Junction Field Effect Transistor(JFET) In the fifties(1950) Bipolar junction transistors beca e an i portant part in electronic desi!

n for its tre endous s"itchin! speed and ore accurate a plif#in! capabilities than con$entional $acuu tubes% In 1955&'illia (hoc)le# alon! "ith other researchers in$ented a ne" t#pe of transistors * Field Effect Transistors(FETs)%+lthou!h FETs ha$e a plif#in! and s"itchin! capabilities& the# ha$e so e difference in features fro BJTs% FETs also consu e lesser po"er and ha$e far s aller cross,sectional area than BJTs% -ue to this ad$anta!e o$er BJTs & FETs are also bein! used enor ousl# in Inte!rated .ircuit(I.) technolo!#% The differences bet"een FET and BJT are stated belo"/ FET is a $olta!e,controlled(field,controlled) de$ice "hereas BJT is a current,controlled de$ice% FET is unipolar de$ice "hereas BJT is bipolar de$ice% FET has hi!her input i pedance than BJT% BJT has input i pedance in the ran!e of 00 oh ,fe" 1 oh s "hereas FET has 2i in the ran!e of e!a oh s% FET pro$ides lesser !ains than BJT% FET is ore te perature stable than BJT%

FET has s aller cross,sectional area than BJT% FET consu es less po"er than BJT% FET is classified into t"o cate!ories/ 1% Junction field effect transistor(JFET) 3% 4etal o5ide se iconductor field effect transistor(46(FET)

In FET the drain current(I D) can be controlled b# controllin! the !ate to source $olta!e(7 GS) is the reason "h# FET is called a $olta!e controlled de$ice% BJT is a current controlled de$ice because the collector current(I C) can be controlled b# controllin! base current(I B) I D(-rain current) I C (.ollector BJT FET (.ontrollin! current)

current)

I B(Base current)

7 GS(.ontrollin! $olta!e)

Construction and Characteristics of JFETs JFET is a three ter inal de$ice "ith one ter inal(:ate) is capable of controllin! current flo"in! bet"een the other t"o(-rain and (ource)%Based on constructional differences JFET is classified into t"o t#pes/ n,channel JFET and p,channel JFET% The construction of n,channel JFET is sho"n in fi!ure 3%;ote that the ajor part of the structure is the n,t#pe aterial "hich for s the channel bet"een e bedded la#ers of p,t#pe aterial% The top of the n,t#pe channel is connected throu!h an oh ic contact to a ter inal referred to as the drain(D)%The lo"er end of the n,t#pe channel is connected throu!h an oh ic contact to a ter inal called source(S) and the p,t#pe la#ers are connected to!ether throu!h an oh ic contact to a ter inal referred to as the gate(G)%The JFET has t"o inbuilt p,n Junctions alon! the channel%The potential difference bet"een !ate and source (7 GS) controls the drain current (I D) flo"in! bet"een drain and source% -rain (-) n,channel

6h ic contacts

p
:ate(:)

(ource(() Fi!ure 3 V GS =0V, V DS =some positive value

-epletion re!ion

In fi!ure <& the !ate and source ter inals are shorted to!ether i%e% 7 GS =07%;o" if "e connect a positi$e $olta!e bet"een drain and source i%e% drain is ore positi$e "ith respect to source &electrons at the source side !et attracted and rush to"ards drain% .onse>uentl# holes start flo"in! fro drain ter inal to source ter inal as drain current alon! the n,channel% +s 7 -( is increased& I - also increases% (a# 7 DS =37% The channel has unifor resistance alon! the "hole channel% +s I D is flo"in! fro drain to source &sa e $olta!e drops occur across each resistance alon! the channel% (o the drain end of the channel !ets ore positi$e "ith respect to source end% The n channel !ets positi$e "ith respect to !ate%

-rain (-)

9,,

88

?07 :ate(:)

7 DS

ID 9 9 7 GS =07 (ource(() Fi!ure < @inear re!ion purpose of I -sat junction is to 7 :(=07 -sat% (aturation re!ion In case of an n,channel JFET &the re$erse biasin! !ate,source reach pinch off earlier before I 88

I -sat is the drain current 7 :(= ,17 :(=07 and Ichannel 7 -(=7 p $alues 7 -( Fi!ure B -rain .haracteristics cur$e of JFET 7 :(= ,37 7 :(= ,<7

a5i u

$alue of

and is characteriAed b# 7 7 -( ? odulus of 7p% The drain chacteristics cur$e of p,

7 :(=7p JFET is si ilar% 6nl# the ne!ati$e of 7 :( "ill be positi$e%

+s a result the t"o p,n junctions !et re$erse,biased and the "idth of depletion re!ions start to increase% The "idth of the depletion re!ion at the drain end beco es lar!er than near the source end% +s "e further increase the $alue of 7 -( &the $alue of I - increases and the re$erse bias across the junctions increases and the resistance of the channel starts to increase% +t 7 -(=7 C(pinch off $olta!e) the !ro"in! depletion re!ions near the drain end touches each other% This is called pinch off point% If 7 -( is increased be#ond this point& the $alue of I beco es constant% +t this point& the channel beco es saturated and the $alue of drain current is called I -sat% V GS <0V ;o" the !ate is ade ne!ati$el# biased "ith respect to source% It is sho"n in fi!ure 5% +s a result the p,n junctions !et re$erse *biased% -ue to this additional re$erse bias $olta!e& the pinch off point is reached earlier than "hen 7 :(=07% (aturation le$el of I - also reduces to a lo"er $alue% +s the re$erse bias across !ate and source increases i%e% 7 :( beco es ore ne!ati$e &the pinch off point is reached ore earlier% +s the $alue of 7 :( beco es e>ual to 7p(7 :(=7p)& a ore ne!ati$e $alue& the drain current saturates at Aero $alue i%e% I -=0 +% The JFET !ets turned off% The $alue of pinch off $olta!e(7p)is ne!ati$e for n,channel JFET "hereas positi$e for p,channel JFET% The drain characteristics is sho"n in fi!ure B%

-rain (-)

9,,

88

?07 :ate(:)

7 DS

ID 9 9 7 GS D07 (ource(() Fi!ure 5 Note The !ate current in a JFET is al"a#s Aero i%e% I:=0 as !ate,source junction is al"a#s re$erse biased for both n,channel and p,channel JFET% The t#pical $alue of pinch off $olta!e(7C) for an n,channel JFET is * <7% Transfer Characteristics The effect of $ar#in! 7 :( on I - is called transfer characteristics% 7 :( and I - is related to each other b# fa ous (hoc)le# s e>uation/ This e>uation is of a parabola% (ince I -= f(7 :() & JFET is called $olta!e controlled de$ice% 'hen 7 :(=07& I - = I -sat 'hen 7 :( =7C& I - =0 + 88

I - =I -sat

7 :(=7 C

I -( +)

7 :(=7C

7 :( D0 7

7 :( ?0 7

Fi!ure E/ Transfer .harateristics cur$e a)for n,channel JFET& b)for p,channel JFET S!m"ols of JFET/

Fi!ure F/ (# bol of a)n,channel b)p,channel JFET% +s the drain current in a JFET is caused b# onl# electrons(n,channel) or onl# holes(in p, channel) &JFET is called unipolar de$ice%

#oints to remem"er For n,channel JFET 7 :(D 07 &7 -( ?07 7CD 07 .urrent flo"s fro drain to source For p,channel JFET 7 :( ?07 &7 -(D 07 7C ? 07 .urrent flo"s fro source to drain

$mportant JFET parameters Transconductance(:s)= dI -Gd7 :( & 'hen 7 -(= constant (.onductance eans currentG$olta!e& since :s= oGp currentGinput $olta!e& it is called transconductance%) -rain resistance(rd)= d7 -(GdI -& "hen 7 :(= constant

+ plification factor(H)=d7 -(Gd7 :(& "hen I -= constant It is clear fro the e5pressions that&