Investigating the switching speed and switch characteristics of a Darlington transistor Darlington = Pair or Pair

Section _ Understanding (Darlington transistor ) or Darlington pair

Investigating the switching speed and switch characteristics   of a Darlington transistor Darlington  =  Pair or Pair 

Researcher  and author: Dr.   (   Afshin Rashid)

 

The name Darlington, which means transistor pair, was chosen because the voltage value can be controlled, because in  a Darlington transistor pair ,  the voltage value can be programmed or adjusted to the desired value. A Darlington transistor pair  is a controllable transistor, so we can use it to adjust the voltage to the desired value.  

The switching speed of a  Darlington transistor pair is generally much faster than that of a thyristor, and this can be very useful, especially in some control applications. 

 

The switching characteristics  of a Darlington pair  are very similar to a BJT in that  the Darlington pair  either pulls up to a high voltage, preventing the flow of load current, or pulls down to a low voltage, allowing the flow of load current.  The third terminal can be used to apply a control current, which initiates the breakdown action. 

The efficiency of the switching transistor in  a Darlington transistor pair  is very high because in the circuit it can block a voltage of several hundred volts with a few milliamperes or conduct 50 amps of current with a voltage drop of about 1.0 volts. 

 

Although  a Darlington transistor pair  is more complex than a single-junction diode base, it is relatively easy to construct. A Darlington transistor pair  consists of four layers that alternate p-type and n-type regions in approximately equal proportions. It looks very similar to a thyristor in structure, but the difference is that the gate electrode is connected to the n-type region next to the p-type anode layer.  

Researcher  and author: Dr.   (   Afshin Rashid)

Specialized PhD in Nano-Microelectronics