c Copyright 2008. W. Marshall Leach, Jr., Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The BJT Bias Equation

Basic Bias Equation
(a) Look out of the 3 terminals of the BJT and make Thvenin equivalent circuits as shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 1: Basic bias circuit. (b) Write a loop equation for the base-emitter loop. VBB VEE = IB RBB + VBE + IE REE (c) Use the relation IC = IB = IE to express IB and IE as functions of the current desired. Let IC be the current. IC IC VBB VEE = RBB + VBE + REE (d) Solve for IC . IC = VBB VEE VBE RBB REE +

An educated guess of the value of VBE must be made to evaluate this. Typical values are 0.7 V for IC transistors, 0.60.65 V for low-power discrete transistors, and 0.50.6 V for higher-power discrete transistors. (e) Check for the active mode. For the active mode, VCB > 0. VCB = VC VB = (VCC IC RCC ) (VBB IB RBB ) = (VCC IC RCC ) (VEE + IE REE + VBE )
or

Example 1
VBB = VEE = V V + R2 + V R1 R1 + R2 REE = RE RBB = R1 kR2 VCC = V + RCC = RC

Figure 2: Circuit for Example 1.

Figure 3: Circuit for Example 2.

Example 2
VBB = V + VCC = V + R2 RC IC R2 RC + R1 + R2 RC + R1 + R2 R1 + R2 R2 IB RC RC + R1 + R2 RC + R1 + R2 VEE = 0 The base-emitter loop equation for IC is V+ IC IC R2 RC IC R2 = RBB + VBE + RE RC + R1 + R2 RC + R1 + R2 REE = RE RBB = (R1 + RC ) kR2 RCC = RC k (R1 + R2 )

This can be solved for IC and it can be determined if the BJT is in the active mode.

Example 3

Figure 4: Circuit for Example 3. V + R2 + V R1 R1 + R2

VBB = VEE = V + VCC = V +

RBB = R1 kR2 REE = RE k (RC + R3 ) RCC = RC k (R3 + RE )

RE RC IC RE RC + R3 + RE RC + R3 + RE R3 + RE RE + IE RC RC + R3 + RE RC + R3 + RE

The base-emitter loop equation for IC is IC V + R2 + V R1 IC RE RC V+ IC RE = RBB + VBE + REE R1 + R2 RC + R3 + RE RC + R3 + RE This can be solved for IC and it can be determined if the BJT is in the active mode.

Figure 5: Circuit for Example 4.

Example 4
VBB1 = V + R2 R1 + R2 RBB1 = R1 kR2 VEE1 = 0 RCC1 = RC1 REE1 = RE1

VCC1 = V + IB2 RC1 The base-emitter loop equation for IC1 is V+ This can be solved for IC1 . For Q2 VEE2 = 0

IC1 IC1 R2 = RBB1 + VBE1 + RE R1 + R2 1 1

VBB2 = V + IC1 RC1 REE2 = RE2

RBB2 = RC1 RCC2 = RC2

VCC2 = V +

The base-emitter loop equation for IC2 is V + IC1 RC1 = IC2 IC2 RC1 + VBE2 + RE2 2 2

This can be solve for IC2 . Given IC1 and IC2 , it can be determined if the two BJTs are in the active mode.

Example 5
VBB1 = V + VBB2 = IE1 RE1 = R2 R1 + R2 IC1 RE1 1 RBB1 = R1 kR2 RBB2 = RE1 VEE1 = IB2 RE1 = VEE2 = 0 IC2 RE1 2 REE1 = RE1 RCC2 = RC2

REE2 = RE2

VCC2 = V +

Let the currents to be solved for be IC1 and IC2 . The two base-emitter loop equations are IC2 IC1 IC1 R2 V+ RE1 = R1 kR2 + VBE1 + RE1 R1 + R2 2 1 1 IC2 IC2 IC1 RE1 = RE1 + VBE2 + RE2 1 2 2

Figure 6: Circuit for Example 5. These can be rewritten as follows: R2 RE1 R1 kR2 RE1 IC1 + VBE1 IC2 =V+ 1 1 2 R1 + R2 RE1 RE1 RE2 IC1 + + IC2 = VBE2 1 2 2 The above two equations require simultaneous solution. The determinant solutions are RE1 RE2 R2 RE1 1 + IC1 = VBE1 + VBE2 V R1 + R2 2 2 2 1 RE1 RE1 R1 kR2 R2 IC2 = + VBE1 VBE2 + V+ 1 1 1 R1 + R2 where is the determinant given by R1 kR2 RE1 RE1 RE2 RE1 RE1 = + + 1 1 2 2 1 2 In the event that IE1 IB2 , the IC2 / 2 term in the rst equation can be neglected so that the rst equation becomes IC1 IC1 R2 V+ = R1 kR2 + VBE1 + RE1 R1 + R2 1 1 In this case, the approximate solutions are R2 VBE1 R1 + R2 IC1 ' R1 kR2 RE1 + 1 1 RE1 VBE2 IC1 1 IC2 = R1 kR2 RE1 + 1 1 V+