The Grounded Base Transistor

Author: Leonard Krugman

This chapter deals with basic four-terminal analysis in general, and the specific application of four-terminal network analysis to the transistor. Hence, the important characteristics of the transistor, including the open-circuit parameters, the current gain, the voltage gain, the power gain, and the conditions for image input and output resistance match are derived. The basic principles and connections for measuring transistor characteristics are discussed, and a comparison between the transistor and the electron tube is considered.

While the mathematics involved in the analysis of the transistor has been held to a bare minimum, some readers may be dismayed at what appears to be an excessive number of derivations. It cannot be overemphasized, however, that a thorough understanding of the transistor requires a general knowledge of the mathematical analysis leading to the major design formulas. These important design equations are noted by an asterisk (*).