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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Circuits and Components

Transistor

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/trænˈzɪstər/nounCore term

In electrical & electronics engineering, transistor means: A semiconductor device used to switch or amplify signals. A small current or voltage at one terminal controls a much larger current through the other two.

In Turkish: transistör

How it is used

Found in almost every circuit, from logic chips to motor drivers. Engineers distinguish bipolar transistors (BJT: base, collector, emitter) from field-effect transistors (FET or MOSFET: gate, drain, source). A transistor is turned on, turned off or driven into saturation.

Example sentences

  1. The microcontroller pin can't drive the relay directly, so we use a transistor as a switch.

  2. Check the base resistor; the transistor isn't turning on fully.

Common collocations

  • bipolar transistor
  • power transistor
  • transistor switch
  • turn on a transistor
  • MOSFETA type of field-effect transistor controlled by the voltage on its gate. It is the most common switch in power electronics and digital chips, and its terminals are called gate, drain and source.
  • diodeA semiconductor component that lets current flow easily in one direction and blocks it in the other. Its two terminals are called the anode and the cathode.
  • amplifierA circuit or device that makes a signal larger, increasing its voltage, current or power while keeping its shape. How much larger it becomes is called the gain.
  • integrated circuitA complete electronic circuit made on a single small piece of silicon and sealed in a package with pins. Microcontrollers, op-amps and voltage regulators are all integrated circuits.

More terms: Circuits and Components

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