Effects of Space-Charge Layer Widening in Junction Transistors

1 November 1952

journal article
Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in Proceedings of the IRE

Vol. 40 (11) , 1401-1406
https://doi.org/10.1109/jrproc.1952.273969

Abstract

Some effects of the dependence of collector barrier (space-charge layer) thickness on collector voltage are analyzed. Transistor base thickness is shown to decrease as collector voltage is increased, resulting in an increase of the current-gain factor (α) and a decrease in the emitter potential required to maintain any fixed emitter current. These effects are shown to lead to two new elements in the theoretical small-signal equivalent circuit. One, the collector conductance (gc´), is proportional to emitter current and varies inversely with collector voltage. This term is the dominant component of collector conductance in high-quality junction transistors. The other element, the voltage feedback factor (μ_ec), is independent of emitter current, but varies inversely with collector voltage. The latter element is shown to modify the elements of the conventional equivalent tee network.

Keywords

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:

$p - n$ Junction Transistors
Physical Review B, 1951
Some Circuit Properties and Applications of n-p-n Transistors
Proceedings of the IRE, 1951
The Theory ofp-nJunctions in Semiconductors andp-nJunction Transistors
Bell System Technical Journal, 1949