Switching characteristics of BJT

Initial condition before turning on the BJT

are
BE junction is reverse biased transistor is
off
IB=0, IC =0, as IC RC =0 thus VCE=VCC
transistor is off

 Turning on: Inorder to turn on transistor

apply forward voltage to BE junction , I C
does not respond immediately un till
forward biased BE junction is charged up
to 0.7V. After this IC starts i.e 0.1% of maxi
current starts flowing. It takes time to rise
from this mini value to steady state value.
Rise time depends on time constant of C BE
Forward biased pn junction exhibits two
parallel capacitances depletion layer
capacitance and diffusion capacitance

Transient model of BJT

IC

IB

CC

IB

CBE
RBE

RCE

IE
E

 Time taken for the collector current to

reach from zero to 0.1% of ICmax is delay
time (or) time taken by VCE to drop fromVCC
to 0.9% of VCC is delay time.
Since still VBE forward voltage is present IC
start rising and VCE reduces. by the time IC
rises to 0.9% of Icmax, VCE falls to 0.1% of vc
this tiem is rise time
Ton = Td +Tr

 Turn off:
In order to turn off we apply reverse voltage to
BE junction, with out applying reverse voltage
simply by removing forward voltage also, we can
turn off BJT
During the on period the base current is normally
more than that required to saturate the
transistor. As a result excess minority carriers
charge is stored in the base region. This extra
charge is called saturating charge
Just by removing forward voltage if we try to turn
off transistor saturating charge has to be
removed entirely by re combination which takes
large time i.e storage time is larger. Thus we
apply reverse voltage and turn it off

 Reverse biased pn junction exhibits depletion

layer capacitance. Once negative VBEis applied,
It takes some time to remove extra minority
carriers from the base. This time is storage rime
As excess charge is removed then BE
capacitance charges to V2 then IB starts falling
towards zero. As IB is decreasing IC also
decreases.
Time taken to to fall from maximum value to
0.1% of max value is fall time
Hence T off = Ts+Tf.

VB

+V1
-V2

IB

VBE

IC

VCE

 Another limitation to use BJT as a switch

is second breakdown. When reverse
voltage is applied to BE junction in order
to turn off ,possibilities are there to occur
second breakdown
Second
Ic

break down

first
break down

Vce

MOSFET
The second element of transistors family is MOSFET
Drawbacks of BJT (or) Advantages of MOSFET :
BJT is current controlled device. It requires large forward
base current to turn on and higher reverse current to turn off.
These requirements make circuit design more complex and
expensive, but MOSFET is voltage controlled devices. Thus
there is no large base current requirement which makes
circuit design more simple
BJT offers high losses during switching and less losses
during on state operation i.e steady state operation. Thus
BJTs are used in high voltage applications where on state
losses are to be minimum

Switching speed of MOSFET more than BJT it is in the order of

nanoseconds.
MOSFET Are introduced first by Japanees in late 1970s and now
GE,Motorola and semens are manufactrering with different names
Later the limitations of MOSFET are overtaken by IGBT
BASIC STRUER
Substrate is p type material on which electrons grow as the operation
takes place
On to this substrate two n type materials are defused and are
connected by means of another n type channel
(deplition & enhancement MOSFET)
Another configuration is also possible where the two n type material do
not have any connection (enhancement MOSFET )

Depletion & enhancement MOSFET

n
n

p
p

n
p

P type
MOSFET

N type
MOSFET
D
G

D
G

ID

R
D

RG

I
g

Vds

G
Vgs

VDD

Operation
Initially there is no gate voltage Vgs,then device
is under ON state with the application of Vdd
corresponding Id is flowing
Now +ve voltage is applied at gate terminal, gate
and N channel acts as a capacitor with sio 2 as
the dielectric between two plates. +ve voltage
attracts electrons from P type substrate in to the
n channel with this rapid rise in Id takes place
conduction is enhanced w.r.t zero gate voltage
state. This state is enhancement mode of
operation

 If ve voltage is applied at gate, gate and N

channel acts as a capacitor with sio 2 as the
dielectric between two plates. ve charges
present at gate repel the electrons of N
channel, due to this electrons are depleted
from N channel leaving + ve ions there
with this charge carriers reduced and
conduction decrease. this mode of
operation is depletion mode
As the ve voltage is increased sufficiently
Id can be zero. This value of ve voltage is
known as pinch off voltage

I V CHARECTERISTICS OF MOSFET

ID
+VGS2
+VGS1
VGS=0

IDSS

- VGS1
- VGS2

VGS=VP

VGS

ID

enhancement mode

depletion mode
IDSS

-VGS

VP

I V CHARECTERISTICS OF MOSFET

+VGS

 Another configuration is also possible

where the Substrate is p type material
On to this substrate two n type materials
are defused. two n type material do not
have any connection (enhancement
MOSFET )
N type
MOSFET

D
p
G
n
S

 Opration: when VGS=0, MOSFET is under off

state in this state due to +ve vDS small leakage
current flows from source to drain due to back to
back connection of two pn junctions
Now +ve voltage is applied to the gate it attracts
electrons from p type substrate and forms a
conducting channel between drain and source
with this conduction ID starts flowing
At safficient value of + VGSan invertion layer is
formed between two n regions and source and
drain are connected by induced n channel
through which large current flows. This value of
VGS is known as threshold voltage

I V CHARECTERISTICS OF MOSFET

ID

SATURATION
+ VGS3
+VGS2
+VGS1
VGS=VT
VGS=0
VGS

ID
enhancement mode

IDSS
-VGS

VT

+VGS

I V CHARECTERISTICS OF MOSFET

MOSFET SWITCHING CHARECTERISTICS

Load

N type
MOSFET
D

VDD

CGD
M

G
S

VGG

CGS

To understand switching characteristics of MOSFET a

chopper circuit is considered where MOSFET is acting like
a switch, with this analysis becomes easy

TURN ON:
Initial conditions are ID=0, VD=VL and VGS <VT
In order to turn on VGS is increased till IG can
establish ID.VGS value depends up on both
capacitors CGS, CGD.
VGS=VGA( 1-exp-(t/RG(CGS+CGD))) .
Since ID is not significant until VGS<VT, drain
current also remains constant at zero. This period
during which VGS is increasing from zero to VT is
delay time

Load

VDD

CGD
M
VGG

CGS

 Once VGS crosses VT drain current increases. Time taken

by drain current to increase from zero to I Dis rise time.
Once ID =Io CGS is charged beyond VGST, then IG will flow
through CGD as shown in fig. Due to this drain to source
voltage drops.

Load
VDD

CGD
M
VGG

CGS

VGS
VT

IO

ID

VD

TON
TD

TR

TOFF

 TURNING OFF:
Gate voltage is reduced to zero, with the
reduction of gate voltage capacitor CGS starts
discharging. Thus VGS decreases exponentially
with time. At this stage current has no alternate
path, since load current can not diverted from
MSF to diode ID rmains at Io.
After this capacitor discharges and only VG is
present at G-S terminals with this VD starts rising
towards VL
VGS is reduced to zero with this ID starts falling to
zero and reaches zero by the time VD builds up
load voltage

IGBT
To overcome the drawbacks associated with BJT
and MOSFET a device is developed, which will
combine best qualities of both BJT & MOSFET
and result in metrits of both the devices
IGBT Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor ( gate
is insulated as in MOSFET and conduction is
due to majority as well as minority carriers like in
BJT)

 Other names of IGBT are

MOSIGT- Metal oxide insulated gate
transistor
COMFET- Conductively Modulated Field
Effect Transistor
GEMFET- Gain Modulated FET
IGT
Insulated Gate Transistor

 Structure: Heavly doped p+substrate has a

lightly doped n type drift region grown on to it by
epitaxial process. Then p type emitter is diffused
with two subsequent n type layers, then sio2
layer is deposited
P+ substrate forms a pn junction and injects
holes in to n- layer. The n+ buffer layer is not
essential for the operation of IGBT . If it is not
present it is non punch through IGBT , it is there
then punchthrough IGBT . With this n+ deffusion
layer conduction levels can be enhanced.
n- drift layer thickness determines the voltage
blocking capability of IGBT.

N+

Buffer layer

N-

Drift layer

N+
G

Body
N+

N+
G

Injection layer

P+

G
E
N channel

N
p
E

 Opration: VGE <VGET and voltage at collector is +ve

(off). At this VGE no invertion layer is formed
inorder to connect collector and emmitor. Applied
VCE is dropped across J2 and only leackage
current flows.
VGE>VGET and collector voltage is +ve ( on), with
this VGE invertsion layer is formed and current
flows through the device. Now +ve voltage is
applied to the gate it attracts electrons from p type
substrate and forms a conducting channel
between collector and emmiter with this
conduction Ic starts flowing.
Due to the +ve voltage at collector p+, collector
injects holes into n region with this conductivity of
n- region is enhanced significantly, Ic starts flowing

 IC=IE=Ie+ Ih most of the current is due to electrons

only. Ie > Ih. Hence by varying the magnitude of
below or above IGBT can be turned off or on
respectively. hence it is a voltage control device.
IC

C
C
R
VGG

G
G

E
E

Vcc

I V CHARECTERISTICS OF MOSFET

ICE
IGE
+ VGE3
+VGE2
+VGE1
VGE=VT
VGET

VGE=0

VGE

I/P CHA

VCE
OUT PUT
CHARECTERISTICS

SWITCHING CHARECTERISTICS
VGE

VCE

IC

 LATCHING :
Most of the holes from p region are attracted towards
inversion layer by ve charge of electrons in the n- layer.
This results hole current component which laterally
travells through the p type body layer. This will create a
voltage drop in the ohmic resistance of the body layer
As Ic increases Ih increases. Voltage drop in the body
layer increases, with this Q1 turns on .with regenerative
operation Q2 also turned on. With this regenerative
action Ic increases to very high value and gain of both
transistors becomes 1+2=1. Now device acts like four
layer device Thyristor. ICE current is no longer under gate
control and we can not turn off the device. Only way to
turn off it is by forced commutation. If this latchup current
is not interrupted quickly this results in large power
dissipation and damage of IGBT

 Disadvantages due to latchup are

Loosing controled operation
Excessive power dessipation
To over come latch up problum
ICEis maintained below critical value whare
latch up will occur, by slow downing turn
off process
Lowering body spreading resistance, this is
achived by several fabrication techniques
latchup free IGBTS are present.