Transistors

Diodes are 2-terminal nonlinear devices that can be controlled using either their voltage or their current. In either case, both of these quantities show up at their input and at their output. On the other hand, a transistor is fundamentally a 3-terminal nonlinear device giving rise to the ability to decouple the input from the output which makes it, for example, a better implementation of a single pole, single throw switch than a diode. This chapter discusses the general behavior of a transistor. This is followed by the behavior of technology-specific transistors, namely FETs and BJTs including their characterization. Afterwards, basic circuit applications are presented.