Electronics I lab EE277

Objectives:
- To investigate the FET amplifiers characteristics.

Equipments Required:
1. Function generator (or oscillator).
2. DC-voltage source.
3. Oscilloscope.
4. JFET of type 3819
5. Resistors (220kΩ, 10kΩ, 1.5kΩ, 4.7kΩ).
6. Potentiometer.
7. Project board.
8. Coupling wires.
9. Digital multimeter (DMM).
10. Capacitors (10µF).

Theory:
Because the FET is voltage controlled device, the ac equivalent circuit of it must contain a
voltage controlled current source.
There is special parameter of FETs called transconductance factor ( gm ) and it is the slope of
the transfer characteristics at the point of operation; it is represented in siemens [S] which is
equivalent to (Ω-1).
2 I DSS ⎛ V ⎞
gm = ⎜⎜ 1 − GS ⎟⎟
VP ⎝ VP ⎠
JFET voltage-divider circuit is shown in Figure 9-1.

Figure 9-1
This circuit is called voltage divider bypassed self-bias circuit.
The ac equivalent circuit is shown in Figure 9-2.
B AC-parameters:
1. Input resistance:
Z i = R1 // R2

2. Output resistance:
Z o = R D // rd , but rd >> RD, so: Z o ≅ RD

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Figure 9-2
3. Voltage gain:
V − g mV gs R D
Av = o = ⇒ Av = − g m RD
Vi V gs
• For unbypassed configuration shown in Figure 9-3.

Figure 9-3
The ac equivalent circuit is shown in Figure 9-4.

Figure 9-4
B AC parameters:
1. Input resistance:
Z i = R1 // R2

2. Output resistance:
Z o = R D // rd , but rd >> RD, so: Z o ≅ RD

3. Voltage gain:
V − g mV gs R D − g m RD
Av = o = ⇒ Av =
V i V gs + g mV gs R s 1 + g m RS
• JFET source-follower (common drain) amplifier circuit is shown in Figure 9-5.

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Electronics I lab EE277

Figure 9-5
And the ac equivalent circuit is shown in Figure 9-6.

Figure 9-6
B AC parameters:
1. Input resistance:
Z i = R1 // R2
2. Output resistance:
1
Z o = R S //
gm
3. Voltage gain:
V g mV gs R S V gs ( g m R S )
Av = o = =
V i V gs + g mV gs R S V gs (1 + g m R S )

gm RS
Av =
1 + g m RS

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Experimental Procedure:
• We connected the circuit shown in Figure 9-7.

Figure 9-7
The resistors used were measured and their values are in Table 9-1.
Labeled value Measured value
R1 220 kΩ 220.1 kΩ
R2 10 kΩ 10.077 kΩ
RS 1.5 kΩ 1.498 kΩ
RD 4.7 kΩ 4.739 kΩ
Table 9-1
From the previous experiment, IDSS = 3.608 mA & VP = -2.873 V.
The theoretical ac parameters are as follows:
1. Input resistance:
Z i = R1 // R2 = ( 220.1k ) //( 10.077 k ) = 9.636 kΩ
2. Output resistance:
Z o = R D = 4.739kΩ
3. Voltage gain:
Av = − g m R D
2 I DSS 2( 3.608 × 10 −3 )
But: g m = = = 2.51 × 10 − 3 Ω − 1
VP 2.873
∴ Av = −( 2.51 × 10 −3 )( 4.739 × 10 3 ) = 11.9
We measured this ac parameters and found that:
AC
Theoretical value Measured value % error
parameter
Zi 9.636 kΩ 9.9 kΩ 2.74 %
Zo 4.739 kΩ 4.6 kΩ 2.93 %
Vi = 80 mV
Av 11.9 13.75 15.5 %
Vo = 1.1 V
Table 9-2

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After removing the 10µF capacitor connected across RS the voltage gain became:
Av = -2.5
Compared with theoretical value:
− g m RD − ( 2.51 × 10 −3 )( 4.739 × 10 3 )
Av = = = −2.496
1 + g m RS 1 + ( 2.51 × 10 − 3 )( 1.5 × 10 3 )
We note that the voltage gain was reduced because the transconductance factor became
decreased. In our last experiment we noted that as RS increases ∆ID decreases, and
knowing that:
∆I D
gm = , we conclude that gm decreases and then Av decreases.
∆VGS
• We connected the circuit shown in Figure 9-8.

Figure 9-8
The ac parameters were calculated as follows.
1. Input resistance:
Z i = R1 // R2 = 9.636 kΩ
2. Output resistance:
1
Z o = R S // = ( 1.498 × 10 3 ) //( 398.4 ) = 314.7 Ω
gm
3. Voltage gain:
gm RS ( 2.51 × 10 −3 )( 1.498 × 10 3 )
Av = = = 0.79
1 + g m R S 1 + ( 2.51 × 10 − 3 )( 1.498 × 10 3 )
Measured ac parameters were measured as in Table 9-3.
AC
Theoretical value Measured value % error
parameter
Zi 9.636 kΩ 9.9 kΩ 2.74 %
Zo 314.7 Ω 310 Ω 1.49 %
Vi = 0.96V
Av 0.79 0.83 5.48 %
Vo = 0.80 V
Table 9-3

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Conclusions:
1. The voltage gain in JFET amplifiers depends on its operation point, which determines the
transconductance factor.
2. In self-biased amplifiers we get high voltage gain and high input resistance, but also we get
high output resistance which is unwanted property.
3. Bypassed is approved more than unbypassed, because it has higher voltage gain.
4. Common drain JFET amplifiers have high input resistance and low output resistance, but
they have very small voltage gain.

Some errors occurred in this experiment which are related to:

1. Thermal effect on the JFETs and the resistors.
2. Personal errors.
3. Errors in the measurement devices used.
4. The resolution in the measurement devices.
5. Frequency effect on the transistor.

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