
What is the difference between NPN transistor and PNP transistor?
In an NPN transistor, current actually flows from the collector to the emitter. In a PNP transistor, it's exactly the opposite. In a PNP transistor, current flows from the emitter to the collector.
How does current flow through a transistor?
Current flows from base to emitter. That is straightforward. Current also flows from base to collector. Hopefully, that is also straightforward. In both cases, current is flowing across a forward biased junction when the transistor is in saturation. Due to transistor action, current also flows from collector to emitter.
Why do NPN transistors have a low hole current?
In NPN transistors the doping of the emitter is much higher than the doping of the base => +voltage at the base causes essentially an electron current, less a hole current. Those electrons get mainly diffused to the collector due it's big area compared to the base connection wire.
Why does current not flow across the base region of NPN?
When no current is going into the base region of an NPN transistor, the base region is large and offers strong resistance to the flow of current. Thus, current does not flow across from the collector to the emitter.

How does current flow through a transistor?
We know that in transistors and diodes, electric current is carried by both free electrons and holes. Free electrons and holes travel in opposite directions. For example, if free electrons flow from left to right then the holes will flow from right to left.
How does a NPN transistor work?
For an NPN transistor, it consists of a layer of P-doped semiconductor between two layers of N-doped material, where electrons are passed from the emitter to the collector instead. The emitter then “emits” electrons into the base, with the base controlling the no. of electrons the emitter emits.
How does current flow in PNP?
The movement of holes from the heavily doped emitter of the PNP transistor across the junction to the negative supply voltage constitutes the current flow in the PNP transistor.
Which way does conventional current flow in a NPN junction?
In the NPN transistor, conventional current flows into the base and then out the emitter, which allows what we could call the main circuit current to enter through the collector and leave through the emitter.
How does NPN and PNP work?
In an NPN transistor, a positive voltage is given to the collector terminal to produce a current flow from the collector to the emitter. In a PNP transistor, a positive voltage is given to the emitter terminal to produce current flow from the emitter to collector.
How transistors work a simple explanation?
A transistor consists of two PN diodes connected back to back. It has three terminals namely emitter, base and collector. The basic idea behind a transistor is that it lets you control the flow of current through one channel by varying the intensity of a much smaller current that's flowing through a second channel.
How do PNP and NPN transistor differ?
NPN and PNP transistors have very similar schematic symbols. The only difference is the direction of the arrow on the emitter. In a NPN (on the left) it points outward, for a PNP (on the right) it points inward.
What's the difference between PNP and NPN?
The main difference between the NPN and PNP transistor is, an NPN transistor turns on when the current flows through the base of the transistor. In this type of transistor, the current flows from the collector (C) to the emitter (E). A PNP transistor turns ON, when there is no current at the base of the transistor.
What is the main difference between NPN and PNP transistor?
Difference Between NPN and PNP TransistorNPNPNPThe current flows from collector terminal to emitter terminal.The current flows from emitter to collector terminal.One P-type semiconductor is sandwiched between the two N-type semiconductors.It is made of up two P-type material layers with N-type sandwiched between them.3 more rows•Jan 9, 2022
Does current flow from collector to emitter NPN?
NPN transistors let the current flow from the emitter to the collector and base controls the flow of current through it. While PNP transistors are designed to pass the current from the collector to the emitter.
Does current go from collector to emitter?
In active and saturation modes, current in a PNP flows from emitter to collector. This means the emitter must generally be at a higher voltage than the collector.
Which way does current flow in a BJT?
Here, using the usual benjamin Franklin convention, current flows from the emitter to the collector and using your electron convention it flows from the collector to the emitter.
What is NPN transistor with diagram?
NPN vs PNP TransistorNPN TransistorStructureIt has two N-type and one P-type semiconductor.Direction of currentThe current will flow through the collector to the emitter.Majority charge carrierElectronMinority charge carrierHoles5 more rows•Mar 15, 2020
What is difference between PNP and NPN transistor?
PNP switches On by a low signal whereas NPN switches ON by a high signal. As we are aware that in PNP transistor, the P represents the polarity of the emitter terminal and N represents the polarity of the base terminal.
Why we use NPN transistor instead of PNP?
The majority charge carriers in an NPN transistor are electrons and the majority carriers in a PNP transistor are holes. The electrons have better mobility than holes. Therefore, NPN transistors are preferred over PNP transistors.
What does NPN transistor stand for?
Negative, Positive, NegativeThis FAQ explains NPN and PNP transistors and what it means for sensors and IO module inputs. NPN stands for Negative, Positive, Negative. Also known as sinking.
How does current flow in a NPN transistor?
In an NPN transistor, current flows from the collector to the emitter. In order for current to flow from the collector to emitter, the transistor must be biased in the following way, shown below:
How does a NPN transistor work?
How an NPN Transistor Works. A NPN transistor is a transistor which is made up of 3 regions, the base, the emitter, and the collector. The collector and emitter regions are made up of N-type material, which means they are predominately composed of electrons. Electrons are negative charges. The base region is made up of P-type material.
What is the emitter region of an NPN?
The emitter region of an NPN is made up of N material, which are electrons. We want current to flow from the collector to the emitter region. Therefore, we place positive voltage to the emitter region. The electrons in the collector terminal are repelled by this voltage. Therefore, current will flow downward toward the emitter.
What is a BJT transistor?
An NPN transistor is a bipolar junction transistor (BJT). A BJT is a transistor that is current-controlled and allows for current amplification.
How to connect NPN transistor to load?
So to connect an NPN transistor to power on a load, all we need is the following circuit: To turn on the transistor, just apply sufficient base current. To turn off the transistor, remove the base current.
Why does current not flow across the base region of a transistor?
When no current is going into the base region of an NPN transistor, the base region is large and offers strong resistance to the flow of current. Thus, current does not flow across from the collector to the emitter. This is because the P material comprising the base region, made up of holes, provides a strong barrier separating the collector and emitter regions. However, when current flows into the base, electrons flow into the P material, depleting the amount of holes in the base region. The base region barrier becomes depleted, becoming smaller, until there are enough electrons filling it to completely break down the barrier. When this occurs, current can easily flow from collector to emitter.
How many layers are in a NPN transistor?
As stated before, an NPN transistor is made up of 2 layers of N materials, electrons, representing negative charges, sandwiching a middle layer of P material, made of holes, positive charges.
What is a NPN transistor?
The NPN transistor is made of semiconductor materials like silicon or germanium. When a p-type semiconductor material is fused between two n-type semiconductor materials, an NPN transistor is formed. The NPN transistor features three terminals: emitter, base and collector. This transistor features two diodes that are connected back to back.
How many layers of material are there in a bipolar PNP transistor?
This bipolar PNP junction transistor is formed with three layers of semiconductor material, with two P-type regions sandwiched between one N-type region.
What is a bipolar junction transistor?
A bipolar junction transistor is a single component made of silicon where both electrons and holes are used as charge carriers. A bipolar junction transistor lets a small current be injected at one of its terminals to control large amounts of current flowing between the other two terminals. This makes the device capable ...
What is the diode between the emitter and base terminal?
The diode seen between the emitter-base terminal is referred to as the emitter-base diode. The diode between collector and base terminal is known as collector-base diodes. The emitter is moderately doped, the base is lightly doped, and the collector is comparatively more doped.
What is the sum of the base current along with the collector?
Sum of the base current along with the collector constitutes emitter current.
What happens when the emitter is forward biased?
When the emitter is forward biased, electrons move towards the base and create the emitter current IE. Here, the majority charge carriers in the P-type material combine with the holes. Since the base of the NPN transistor is lightly doped, it lets only a few electrons to combine and the remaining current is known as the base current IB.
Where does current flow?
Current flows from base to emitter. That is straightforward. Current also flows from base to collector. Hopefully, that is also straightforward. In both cases, current is flowing across a forward biased junction when the transistor is in saturation.
Is current flowing in the opposite direction of voltage?
As for the current flowing in opposite direction to the voltage, here you are dealing with active devices as opposed to passive. Active devices can exhibit negative conductances.
Does current flow in reverse?
So, in no case does current flow in reverse direction from low to high voltage, nor does it flow across a reverse biased diode junction.
Can you make a transistor by wiring up two diodes back to back?
The back-to-back diode picture should never be taken literally, i.e. you cannot make a transistor by wiring up two discrete diodes back to back, because you cannot keep the bipolar nature of charge carriers (electrons and holes) using discrete components (all holes and electrons will become electrons when transmitted across the wire connecting the diodes).
What is the difference between a PNP and a NPN transistor?
There are two types of basic junction transistors - PNP where the collector is significantly negative of the emitter , and the base is a diode forward drop voltage negative of the emitter. The other is an NPN transistor that has these voltages the other way round.
How does a field effect transistor work?
A field effect transistor in it basic form has three terminals - source, drain and gate. There is a potentially conducting bidirectional path between the source and the drain. The gate presents a voltage to push electrons into or pull them out of the gate zone by the conducting path. When electrons are pushed into the gate zone they repel the electrons in the path turning the transistor off. Depending on the geometry of the transistor, current may flow more easily in one direction than the other. The voltage on the gate is measured with respect to the voltage on the source or drain depending on the voltages on these two terminals.
What are the three terminals of a transistor?
A basic junction transistor has three terminals as well - emitter, collector and base . Connecting the base and one of the other two terminals, and the transistor will have the characteristics of a diode between the base and the other connected terminal. Viewed as diodes they both have either their anodes connected to the base or both have their cathodes connected to the base. In normal use, the base/collector diode is reverse biassed and the base/emitter diode is forward biassed. When current passes in the forward direction through the base/emitter junction, this allows a current to flow through the collector/base junction in the reverse direction as far as the diode is concerned. This current can be significantly higher than the base/emitter junction current. Depending on the geometry if the collector and emitter are connected the other way round, some collector/emitter current when the base is at an appropriate voltage, but the current gain can be significantly less if the collector and emitter are interchanged in a circuit.
Why is base current always the smallest?
The base current will always be the smallest because it is the control current used to control the larger current between emitter and collector. The direction of base current is decided by whether it is N type or P type. If the base is P type, base current will flow into the base (upwards, in our diagram).
How many terminals are there in a field effect transistor?
A field effect transistor in it basic form has three terminals - source, drain and gate. There is a potentially conducting bidirectional path between the source and the drain. The gate presents a voltage to push electrons into or pull them out of the gate zone by the conducting path. When electrons are pushed into the gate zone they repel the electrons in the path turning the transistor off. Depending on the geometry of the transistor, current may flow more easily in one direction than the ot
What is the base current of 56k?
When the base is connected to one end of 56k there is base current set up, the base current is (9 - 0.6)/56k , 0.6 is the Vbe, base emmiter drop so Ib becomes 0.15 ma.The coll current If is (9 - 1.2)/1k = 7.8mA.Assuming a beta of 70 the required Ib is 7.8/70 = 0.11ma, the base current of 0.15 is sufficient to saturate the transistor.& The coll to emm voltage would be around 100mv.
What is the most common transistor?
MOSFET is the most common transistor. BJTs are only 5% of all transistors. You basically turn a MOS on by having a small voltage at the gate above the voltage threshold.
