Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
Course Code: 530825 Credits: 1.5
Course Name: Power Electronics 6th Semester
Prepared by: Sharif Mohd Shams
Experiment # 2: Study and Characterize a Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
Objective: The objective of this experiment is to study the characteristics of a Unijunction
Transistor (UJT) and to understand its behavior under different operating conditions.
Equipment and Components:
● Regulated Power supply (0-30V, 1A)
● UJT 2N2646
● Resistors (10kΩ, 47kΩ, 330kΩ)
● Breadboard
● Connecting wires
Theory:
Fig. 01 Circuit diagram
A Unijunction Transistor (UJT) is a semiconductor device characterized by a single junction. It
comprises three terminals: an emitter (E) and two bases (B1 and B2). The base consists of a
lightly doped n-type silicon bar with ohmic contacts, B1 and B2, affixed at either end. The
emitter, heavily doped and of p-type, completes the structure. The resistance between B1 and B2,
in the absence of a connection to the emitter, is known as the interbase resistance. Essentially, the
original UJT is a straightforward device composed of a bar of N-type semiconductor material
into which P-type material has been diffused at a specific point along its length.
Fig 02. VE vs IE graph
The UJT operates with a positive voltage applied across its two bases, resulting in a voltage drop
along its length. When the emitter voltage exceeds the voltage at the P diffusion point (emitter)
by approximately one diode voltage, current begins to flow from the emitter into the base region.
Due to the light doping of the base region, this additional current induces conductivity
modulation, decreasing the resistance of the section of the base between the emitter junction and
the B2 terminal. This reduced resistance further forward biases the emitter junction, leading to
additional current injection. As a result, the emitter terminal exhibits negative resistance, a
characteristic that renders the UJT valuable, particularly in simple oscillator circuits. Once the
emitter voltage reaches a certain threshold (VP), the current begins to rise, causing a decrease in
the emitter voltage. This negative slope of the characteristics graph represents the negative
resistance region as displayed in figure 2. Beyond the valley point, VEB is directly proportional to
IE as seen in figure 2.
Procedure:
1. Setup: Construct the circuit as shown in Fig. 01 Circuit diagram. Connect the UJT, resistors,
and power supply on the breadboard.
2. Voltage Setup: Fix the output voltage of the power supply at a constant level (e.g., 10V).
3. Measurements: By varying the input voltage (VB2B1) to the UJT, record the corresponding
emitter current (IE) values. Start with small increments of input voltage to observe the
behavior of the UJT across its operating range.
4. Variation: Repeat the procedure for different values of output voltages. Take note to ensure a
wide range of operating conditions are covered.
5. Data Collection and Calculation: Tabulate all the readings, and calculate the Intrinsic Stand-
Off ratio using the formula:
V P−V D
Intrinsic Stand −Off ratio (η)=
V B2B1
Where VP is the peak voltage point, VD is the valley point, and VB2B1 is the voltage across the
bases B2 and B1.
6. Graph Plotting: Plot a graph between emitter voltage (VEB) and emitter current (IE) for
different values of VB2B1. This graph will illustrate the characteristics of the UJT under
varying operating conditions.
Graph Data Table:
VB2B1 = 2V VB2B1 = 3V
VEB (V) IE (mA) VEB (V) IE (mA)
Conclusion:
Through this experiment, you have studied and characterized the Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
under different output voltage levels. You have observed its negative resistance characteristics and
learned about its behavior in simple oscillator circuits.
