Electricity & Electronic Workbooks

Semiconductor Fundamentals Unit 1 – Introduction to Semiconductors

Exercise 2 – Circuit Location and Identification

EXERCISE OBJECTIVE

When you have completed this exercise, you will be familiar with the functional circuit blocks
on the SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES circuit board. You will verify your circuit knowledge by
identifying the circuit blocks and operating a transistor circuit.

DISCUSSION

• The following eight circuit blocks are present on the SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES circuit
  board.
  
  
  1. DIODES AND 1/2 WAVE RECTIFICATION circuit block
  
  
  2. FULL-WAVE RECTIFICATION WITH POWER SUPPLY FILTERS circuit block
  
  
  3. ZENER DIODE REGULATOR circuit block
  
  
  4. DIODE WAVESHAPING circuit block
  
  
  5. VOLTAGE DOUBLER circuit block
  
  
  6. TRANSISTOR JUNCTION circuit block
  
  
  7. PNP DC BIAS circuit block
  
  
  8. TRANSISTOR LOAD LINES AND GAIN circuit block
  
  
  
  


• The first five circuit blocks contain diode circuits only. Each block demonstrates the
  following diode functions.

Block 1. diode polarity, voltage drop required for a diode to conduct, and how a diode circuit

functions as a half-wave rectifier.

Block 2. full-wave bridge rectification with and without filtering

Block 3. voltage drop characteristics of a zener diode

Block 4. clipping and clamping circuits

Block 5. ac to dc rectification resulting in an output voltage which is twice the input voltage

(peak voltage)

• The last three blocks demonstrate the following:

Block 6. forward and reverse biasing of transistors, as well as a comparison of diode and

transistor junctions

Block 7. transistors as switches

Block 8. transistor characteristics such as base-emitter voltage, base current, collector

current, and dc load lines