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The 2N3904 is a common NPN
''Semiconductor Data Book''
1536 pages, 1966, Motorola.
''Small-Signal Transistor Data Book''
1354 pages, 1983, Motorola.
''Small-Signal Transistor Data Book''
1386 pages, 1984, Motorola.
''Transistor and Diode Data Book''
1258 pages, 1973, Texas Instruments. JEDEC standards Commercial transistors Bipolar transistors
The 2N3904 is a common NPN bipolar junction transistor
A bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is a type of transistor that uses both electrons and electron holes as charge carriers. In contrast, a unipolar transistor, such as a field-effect transistor (FET), uses only one kind of charge carrier. A ...
used for general-purpose low-power amplifying or switching applications. It is designed for low current
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (hydr ...
and power
Power may refer to:
Common meanings
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power, a type of energy
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
Math ...
, medium voltage
Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a Electrostatics, static electric field, it corresponds to the Work (electrical), ...
, and can operate at moderately high speeds. It is complementary to the 2N3906 PNP transistor. Both types were registered by Motorola Semiconductor in the mid-1960s.
Device packaging and specifications
The construction of the 2N3904 and 2N3906 in the 1960s represented a significant performance and cost improvement, with the plasticTO-92
The TO-92 is a widely used style of semiconductor package mainly used for transistors. The case is often made of epoxy or plastic, and offers compact size at a very low cost.
History and origin
The JEDEC TO-92 descriptor is derived from the ori ...
case replacing metal cans. This transistor is a low-cost device, widely available and sufficiently robust to be of use by experimenters and electronics hobbyists. When looking at the flat side with the leads pointed downward, the three wires emerging from the bottom are connected to, from left to right, the emitter, the base and the collector. Some manufacturers mark "EBC" on the molded part, but all are required to have those connections for a part which is a "2N3904".JEDEC
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association is a consortium of the semiconductor industry headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, United States. It has over 300 members and is focused ...
It is a 200 mA, 40 V, 625 mW transistor with a transition frequency of 300 MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
, with a minimum beta
Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; or ) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represe ...
, or current gain, of 100 at a collector current of 10 mA.
Related parts
Electrically similar devices, such as the MMBT3904, are available in a variety of small through-hole and surface-mount packages, includingTO-92
The TO-92 is a widely used style of semiconductor package mainly used for transistors. The case is often made of epoxy or plastic, and offers compact size at a very low cost.
History and origin
The JEDEC TO-92 descriptor is derived from the ori ...
, SOT-23
A small outline transistor (SOT) is a family of small footprint, discrete Surface-mount technology, surface mount transistor commonly used in consumer electronics. The most common SOT are SOT23 variations,. link froamkor.com/packaging/leadframe/ ...
, and SOT-223, with package-dependent thermal ratings from 625 milliwatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor o ...
s to 1 watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
.
The complementary PNP transistor is 2N3906.
Part numbers
The 2N3904 (NPN) and 2N3906 (PNP) are complementary transistor pairs. These transistors are available in package styles TO-92, SOT23, SOT223 with different prefixes.See also
*2N2222
The 2N2222 is a common NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT) used for general purpose low-power amplifying or switching applications. It is designed for low to medium current, low power, medium voltage, and can operate at moderately high sp ...
, 2N2907
* 2N3055
The 2N3055 is a silicon NPN power transistor intended for general purpose applications. It was introduced in the early 1960s by RCA using a hometaxial power transistor process, transitioned to an epitaxial base in the mid-1970s. Its numbering ...
* BC108
* BC548
* KT315
References
Further reading
{{commons category ;Historical Databooks''Semiconductor Data Book''
1536 pages, 1966, Motorola.
''Small-Signal Transistor Data Book''
1354 pages, 1983, Motorola.
''Small-Signal Transistor Data Book''
1386 pages, 1984, Motorola.
''Transistor and Diode Data Book''
1258 pages, 1973, Texas Instruments. JEDEC standards Commercial transistors Bipolar transistors