From the course: Electronics Foundations: Semiconductor Devices
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Use a MOSFET as a switch
From the course: Electronics Foundations: Semiconductor Devices
Use a MOSFET as a switch
- MOSFETs are popular for building electronically controlled switches because of their incredibly high input impedance at the gate terminal and their ability to drive high power electrical loads. The device or circuit that's controlling a MOSFET doesn't need to provide much current to operate the MOSFET as a switch. It just needs to be able to raise or lower the gate voltage enough to put the transistor into the saturation or cut off modes. The circuit to create a low side switch with an in-channel enhancement mode MOSFET has a lot in common with the circuit for a low side switch using an NPN bipolar junction transistor. The BJT has its emitter terminal tied to ground, and the MOSFET has its source terminal tied to ground. The two transistors also have their respective collector or drain terminals connected to the electrical load the switch is going to be turning on or off. In this case, a motor attached to a 12 volt power…
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