Introduction
This laboratory manual is the companion to my OER text Semiconductor Devices: Theory and Application. It is intended for use in introductory semiconductor devices courses and is appropriate for two and four year electrical engineering technology curriculums. The manual contains sufficient exercises for two 15 week courses using a two to three hour practicum period. It assumes familiarity with basic electrical circuit analysis techniques and theorems. The topics cover basic diodes through DC biasing and AC analysis of small signal bipolar and FET amplifiers along with class A and B large signal analysis. For equipment, each lab station should include a dual adjustable DC power supply, a dual trace oscilloscope, a function generator and a quality DMM. Some exercises also make use of a distortion analyzer and a low distortion generator (generally, THD below 0.01%), although these portions may be bypassed. For components, a selection of standard value ¼ watt carbon film resistors ranging from a few ohms to a few mega ohms is required along with an array of typical capacitor values (film types recommended below 1 µF and aluminum electrolytics above). Specialty passives include a CdS cell, thermistor and a 20 ohm 20 watt load resistor. A decade resistance box and a 10 kΩ potentiometer may also be useful. Active devices include small signal diodes such as the 1N914 or 1N4148, rectifying diodes such as the 1N4000 series, the NZX5V1B or 1N751 Zener, single LEDs of various colors, a super bright LED, 2N3904 or 2N2222 NPN transistor, 2N3906 PNP transistor, and MPF102 N channel JFET. A small 12.6 VCT power transformer is used in the power supply project and associated exercises along with a three-terminal linear regulator.
Each exercise begins with an Objective and a Theory Overview. The Equipment List follows with space provided for serial numbers and measured values of components. Schematics are presented next along with the step-by-step procedure. Many exercises include sections on troubleshooting and design.
Simulations are often presented as well, and any quality simulation package such as LTspice, TINA-TI, Multisim or PSpice can be used. All data tables are grouped together, typically with columns for the theoretical and experimental results, along with a column for the percent deviations between them.
Finally, a group of appropriate questions are presented.
Other laboratory manuals in this OER series include DC and AC Electrical Circuit Analysis, Computer Programming with Python™ and Multisim™, Operational Amplifiers & Linear Integrated Circuits, Embedded Controllers Using C and Arduino, and Science of Sound. OER texts for DC and AC Electrical Circuit Analysis, Embedded Controllers, and Operational Amplifiers & Linear Integrated Circuits are also available. Finally, this work supersedes the earlier “Laboratory Manual for Linear Electronics”.
James M. Fiore
