BC108 family
The BC107, BC108 and BC109 are general purpose low power Silicon NPN bipolar junction transistors found very often in equipment and electronics books/articles from Europe, Australia[1] and many other countries. They were created by Philips and Mullard in 1963 and introduced in April 1966. Initially in metal (TO-18) packages, the range expanded over time to include other package types, higher voltage ratings, and a better selection of gain (hFE and hfe) groupings, as well as complementary PNP types. Some manufacturers have specified their parts with a higher power dissipation rating (Ptot) than others.
The BC548 is an example of the modern low-cost member of this family, still in a through-hole package, while the BC848 is the Surface-mount version.
Table of BC107 to BC860 Variants
| Case | Ptot | Polarity | 80VCBO | 50VCBO | 30VCBO | Low-Noise (<4dB) 30VCBO | Low-Noise (<4dB) 50VCBO | Notes/Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TO-18 | 300mW | NPN | BC107 45VCEO | BC108 20VCEO | BC109 20VCEO | |||
| PNP | BC177 45VCEO | BC178 25VCEO | BC179 25VCEO | |||||
| Lockfit | 250mW | NPN | BC147 45VCEO | BC148 20VCEO | BC149 20VCEO | |||
| PNP | BC157 45VCEO | BC158 25VCEO | BC159 20VCEO | |||||
| TO92B (e-c-b) | 300mW | NPN | BC167 45VCEO | BC168 20VCEO | BC169 20VCEO | |||
| PNP | BC257 45VCEO | BC258 25VCEO | BC259 20VCEO | (also: BC256 64VCBO) | ||||
| TO92F (c-b-e) | 300mW* | NPN | BC237 45VCEO | BC238 20VCEO | BC239 20VCEO | *Fairchild's power rating is 500mW | ||
| PNP | BC307 45VCEO | BC308 25VCEO | BC309 20VCEO | |||||
| TO92A (e-b-c) | 310mW | NPN | BC317 45VCEO | BC318 30VCEO | BC319 20VCEO | Note: 150mA rating; BC318 VCBO 40V to 45V[2] | ||
| PNP | BC320 45VCEO | BC321 30VCEO | BC322 20VCEO | |||||
| TO92F (c-b-e) | 500mW* | NPN | BC546 65VCEO | BC547 45VCEO | BC548 30VCEO | BC549 30VCEO | BC550 45VCEO | from Mullard 1977 and Fairchild 2001 specifications; *Some manufacturers specify a 625mW rating |
| PNP | BC556 65VCEO | BC557 45VCEO | BC558 30VCEO | BC559 30VCEO | BC560 45VCEO | |||
| SMD | 150mW | NPN | BC846 65VCEO | BC847 45VCEO | BC848 30VCEO | BC849 30VCEO | BC850 45VCEO | |
| PNP | BC856 65VCEO | BC857 45VCEO | BC858 30VCEO | BC859 30VCEO | BC860 45VCEO |
(see also: for a neat summary of some of the family).
Noise Figure (at 1kHz, for 2 kilohm source, BW=200Hz, IC=0.2mA/VCE=5V) is <10dB for those not tabulated as "Low Noise".
Current Ratings
All types have a maximum collector current of 100mA, except that the original Philips tentative data dated 4.4.1966 specified a maximum collector current of 100mA peak (ICM) for the BC107/8/9, and Telefunken originally specified a maximum collector current of 50mA for the BC109, but since at least 1973 all have revised collector currents of 100mA average or 200mA peak, except that the BC317-BC322 range have a 150mA (continuous) rating.
A,B and C Gain Groupings
The above devices' type numbers may be followed by a letter "A" to "C" to indicate low to high gain (hFE)[3] groups (see BC548 Gain groupings).
References
- ↑ ""MiniWatt:" DIGEST" (PDF). Vol 7 Number 2. Philips Australia. February 1968. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ "Micro Electronics datasheet for BC107-9, BC167-9, BC237-9,BC317-9" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "BC546 through BC550".