A voltage applied to the gate (or base) of a transistor or vacuum tube, which causes the device to operate in its conductive state. When the control voltage (input voltage) is applied to the gate, it is added to the bias, causing the resultant voltage to be higher or lower, based on the sum of the two.
Forward and Reverse Bias
Forward bias is a voltage that brings the transistor or tube into or closer to its conductive state. For example, if the gate requires positive voltage to conduct, forward biasing adds positive voltage.
In contrast, reverse bias holds the device in a non-conductive state until the sum of the control voltage and bias is sufficient to bring it to the conductive state. For example, if the gate requires positive voltage to conduct, reverse biasing adds negative voltage.
Bias is widely used in analog devices, such as an audio amplifier, to keep the input voltage constantly within the conductive region of the transistor or tube. It is also used in digital circuits to reach a certain threshold and open or close the switch faster.
Transistor Conduction Curve
This is the typical conduction curve of a bipolar and field effect transistor (FET). A forward bias pushes the voltage past the transition region and keeps the transistor operating in its conduction region.
Forward and Reverse Bias
Forward bias is a voltage that brings the transistor or tube into or closer to its conductive state. For example, if the gate requires positive voltage to conduct, forward biasing adds positive voltage.
In contrast, reverse bias holds the device in a non-conductive state until the sum of the control voltage and bias is sufficient to bring it to the conductive state. For example, if the gate requires positive voltage to conduct, reverse biasing adds negative voltage.
Bias is widely used in analog devices, such as an audio amplifier, to keep the input voltage constantly within the conductive region of the transistor or tube. It is also used in digital circuits to reach a certain threshold and open or close the switch faster.
Transistor Conduction Curve
This is the typical conduction curve of a bipolar and field effect transistor (FET). A forward bias pushes the voltage past the transition region and keeps the transistor operating in its conduction region.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- East Anglia: some new angles, but no arrests for hacking
- Investigation..."If the Republicans regain control of the Senate any time soon, you can expect a full-blown Inhofe-fuelled investigation."Horrors! Imagine that, someone actually wants to INVESTIGATE to see if the "science" of global warming holds water pardon the pun? You mean people actually want to KNOW if these drastic changes to...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-25
- Microsoft CFO Liddell to leave by year-end
- dump MSFT shares next yearafter the last bump in stock price you'll get from Win7. It's all downhill from there.Why are the shareholders so greedy?Currently MSFT has around 18-19 PE which is very reasonable. It's pretty high seeing that we are in the great global recession. I know that...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-24
- The cloud computing battleground takes shape. Will it be winner-take-all?
- You can't be a good consultant if you can't even mention MSIf you really think MS is irrelevant in cloud computing then you have some serious bias issues to work out.The fact that throughout your entire blog you can't even get yourself to mention MS or Azure even once is...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-24
- What if the search-index was run by a non-profit? GOOG founders once supported that idea
- Soloution looking for a problemReread the tragedy of the commons. This is a bad idea. If different search companies have different businesses listed that will give rise to meta search engines that search the search engines and produce combined results in a single context.There is already a Firefox plugin...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- Admob: Droid and Android army make big browsing splash
- I don't see how....Palm is going to survive in this market. The iPhone vs Android will be interesting to watch however.Android is still milles away from the iPhoneAfter looking at the few Android phones in the market, I can tell you that without a doubt, the Android is competition for...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- Schiller: App Store isn't broken
- The truth hurtsThe truth is consumer lacks the ability to make good decision regarding the security of their data. We are regularly tricked into click-installing things while surfing the web, download trojans and other malware, give out information over the phone that we shouldn't etc ... and we never...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- East Anglia, the next chapter
- Harry's world must be imploding;-)NY times reports:"The evidence pointing to a growing human contribution to global warming is so widely accepted that the hacked material is unlikely to erode the overall argument. [b]However, the documents will undoubtedly raise questions about the quality of research on some specific questions and the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-21
- 2010 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5 S
- Photo gallery:2010 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5 SWhen the 2010 Nissan Altima Coupe showed up in our garage, we registered some disappointment as we first looked around the car. The cool coupe style suggested days spent straightening the curves along winding mountain roads, but the continuously variable automatic transmission and four-cylinder...
- Product reviews 2009-11-20
- Internet: A threat to government or the other way around?
- The Kleptocrats that feel entitled to your money...worry that us mushrooms now have other uncontrollable sources for the "truth" and won't eat the horse compost fed to them by the monopolistic crony Main-stream Media.RE: Internet: A threat to government or the other way around?There are two things tyrants and bureaucrats...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-20
- Rumored HTC 'Dragon' Google phone to spar with iPhone, Droid
- The problem for competitors is that Google could throw a billion or more atmobile OS market including Android and ChromeOS. They just want a flood of cheap, very functional, very powerful mobile internet devices. They do not need ANY profits on the OS itself.Hardware manufactures like Palm, Blackberry, and Nokia...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Hackers bypass Windows 7 activation
- lol...and double lolwhoever thinks that windows 7 is any better than any previous disaster they created will be dispelled soon.Google will take over and leave MS in the dustGoogle is going to take over and leave the lethargic Windows in PC dust.loverock's mother herei must apologize for my 44 old...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-16
- A flip of the on switch: Utah wind project goes online
- Seems wasteful to send the energy 2 states away...Very cool to see a big wind farm come online, but most of that energy is going to be wasted on transmission line leakage by the time it gets to California. We really need to get to the point of highly-localized power...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-11
- Flu pandemic disproportionately infects, kills young people; are some getting preferred treatment?
- Overhyped, almost hysteriaand blogs like these of course add to that. All in the name of $.Money needs to be made pharma, existence needs to be legitimized (health boards & governments), and the media of course needs to sell. Yep, the incentives point to one direction.Problem is, there is no...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-05
- Gartner wins in ZL lawsuit: but is it a pyrrhic victory?
- Just in. ZL lost in its lawsuit over Gartner Magic Quadrants. It has issued this statement: "ZL believes that Gartner’s overwhelming influence on large corporations’ purchasing decisions, and its inaccurate ratings, including its bias in favor of large vendors, combine to pose major competitive hurdles that hurt...
- Blog posts 2009-11-05
- Not tolerating the intolerant
- My thoughts"Most reject volunteerism in search of making money, satisfying career ambitions, relaxing or spending time with friends and family."Some volunteerism is fine, and I'm glad to help out when I can - but I don't think it can or should sustain an economy or nation. And yes, I think...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-04
- Hardware 2.0 'Very Best Kit List' for Nov/Dec 09
- These are consistently your most useful columnsI really look forward to these, especially since I'm thinking about building a new video editing machine. One that can handle full frame 1080 24p h.264 video. I can transcode it with cineform but unless you're doing a lot of color work, it's...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-03
- Kerry-Boxer bill battle set for Tuesday
- That is just the bipartisanship ........ President Obama campaigned on. Not!!!Harry leaves and we're all better offWhy don't you go somewhere else to blow off all this hot air and perhaps the U.S. emissions will be cut in half? :-)Harry's blogs: e-pollution on this IT tech site.ntLeveling the playing field...The...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-02
- McAfee vs. Symantec: Dueling in consumer and enterprise
- Worked for SYMC - products inadequately testedWe rearchitected stuff as it was going out the door. That experience was one more reason I eventually switched to Mac.Working for SYMCYou should have stuck around...Then you could have said to have been part of improving of the process . Just compare Norton...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-30
- Carper option in final Senate health bill
- opt outdoes that mean a state can decide, whether or not, their citizens can get national health care?"Let the trolling begin in earnest."?I think you meant:"[i]Let those who disagree with me begin posting.[/i]"No......trolling is posting deliberately inflammatory remarks in order to get responses. You've even admitted you're doing that, because...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-27
- Why Android is beating Windows Mobile
- So, the analysts have it wrong.because they do not agree with your assesment, but they have it correct when they do?That seems quite selective, but then again, it could be true. That is why when I see anaylyst that believe that Android (for as good as an operating system that...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-26
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.
- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
- Save time with automated shipping solutions
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Visit the UPS Business Essentials Guide
- Keep Up With The Latest In Document Management with The DocuMentor.
-
Doc delivers the scoop on today's enterprise content management, printer maintenance, and all other issues related to document management. It's the DocuMentor Blog.
- Learn more >>
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
-
- How to Drive Better Business Outcomes with Exceptional Web Experiences Download the eBook
- Driving Business Agility through SOA Connectivity & Integration Read the White Paper from IBM
- Linking Decisions and Information for Organizational Performance Read the Tom Davenport study
