Collector-emitter current
The collector-emitter current describes the current that flows into the emitter via the collector of a bipolar transistor .
The collector-emitter current is a result of the voltage applied between the base and emitter ( base voltage ) and comes about because the transistor is then “switched on”. In data sheets, the collector-emitter current is labeled I CE . Often the term “collector current” is used, which then bears the designation I C , but describes exactly the same quantity.
The collector-emitter current caused by the base-emitter voltage is generally the output signal in a transistor amplifier . Each transistor has a maximum permissible collector-emitter current, which is also referred to as I CE max . It specifies the maximum current that can flow through the collector-emitter path before the transistor is destroyed.
With many transistors, the maximum collector-emitter current depends on how well the transistor is cooled and at what ambient temperature it is operated. For this reason I CE max is specified in many data sheets as a function of these parameters.
See also
Literature sources
- Ulrich Tietze, Christoph Schenk: Semiconductor circuit technology . 12th edition. Springer, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-540-42849-6 .