Junction Field Effect Transistor

What Does Junction Field Effect Transistor Mean?

A junction field effect transistor (JFET) is the the simplest type of three-terminal semiconductor transistor. JFETs are widely employed as electronically controlled switches, voltage-controlled resistors and amplifiers. The semiconductor material in a JFET is positively and negatively doped and arranged to form a channel for effective functioning of the device.

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Techopedia Explains Junction Field Effect Transistor

In a JFET, the semiconductor doped with donor impurities forms an n-type channel, whereas a semiconductor doped with acceptor impurities forms a p-type region. An electrical connection at the end of the channel on a JFET is either a drain terminal or source terminal, and the middle terminal is known as a gate. These terminals are actually p-n junctions with the main channel. The main difference between any bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and a JFET is how they are controlled — a BJT is controlled by current, while a JFET is controlled by voltage.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…