UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM

Department of Electrical and Computer System Engineering

TE 171

TUTORIAL QUESTIONS

Part I: Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1: Circle the most correct answer for each of the following questions

(A) The number of minority carriers crossing the junction of a diode depends primarily on the
(a) Concentration of doping impurities (c) Magnitude of the potential barrier
(b) Magnitude of the forward-bias voltage (d) Rate of thermal generation of electron-hole
pairs

(B) Avalanche break down is primarily dependent on the phenomenon of

(a) Doping (b) Ionisation (c) Collision (d) Recombination

(C) The conduction electrons have more mobility that the holes because they
(a) are lighter (b) require less energy to more (c) have negative charge
(d) experience collisions less frequently

(D) A germanium atom has

(a) four protons (b) four valence electrons (c) four neutrons
(d) five valence electrons

(E) When the temperature of an intrinsic semiconductor is raised

(a) its conductance increases (b) its resistance increases (c) Fermi energy level shifts up
(d) holes are created in conduction band

(F) If Vm is the peak voltage across the secondary of the transformer in a full-wave bridge rectifier, then the
PIV of the non-conducting diodes will be
(a) 2Vm (b) Vm/2 (c) Vm (d) Vm/4

(G) Which of the following has the ability to act as open-circuit for dc and short circuit for ac of high
frequency?
(a) Capacitor (b) Resistor (c) Inductor (d) None of the three

(H) For a proper transistor action,

(a) collector-base junction must be forward biased (b) collector must be more heavily doped than
emitter
(c) Base must be narrow and very lightly doped (d) Base region must be heavily doped

(I) In an PNP transistor, electrons flow:

(a) into transistor at the collector and base terminals (b) into the transistor at the emitter and base
terminals
(c) out of transistor at the collector and base terminals (d) out of transistor at the emitter and base
terminals

(J) The alpha ( α ) and Beta (β) of a transistor are related to each other as:
(a) β = α + 1 (b) α = β +1 (c) α = β/( β-1) (d) α = β/( β+1)

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Question 2: Circle the most correct answer for each of the following questions

(A) Holes are the minority carriers in which type of semiconductor?

(a) Extrinsic (b) Intrinsic (c) n-type (d) p-type

(B) Electrons are the majority carriers in which type of semiconductor?

(a) Extrinsic (b) Intrinsic (c) n-type (d) p-type

(C) A reverse voltage of 20V is across a germanium diode. What is the voltage across the depletion layer?
(a) 20V - 0.3V (b) 0.3V (c) 0.7V (d) 20V

(D) The energy band in which free electrons exist is the:

(a) first band (b) valence band (c) second band (d) conduction band

(E) The most widely used semiconductor material in electronic devices is:
(a) silicon (b) carbon (c) copper (d) germanium

(F) The current in a semiconductor material is produced by:

(a) holes only (b) electrons only (c) both electrons and holes (d) negative
ions

(G) A trivalent impurity is added to silicon to create:

(a) germanium (b) n-type semiconductor (c) a depletion layer (d) p-type
semiconductor
(H) The disadvantage of base bias is that:
(a) It produces high leakage current (b) It is very complex
(c) it is too beta dependent (d) it produces low gain

(I) Suppose an intrinsic semiconductor has 1 billion free electrons at room temperature. If the temperature is
increased to 85OC. How many holes are there?
(a) less than 1 billion (b) Not possible to say (c) more than 1 billion (d) 1 million

(J) The collector feedback bias is:

(a) based on principle of positive feedback (b) not very stable
(c) based on principle of negative feedback (d) based on beta multiplication

Question 3: Circle the most correct answer for each of the following questions

(A) In an intrinsic semiconductor (a) There are only holes (b) There are no free electrons
(c) Free electrons are thermally generated (d) electrons are more than holes

(B) Electrons are the minority carriers in which type of semiconductor?

(a) Extrinsic (b) Intrinsic (c) n-type (d) p-type

(C) The current in a semiconductor is produced by

(a) holes only (b) electrons only (c) both electrons and holes
(d) no correct answer

(D) The input resistance of a common-base (CB) amplifier is:

(a) very low (b) very high (c) same as a CE (d) same as CC

(E) For a common-collector amplifier, RE = 100Ω, re = 10Ω and βac = 150. The input resistance at the base
is:
(a) 16.5kΩ (b) 1500Ω (c) 15kΩ (d) 110Ω

(F) The purpose of a pentavalent impurity is to:

(a) create minority carriers (b) increase the number of holes (c) reduce conductivity
(d) increase the number of free electrons

(G) In a certain common collector amplifier, the current gain is 20. The power gain is:
(a) 1 (b) 0.05 (c) 20 (d) Can not be determined

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 (H) In a certain CS amplifier, RD = 1.0kΩ, RS = 560Ω, VDD = 10V, and gm = 4500µS. If the source
resistance is completely bypassed, the voltage gain is :
(a) 4.5 (b) 45 (c) 2.52 (d) No correct answer

(I) Suppose an n-type semiconductor has 1 billion free electrons at room temperature, how many holes are
there?
(a) less than 1 billion (b) Not possible to say (c) more than 1 billion (d) 1 million

(J) A JFET is:

(a) a current controlled device (b) a voltage controlled device
(c) both a and b are correct (d) no correct answer

Question 4: Circle the most correct answer for each of the following questions

(A) When the positive voltage on the gate of a P-channel JFET is increased, its drain current
(a) Increases (b) Reduces (c) Remains the same (d) non of the answers

(B) Gate voltage in a JFET can remove carries from the channel. This is known as the ________ mode.
(a) Depletion (b) Enhancement (c) Renforcement (d) Rectification

(C) For an n-channel JFET with VP = 4V, IDSS = 10mA and VGS = -2V, the minimum VDS for the device to
operate in saturation is _____
(a) 4V (b) 6V (c) 2V (d) 0V

(D) A particular p-channel JFET has VGS(off) = +4V and IDSS = 8mA. What is the value of ID for VGS = +5V?
(a) 8 mA (b) 0.5 mA (c) 10 mA (d) 0 mA

(E) The input resistance at the base of a biased BJT depends mainly on
(a) Base Resistance (b) Emitter resistance (c) DC current gain (d) b and c

(F) In a voltage divider biased NPN transistor, if the lower voltage-divider resistor (the one connected to
ground) is shorted,
(a) The transistor goes into saturation (b) The transistor burns out
(c) The transistor goes into cut-off (d) The transistor will amplify

(G) A common-emitter amplifier has RC = 1k-Ω, re = 5-Ω. If the emitter resistor is completely bypassed at the
operating frequency, the voltage gain is:
(a) 4.5 (b) 200 (c) -200 (d) no answer

(H) The common-gate (CG) amplifier differs from both the CS and CD configurations in that it has a
(a) much lower input impedance (b) much lower voltage gain
(c) much higher input resistance (d) much higher voltage gain

(I) For small-signal operation, a P-channel JFET must be biased at

(a) VGS = 0V (b) VGS = VGS(off) (c) -VGS(off) < VGS < 0V
(d) 0V < VGS < +VGS(off)

(J) In a CE amplifier if the load resistance is removed, the output ac voltage will
(a) stay the same (b) decrease (c) be zero (d) Increase

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Part II: Resistors and Diodes
Question 1:

(a) A resistor has the following color codes starting with the first color band:
Yellow, Violet, Black, Orange, Gold
(i) What is the nominal value?
(ii) What is the tolerance?
(iii) Determine the minimum and maximum resistance

(b) Clearly explain the meaning of E12 and E48 resistor series

(c) A capacitor is made of two parallel plates separated by polyethylene material of 0.1mm
thickness and relative permittivity (εr) of 2.3. Calculate the capacitance if each parallel
plate has effective area of 400cm2

(d) What special precaution has to be taken when using electrolytic capacitors?

(e) A capacitor has the following number printed on it: 562 600V. Explain the meaning of the
printed numbers.

Question 2:

(a) A five color band resistor has the following color bands: Brown, Blue, Red, Orange and
tolerance of ±2%. Determine its:
(i) Nominal value
(ii) Maximum possible resistance

(b) What special precaution has to be taken when using electrolytic capacitors?

(c) A 1.2kΩ resistor has a negative temperature coefficient of 230PPM/OC. Determine the final
resistance if the temperature increases by 20OC.

(d) A capacitor is made of aluminium plates separated by dielectric medium of relative permittivity
of εr and thickness of d. If the length of the aluminium plates is l, derive the expression for the
plates width w if the capacitor has capacitive reactance of XC when a signal of frequency f is
applied across the capacitor.

(e) For the circuit given in figure below.

(i) Draw the dc equivalent circuit and determine the dc current through diode D1 using
second approximation.

(ii) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and give the expression for the output voltage (uout) as a
function of the input voltage (uin). Assume the bulk resistance of the diodes is zero.

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Question 3:

(a) Briefly explain the following terms as applies to semiconductors

(i) Intrinsic (iii) Doping
(ii) Depletion layer (iv) Barrier Voltage

(b) The current equation of a forward biased diode is given by the following equation:
⎛ ηVVF ⎞
I F = I S ⎜ e T − 1⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
If the diode is operated in room temperature of 45OC, VF = 0.68V and IS = 10-12A

(i) Determine its dc resistance

(ii) Determine its ac resistance

(c) A resistor has five color codes as follows starting with the first color band:
Blue, Orange, Black, Green, 5%

(i) What is the nominal value?

(ii) Determine the minimum possible resistance if three such resistors are connected in parallel

(d) A capacitor is made of two parallel plates separated by a dielectric material of 0.15mm thickness
and relative permitivity (εr) of 3.1. The capacitor has an effective area of 350cm2. Determine the
amount of current (rms value) that will flow through the capacitor if the capacitor is connected
across an ac voltage, 5sin120π t

(e) Using third approximation, calculate the voltage across resistor R1 if the input voltage Uin1 is
100mV. The diode D2 is made of germanium and has bulk resistance of 2.5Ω. The capacitor has
extremely small reactance to the ac signal. The diode thermal voltage is 26mV.

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Question 4:

(a) You are given three resistors as follows:

Resistor 1 (R1): Four Colour Resistor 120-kΩ, ± 10%,
Resistor 2 (R2): Five colour Resistor Blue-Grey-Black-Black-Gold
Resistor 3 (R3): Six colour Resistor: Red-Orange-Violet-Yellow, ±2, 10

(i) Give the colour coded for R1

(ii) Give the resistance value of R2
(iii) Give the resistance value of R3 if the temperature increases by 400C and the resistor has
negative temperature coefficient.
(iv) What are the Series for R1, R2 and R3?

(b) A simple series circuit and diode I-V characteristic are given in figure below. The resistor and dc
power supply have values of 375-Ω and 3V respectively, determine:
(i) The operating point (IF, VF) of the diode.
(ii) The power consumed by the diode
(iii) The dc resistance of the diode.
(iv) What type of diode is used? Justify your answer.

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(C) If a second diode (D2) identical to D1 is connected in parallel to D1 pointing in the same direction,
determine the operating point of diode D2

Question 5:
⎛ VF ⎞
(a) The diode forward current is given I F = I s ⎜⎜ e nVT − 1⎟⎟ by
⎝ ⎠

(i) Derive the dynamic resistance expression of the diode

(ii) Determine its total ac resistance at room temperature of 500C if it carries a forward current
of 10mA and it has a bulk resistance of 3-Ω

(b) For the circuit given in figure below the diode D1 is made of silicon semiconductor and D2 is made
of germanium semiconductor. R1 = R2 = R3 = 1-kΩ. The ac voltage source is sinusoidal with peak
value of 100mV.
(i) Draw the dc equivalent circuit and calculate the diodes forward currents using second diode
approximation.
(ii) Determine the dc voltage across resistor R3
(iii) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and give expression for the ac voltage across R2
(iv) Sketch the total voltage waveform across R3

(c) A schematic circuit is given in the figure below. Derive expression for the voltage across R3 using
diodes second approximation during:
(i) Positive half cycle of the input source, Uin
(ii) Negative half cycle of the input source, Uin

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Part III: Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs)
Question 1:

(a) For the circuit diagram given below:

(i) What is the type of biasing network used?

(ii) VCC − VBE

Show that the collector current, IC is given by: I C =
⎛ R + RC ⎞
RC + ⎜⎜ B ⎟⎟
⎝ β dc ⎠

(iii) Calculate the base current if the transistor is made of silicon with αdc = 0.99

(b) If the transistor in figure below is made of germanium and it has βdc = 120, determine the operating
point values of IC and VCE

Vcc
10V
+V

Rc
2.7k

RB
6.8k
Q1
NPN

Question 2:

(a) A simple transistor circuit is given in figure (a). The transistor is made of silicon
(i) Determine the collector-emitter voltage

(ii) Determine the power dissipated by the transistor

(iii) If the transistor power rating is PD(max) = 300mW at 25OC, determine the maximum
allowable power dissipation at 45OC if the derating factor is 10mW/OC.

(iv) Determine the maximum value of resistor RC for the transistor to remain saturated.

(b) A transistor circuit is shown in figure (b). The transistor is made of silicon and αdc = 0.995
(i) Determine the collector current IC and collector-emitter voltage VCE

(ii) If the resistor RB has tolerance of ±5% and resistor Rc has tolerance of ±1%, determine the
maximum collector current.

8
 Figure (a) Figure (b)

Question 3:

The base-biased circuits given in figures below are subjected to an increase in temperature and βdc changes
from 100 to 150. Determine the percentage change in Q-point values of IC and VCE. The transistors are made
of silicon

Vcc
12V Vcc
+V 10V
+V

Rc Rc
RB 10k
560 100k
Q1
RB
100k NPN
Q1
Bdc = 100
NPN

Figure (a) Figure (b)

Question 4:

A single stage amplifier schematic circuit is given in the figure below. The transistor is made of
silicon and it has dc current gain of 100.

(a) Explain why it is desirable to center the Q-point in the linear operating region.

(b) Mention the three maximum ratings which should not be exceeded when operating a BJT.

(c) Determine the exact values of IE, IC, IB and VCE

(d) If the transistor can dissipate maximum power of 300mW at temperature of 28OC, what
will its maximum power dissipation at a temperature of 60OC if the power derating factor
is 3.1mW/OC?

(e) Draw the small signal equivalent circuit and determine the following if the thermal
generated voltage, VT = 25mV and βac = 120.

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 (i) U out
The voltage gain Au =
U in

(ii) The input ac resistance including the biasing network.

Vcc 12V
+V

Rc C2
RB 2.7k 10uF
C1 470k
10uF
Q1
NPN
+ RL
Uin
2mV RE 2.2k
1k
-

Question 5:

(a) Which of the following amplifier configurations (CE, CB and CC) have:
(i) High voltage gain (iii) Low input resistance
(ii) High current gain (iv) High input resistance

(b) Briefly explain what is a class A amplifier.

(c) An amplifier schematic circuit is given in the figure below. The transistor is made of silicon
material and it has dc and ac current gains of 90 and 110 respectively.

(i) What type of biasing is used?

(ii) What type of amplifier configuration is used?

(iii) Draw the dc equivalent circuit and determine the Q-point IC and VCE and power dissipated
by the transistor.

(iv) Draw the ac equivalent circuit using r-parameters and derive the expression for the voltage
U out
gain Au =
U in

(v) Determine the input resistance (Rin) including the biasing network.

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 Vcc = 15V

R2 RC
C2
22k 2.2k 1uF
C1 Uout
1uF
Uin Q1
NPN

RL
R1 RE 4.4k
4.7k 1k

Question 6:

(a) Briefly explain the necessary biasing conditions for a BJT to be operated as an amplifier.

(b) Clearly explain how a BJT can be used as a switch.

(c) A schematic circuit of an amplifier is given in the figure below. The transistor is made of
silicon material and βac = 120.

(i) Determine the type of biasing and amplifier configuration used.

(ii) If the base dc current, IB = 33µA determine βdc, IC and VCE.

(iii) If the transistor has maximum dissipated power of 300mW at 25OC, determine its
maximum dissipated power at 40OC if it has a derating factor of 5mW/OC

(iv) Draw the small signal equivalent circuit of the amplifier and calculate the ac voltage
U
gain, Au = out
U in

(v) Determine the output resistance, Rout

C1 Q1 C2
1uF NPN 1uF Uout
Uin

RB RC
RE
250k 1.2k
620-Ohm

C3
1uF Vcc = 12V

11
Question 7:

(a) What are the necessary biasing conditions to be fulfilled for a BJT to be operated as an amplifier

(b) If the power rating of a transistor is 300mW at room temperature of 25OC, determine the
maximum power that can be dissipated safely by the transistor at a temperature of 40OC if the
derating factor is 5mW/OC.

(c) Briefly explain why a common collector amplifier is called an emitter follower? What is the
main use of an emitter follower amplifier?

(d) An amplifier circuit is shown in the figure below. The transistor is made of silicon and it has dc
current gain of 300. Answer the following:

(i) What is the type of basing circuit is used?

(ii) Draw the dc equivalent circuit and determine the Q-point (i.e. IB, IC and VCE) if RC =
1.5kΩ.

(iii) What should be the minimum power rating of the transistor?

(iv) Why is this type of biasing widely preferred?

uout
(v) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and derive the expression for the voltage gain and
uin
hence determine the value of voltage gain if RC = 1.2kΩ

(vi) If the bypass capacitor CE is removed, will the voltage gain increase or decrease? Justify
your answer.

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Question 8:

(a) Clearly state the main advantage of JFET as compared to BJT

(b) An amplifier circuit using Darlington transistors is given in the figure below. The transistors are
made of silicon. βdc1 = βdc2 = 150 and βac1 = βac2 = 170.

(i) What type of biasing is used for transistor Q1

(ii) Determine the exact values of IB1, IB2, and IE2

(iii) Determine the dc resistance looking at the base of transistor Q1 (without R B)

(iv) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and determine the total input ac resistance at the base of
Q2 (without RB)

(vi) Derive an expression for the overall voltage gain

(vii) If resistor RE is made variable, give an expression for the maximum value of resistor RE
that will ensure transistor Q2 remains saturated.

Part VI: Field Effect Transistors (FETs)

Question 1:

An amplifier schematic circuit is given in the figure below. The drain current ID = 2mA and pinch-
off voltage VP = 6V

(a) What is the type of the transistor and what type of transistor configuration is used?

(b) What type of dc biasing is used?

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(c) Determine the values of VDS, VGS, VGS(off) and IDSS and prove that the transistor is operated
in the pinch-off region.

(d) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and show that the voltage gain is give by:
Au = out = g m (RD RL )
U
U in

(e) Using the voltage gain expression in part (d), calculate the voltage gain.

VDD
+15V
+V

RD
1k
C2
10V
NJFET
1uF
1uF
Uout
Q1

C1 RL
4.7k

+ RS
Uin 2k
-

Question 2:

(a) Briefly explain the following terms

(i) Pinch-off voltage, Vp

(ii) Gate to Source cut-off voltage, VGS(off)

(iii) Drain Saturation current, IDSS

(b) A schematic circuit of an amplifier is given in the figure below. The transistor has IDSS = 5mA and
VGS(off) = -4V

(i) Determine the pinch-off voltage, VP

(ii) Determine VGS, power dissipated and value of resistor RG if the operating point is set to ID =
0.5IDSS

(c) Draw the small signal equivalent circuit of the amplifier in part (b) and determine the ac voltage
U out
gain, Au =
U in

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 VDD
12V
+V

RD
R1 1.8k
3.3M C2

C1
Uout
Q1
+ RL
Uin 3.2k
RG RS C3
- 10V 1.2k
1uF
NJFET
1uF
10M

Question 3:

(a) What is the necessary biasing condition for a JFET?

(b) Briefly explain the following terms related to JFET

(i) Pinch-off voltage, VP (ii) Forward transconductance, gm

(c) An amplifier schematic circuit is given in the figure below.

(i) What type of biasing is used?

(ii) What type of transistor connection is used?

(iii) Determine ID and VDS given that IDSS = 15mA, VGS(off) = -4V and gm = 2500µS

(iv) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and determine the voltage gain, Uout/Uin

(v) If C3 is removed will the voltage gain increase or decrease? Explain

VDD = 24V

RD
1.2k C2
1uF
C1 Uout
1uF
Uin NJFET
Q1

RG
12M RS C3 RL
1.6k 1uF 2.2K

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Question 4:

(a) The VGS of a certain p-channel JFET is increased positively. Does the drain current
increase or decrease? Explain

(b) Briefly explain the following terms related to JFET

(i) VGS(off) (ii) Drain saturation current, IDSS

(c) Which of the following has both good voltage gain and high input resistance?
Common Drain Amplifier, Common Gate Amplifier, Common Source Amplifier

(d) An amplifier schematic circuit using JFET is given in the figure below. The voltage
measured at the source with respect to ground (VS) is 3.34V.
(i) Determine ID, VGS, IDSS and gm0 if VGS(off) = -4V
(ii) What type of transistor connection is used?
(iii) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and determine the voltage gain, Uout/Uin
VDD = 12V

C1 R1
1uF 6.8M
Uin Q1
NJFET
C2
1uF
Uout
R2
1M
RS RL
2.2k 47k

Question 5:

(a) A p-channel JFET has VP = 4V, and IDSS = 10mA.

(i) For VGS = 2V, find the minimum VDS for the transistor to operate in pinch-off
(ii) Calculate ID for VGS = 2V and VDS = -3V

(b) A single stage amplifier circuit using JFET is given in figure (a) below.
(i) What type of transistor is used
(ii) What type of configuration is used
(iii) Using an ac equivalent circuit, show that the voltage gain is always less than 1.

(c) A single stage amplifier circuit using JFET is given in figure (b) below. RS = 2.2kΩ, RD
= RL = 2kΩ, VDD = 8V, VGS(off) = -4V and IDSS = 8mA
(i) What type of biasing and configuration are used?
(ii) Determine the dc operating point (ID and VDS)
(iii) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and calculate the input resistance (including RS)
uout
(iv) Calculate the voltage gain,
uin

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 Figure (b)

Figure (a)

Question 6:

(a) Sketch the basic structure of an n-channel JFET. [2]

(b) Define the pinch off voltage VP of a JFET and sketch the depletion region after pinch- [4]
off and explain the reason for having such a shape.

(c) A schematic circuit of an amplifier is given in figure 4. The transistor has IDSS = 5mA
and VGS(off) = -4V

(i) Determine the pinch-off voltage, VP [2]

(ii) Determine VGS and the power dissipated by the transistor if the operating point [7]
is set to ID = 0.5IDSS

(iii) Derive the expression for the value of resistor RG [4]

(d) Draw the small signal equivalent circuit of the amplifier in part (c) and determine the [6]
U out
ac voltage gain, Au = if the transistor transconductance is 3500µS
U in

Figure 4

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Question 7:

(a) A single stage amplifier circuit using JFET is given in figure (a) below.

(i) What type of JFET is used?

(ii) What type of configuration is used?

(ii) Why the used transistor is called a voltage controlled device?

(iii) Explain what will happen to the dc biasing if the resistor RG is shorted.

(iv) Draw an ac equivalent circuit and derive the expression for the voltage gain.

(b) A single stage amplifier circuit using JFET is given in figure (b) below. RS = 2.2kΩ, RD = RL
= 2kΩ, VDD = 10V, VGS(off) = -4V and IDSS = 10mA

(i) What type of biasing and configuration are used?

(ii) Determine the dc operating point (ID and VDS) and transconductance gm

(iii) Draw the ac equivalent circuit and calculate the voltage gain.

Figure (a)
Figure (b)

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