File:Transistorer_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
bipolar junction transistor
Sign in to saveAlso known as BJT, bipolar transistor
transistor that uses both electrons and holes as charge carriers
Key facts
- Component type
- Active
- Inventor
- William Shockley
- Pin names
- Base, collector, and emitter
via Wikipedia infobox
~39 min read
Encyclopedic overview
3D model of a TO-92 package, commonly used for small bipolar transistors
A bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is a type of transistor that uses both electrons and electron holes as charge carriers. In contrast, a unipolar transistor, such as a field-effect transistor (FET), uses only one kind of charge carrier. A bipolar transistor allows a small current injected at one of its terminals to control a much larger current between the remaining two terminals, making the device capable of amplification or switching.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “bipolar junction transistor” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.