Question

Which of the following cases damage the transistor?

(a) when VCE is increased too far

(b) when VCE is decreased too far

(c) when VBE is increased too far

(d) when VBE is decreased too far

I had been asked this question during a job interview.

This question is from The CE Characteristics topic in chapter Transistor Characteristics of Electronic Devices & Circuits

Answer 1

Right choice is (a) when VCE is increased too far

Explanation: When VCE is increased too far, collector base junction completely breaks down and due to this avalanche breakdown, collector current increases rapidly. This is not shown in the characteristic. In this case, the transistor is damaged.