pierce college

8A  Electron Devices A (3) CSU Lecture 3 hours.

Recommended Prerequisites: Electronics 4A and 4B.

Principles of semiconductors including diodes, bipolar and field effect transistors, SCR's, tunnel diodes, light emitting diodes, photo-transistors, DIACs, TRIACs, Zener diodes, UJT’s, tubes.  Characteristic curves for semiconductor devices.  Biasing and load lines.  Common emitter, collector, and base transistor configurations.  Sample  applications of semiconductor devices. Computer aided circuit analysis.

8B  Electron Devices B (1) CSU Laboratory 3 hours.

Recommended Corequisite: Electronics 8A

Provides laboratory experience in the characterisitics and applications of solid state electron devices and the use of test equipment including multimeter, oscilloscope, function generator, and DC supply.  Lab work focused on constructing, testing, analyzing, and troubleshooting a variety of circuits using semiconductor devices, including diodes and transitors.  Supplemented with circuit simulation.

Electronics 8A Course Outline

  1. Define semiconductors.  Discuss bonding, PN junction, biasing and the diode.  Draw diode characteristic curves.  Plan diode testing procedures and electrostatic discharge protection procedures.  Draw schematic symbols of  diodes.
  2. Identify diode applications.  Draw schematic diagrams showing half wave rectification and full wave rectification.  Graph power supply capacitor and inductor filtering waveforms.   Identify diode parameters found in device data sheets.  Utilize the internet to find device data sheets.
  3. Draw the zener diode characteristic curve and label important parameters.   Design a voltage regulator using a zener diode and calculate circuit parameters including load regulation.  Plot a regulation curve.  Plot the curve using computer aided schematic capture and design software.
  4. Discuss and draw schematic symbols for special purpose diodes including varactors, and  light emitting diodes.  Identify diode parameters found in device data sheets.  Examine trouble shooting procedures for diode circuits.  Calculate the series resistor needed for light emitting diode operation.
  5. Recognize bipolar junction transistor construction, characteristic curves, and device parameters.  Draw the schematic symbol, package, and terminal identification. Draw the characteristic curve for a bipolar junction transistor.
  6. For a bipolar transistor, determine beta from device data sheets and calculate the DC operating point for base and emitter biasing.   Draw  a self bias schematic diagram and calculate DC gain and beta.
  7. Draw the schematic for a voltage divider bias transistor amplifier and describe the feedback principles.  Calculate the DC parameters including  resistor values in a common emitter voltage divider bias amplifier.
  8. Explain small signal bipolar amplifier operation.  Draw the transistor AC equivalent circuit.  Recognize the function, operation, and characteristics of amplifier configurations including common emitter, base and collector. 
  9. Calculate bias for common base and common emitter amplifiers. Describe the affect of changing component values in an amplifier.  Calculate the affect of changing component values in sample amplifier configurations.  Utilize computer schematic capture and circuit analysis software to calculate amplifier parameters.
  10. Calculate input and output impedance and gain in common emitter, base and collector configurations.  Describe the purpose of having high or low impedance at an input or output of an amplifier.
  11. Identify analog and digital amplifier configurations and applications.  Develop a troubleshooting procedure for amplifiers.  Describe frequency range considerations and the affect of frequency response on stability.  Calculate gain expressed in decibels.
  12. Draw the schematic symbol for various types of field effect transistors.  Draw and tabulate device characteristics and parameters.  Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor.  Calculate component values in junction field effect transistor bias circuits.
  13. Investigate small signal field effect transistor amplifiers.  Calculate bias examples in common source, drain and gate amplifiers
  14. Describe feedback principles and AC characteristics of field effect amplifiers.  Calculate Input and output impedance, frequency response, and gain in sample JFET configurations.
  15. List and draw schematic symbols for various thyristors and other similar semiconductor devices.  Draw characteristic curves, and list important  parameters for silicon controlled rectifiers, DIACs, TRIACs, unijunction transistors, phototransistors, optoisolators, and other optical devices. 
Electronics 8B Electron Devices Laboratory Course Outline
  1. Construct, calculate, and measure diode characteristics including forward and reverse voltages and currents.  Plot a diode characteristic curve using experimental data.  Ideal diode charactersitic curve.
  2. Construct, calculate, and measure zener diode characteristics including forward and reverse voltages and currents.  Plot a zener diode characteristic curve using experimental data.  Calculate the circuit parameters and build a simple zener diode shunt regulator.
  3. Design half and full wave diode rectifier circuits.  Plot rectified waveforms using data obtained through the use of  laboratory test equipment.  Bias a light emitting diode and vary the forward current.
  4. Design and construct a filtered DC power supply and measure circuit parameters under various load conditions.  Draw circuit waveforms obtained using laboratory equipment.
  5. Research three terminal regulator data sheets to determine device characteristics.  Design and build a 3 terminal regulator power supply and measure circuit parameters under various load conditions.
  6. Plot bipolar junction transistor characteristic curves utilizing data obtained using laboratory instruments.  Setup a transistor curve tracer instrument and  compare experimental results with curve-tracer results
  7. Calculate and measure transistor load line, Q-Point, and biasing parameters for a bipolar transistor.
  8. Analyze and build a self bias transistor bias circuit and analyze the stability of amplifier characteristics.
  9. Analyze and build a divider bias common emitter amplifier and measure circuit parameters.  Modify circuit values and evaluate their affect on circuit gain and voltage measurements across circuit components.
  10. Plot the frequency response of a common emitter bipolar transistor amplifier, with and without emitter bypass capacitors using data obtained by constructing the circuit.  Plot the frequency responce using experimental data and compare to results obtained using a computer-aided circuit analysis program.
  11. Plot the characteristc curve of a silicon controlled rectifier.  Build an SCR phase control circuit.  Draw the waveforms found across the control device and the load.  Draw the schematic diagram for a light dimmer circuit using a TRIAC.  Draw the waveforms found across components in the dimmer.
  12. Build a common base amplifier and measure the circuit voltage and current gain. Tabulate results.
  13. Analyze and build a JFET amplifier and measure circuit parameters.  Modify circuit values and measure the affect on circuit gain and voltage. 
  14. Build and test a two or three stage audio amplifier.  Measure and evaluate and tabulate circuit parameters including stage gain and frequency response.
  15. Perform lab skill demonstration exercise.