ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing

Lab 4.1 Report
Name:

Date:

Instructions:
Complete the three partsPart 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of Lab 1. When you have completed each part,
answer the questions and transcribe/transfer the test results recorded in the lab manuals tables to the
tables provided.
Part 1JFET Characteristics

Theory:
1. How much current flows through the gate-source junction of a JFET?
2. How is the current controlled through the drain-source junction of a JFET?
3. Can JFETs be operated in enhanced mode? Why or why not?
4. Provide the formula to calculate the transconductance of a JFET.
Preparation:
5. Transcribe the component measurements from Table 11-1 to the table below.
Component
R1
R2

Listed Value
10 k Ohm
100 Ohm
Table 11-1

Measured Value

6. Label the drain, gate, and source in the figure below.

Test Procedure:
7. Transcribe the VR2 measurements and ID calculations from Table 11-2 to the table below.
Gate Voltage = 0 V

Gate Voltage = -.5

V

Gate Voltage =

Gate Voltage =

-1.0 V

-1.5 V

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
VDS
1.0 V
2.0 V
3.0 V
4.0 V
6.0 V
8.0 V

VR2

ID

VR2

ID

VR2

ID

VR2

Table 11-2
8. Transcribe the drain characteristic curves from Plot 11-1 to the plot below.

Plot 11-1

9. Transcribe the VGS(off) and IDSS measurements from Table 11-3 to the table below.
Measured JFET
Parameters
VGS(off) =
IDSS =
Table 11-3

Lab 4.1 Report

ID

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
10. What was the maximum current observed when using the JFET as a constant current source? How
does that compare to the maximum IDSS measured and recorded in Tables 4-2 and 4-3?
11. Explain how to find IDSS from the characteristic curves of a JFET.
12. What was the maximum current in the LED?
13. Does the experimental data indicate that the transconductance is a constant at all points?
14. From your experimental data, what evidence indicates that a JFET is a nonlinear device?
15. Look up the meaning of pinch-off voltage when VGS = 0. Note that the magnitude of VGS is equal to the
magnitude of Vp so we can use the characteristic curve for VGS = 0 to determine Vp. Using the data
from this experiment, determine the pinch-off voltage for your JFET.
16. Why should a JFET be operated with only reverse bias on the gate source?
17. Compare the characteristic curve for a bipolar transistor (see Lab 3) to the characteristic curve
observed in this experiment for a JFET.

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
Part 2JFET Biasing

Theory:
18. What must be the relationship between the gate voltage and source voltage to bias a JFET correctly?
19. How is the current through the JFET controlled?
20. What is the difference between the operation of depletion mode and enhancement mode?
21. Describe how self-bias creates the correct gate and source voltages.
22. Why is self-bias the most common biasing method used?
23. What is the advantage of the voltage-divider bias?
Test Procedure:
24. Transcribe the VGS(off) and IDSS measurements from Table 12-1 to the table below.
Measured JFET
Parameters
VGS(off) =
IDSS =
Table 12-1
25. Why is the current in Table 12-1 labeled as IDSS?

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
26. Transcribe the transconductance characteristic curves from Plot 12-1 to the plot below.

Plot 12-1
27. Transcribe the Self-Bias RS and ID calculations/measurements from Step 3 into Table 4-1 below.
JFET Self-Bias Parameters
RS
ID Predicted
ID Measured
Table 4-1
28. Transcribe the Voltage-Divider Bias calculation and measurements from Table 12-2 to the table
below.
Voltage-Divider

Compute

Measure

Biased JFET
VG
VS
ID
RS

d Value

d Value

Table 12-2
29. When determining the mid-point bias, you indirectly determined the value of V GS(off) by using one-half
IDSS in a self-biased circuit. Why isn't it practical to measure V GS(off) by increasing R until the transistor
ceases to conduct?
30. Contrast the biasing of a FET with biasing a bipolar transistor. Why can't the same bias circuits be
used for both types of transistors?
31. For the self-bias circuit shown in Figure 12-2, what is the purpose of R G?

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
32. Will the circuit work if it is replaced with a short?
33. What is the significant difference between the voltage dividers used in JFET biasing and those used
for BJTs?
34. How does the biasing for a JFET differ from the biasing for an E-MOSFET?

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
Part 3FET Amplifiers

Theory
35. What is the major advantage of using FETs instead of BJTs in amplifier circuits?
36. What FET amplifier has the input applied to the gate and the output supplied from the drain?
37. What FET amplifier has the input applied to the gate and the output supplied from the source?
38. What is another name for a common drain amplifier?
Preparation:
39. Transcribe the component measurements from Table 13-1 to the table below.
Resistor
RS
RD
RG
RL

Listed

Measure

Value
1 k Ohm
3.3 k Ohm
1 M Ohm
10 k Ohm
Table 13-1

d Value

Test Procedure:
Common Source Amplifier
40. Transcribe the common-source amplifier calculation and measurements from Table 13-2 to the table
below.
Data for
Common-Source

DC Values

AC values

Amplifier
Gate Voltage, VG
Source Voltage, VS
Drain Voltage, VD
Drain Current, ID
Input Voltage, Vin
Output Voltage, Vout
Voltage Gain, AV
Phase Difference
Table 4-9
41. What were your observations when the 1 k Ohm source resistor was replaced with the value of the
source resistor used from the self-bias transistor circuit? What explains the increases in the gain?

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
42. What effect on the gain occurs when the 10 k Ohm load resistor is replaced by a 100 k Ohm resistor?
Common Drain Amplifier
43. Transcribe the common-drain amplifier calculation and measurements from Table 13-3 to the table
below.
Data for
Common-Source

DC Values

AC Values

Amplifier
Gate Voltage, VG
Source Voltage, VS
Drain Voltage, VD
Drain Current, ID
Input Voltage, Vin
Output Voltage, Vout
Voltage Gain, AV
Phase Difference
Table 13-3
44. Why is the gain of the common drain amplifier less than 1?
Common Drain Current Source Amplifier
45. How can the gain of the common source amplifier be improved?

46. Transcribe the common-drain amplifier calculation and measurements from Table 13-4 to the table
below.
Data
for
Common-Source

DC Values

Amplifier
Q1 Gate Voltage, VG
Q1 Source Voltage, VS
Q1 Drain Voltage, VD
Q2 Gate Voltage, VG
Q2 Source Voltage, VS
Q2 Drain Voltage, VD
Drain Current, ID
Input Voltage, Vin
Output Voltage, Vout
Voltage Gain, AV
Phase Difference
Table 13-4

AC Values

ET1310: Module 4 Field-Effect Transistors (FETs)

Lab/ JFET Characteristics and Biasing
Lab 4.1 Report
47. Why is the DC voltage at the drain of Q2 (the output) nearly zero?
48. Why can the output be taken directly from the drain of Q2?
49. What affect did the addition of the 10 k Ohm load resistor have on the amplifiers gain?

50. When the input to the amplifier was increased, did the output saturate (clipped output)? Why?

FET Amplifiers
51. What advantage does a common-drain amplifier have over a common-emitter amplifier?
52. What disadvantage does a common-drain amplifier have compared to a common-emitter amplifier?
53. Compare the common-source and common drain amplifiers tested in this experiment. What are the
significant differences between them? What things do they have in common?
54. For the common-source amplifier (Figure 4-9), what would you expect to happen to the DC and AC
parameters if the bypass capacitor, C2, were open?
55. Assume you want to modify the common-source amplifier in Figure 4-9 for current-source biasing:
a.

Is the source resistor, RS, required?

b. Is the bypass capacitor, C2, required?

c.

What advantage and disadvantage would result from the change?

56. For the common-drain current-source biasing circuit shown in Figure 4-12:
a. Why is it useful to have the source resistor, RS1, equal to RS2?
b. Why was the gain much better with current-source biasing than with self-bias?
c.

Estimate the input and output resistance of the amplifier.