Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
p-n-p transistor
References
Images
(A) Perspective of a p-n-p bipolar transistor; (B) idealized one-dimensional transistor; (C) symbols for p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors (E is an emitter, B is a base, and C is a collector). bipolar transistor (A) Common-emitter configuration of a p-n-p transistor; (B) output characteristics for a p-n-p transistor in the common-emitter configuration.
Britannica AI Icon

p-n-p transistor

electronics
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

(A) Perspective of a p-n-p bipolar transistor; (B) idealized one-dimensional transistor; (C) symbols for p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors (E is an emitter, B is a base, and C is a collector).

(A) Perspective of a p-n-p bipolar transistor; (B) idealized one-dimensional transistor; (C) symbols for p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors (E is an emitter, B is a base, and C is a collector).

A p-n-p transistor is a type of bipolar transistor, a crucial semiconductor device where both electrons and holes participate in electrical conduction. It consists of three regions: an emitter (p+), a base (n), and a collector (p). The emitter injects charge carriers (holes) into the base, and the collector gathers them.

In operation, the emitter-base junction is forward-biased, allowing current flow, while the base-collector junction is reverse-biased. This configuration enables the transistor to amplify signals; a small change in input voltage at the base can cause a much larger change in output current at the collector. This amplification property makes transistors essential components in amplifiers, oscillators, and various integrated circuits. The complementary structure to a p-n-p transistor is an n-p-n transistor, with reversed polarities and charge carriers.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. semiconductor device - Bipolar transistors
  2. electronics - Using n - p - n transistors

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.