
(Emitter
Resistor)

COMMON
COLLECTOR
(EmitterFollower)

INPUT/OUTPUTPHASE
RELATIONSHIP

180

180

HIGH

MEDIUM

MEDIUM

LOW

LOW

MEDIUM

MEDIUM

HIGH

VOLTAGEGAIN

CURRENTGAIN

POWERGAIN
INPUTRESISTANCE

OUTPUTRESISTANCE

LOW

HIGH

HIGH

MEDIUM

LOW

MEDIUM

MEDIUM

HIGH

HIGH

MEDIUM

MEDIUM

LOW

DetailedAnalysis
CommonorGroundedEmitterAmplifier(actualcircuitconfiguration)
CEAmplifierSmallSignalEquivalentCircuit

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Toanalyzethisconfiguration,wefirstsetdownthecompletenodal
equations:

Usingtherelationship
amorehomogeneousform:

,thenodalequationscanberewritein

Eliminatingvofromthelasttwonodalequationswefindthat

andifwesubstitutethisexpressionintothefirstnodalequationwe
findthat

Finally,substitutingthesetwoexpressionsintothesecondnodal
equationwefindthefollowingexpressionforthevoltagegain:

When

thisexpressionreducesto

When

but

itreducesto

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CommonorGroundedCollectorAmplifier(actualcircuitconfiguration)
CE("EmitterFollower")AmplifierSmallSignal
EquivalentCircuit

Againtoanalyzethisconfiguration,wefirstsetdownthe
completenodalequations:

Againusingtherelationship
,thenodalequations
canberewriteinamorehomogeneousform:

Substitutingthesecondnodalequationintothefirstwefind
thefollowingexpressionforthevoltagegain:

A"trickly"calculationisrequiredtoobtaintheoutput
impedance.Todosowefirstshutofftheinputvoltageand
thenapplytestvoltagesource,vx,totheoutputterminal.
Underthesecircumstances,thecurrentintotheoutput
terminalisgivenby:

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Therefore,therelativelylowoutputimpedanceisgivenby:

whiletherelativelyhighinputimpedanceisgivenby:

ThispagewaspreparedandismaintainedbyR.VictorJones
Commentsto:jones@deas.harvard.edu.
LastupdatedNovember7,2001

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