Resistor-Equipped Transistors （RETs）

Published:2011/8/14 21:21:00 Author:Amy From:SeekIC

Paul Goossens

Developments in the electronics area (or is it an arena?) are never at a standstill. Whenever there is something substantially new to report it is almost always related to complex chips. However, Philips proves that new developments are possible even with what you thought were dead-standard components. For example, take the new range of transistors with the name ’RET’ -meaning Resistor Equipped Transistor.

The novelty with this new range of transis­tors is that they have a base resistor included. Some versions also have a resis­tor from base to emitter.

These new transistors enable engineers to design even smaller devices because the space required on the PCB has been reduced as a consequence. An additional advantage is that the total component count is reduced.

The new transistors are available in both PNP and NPN versions. For the package, the designer can choose from a number of SMD packages as well as the familiar TO-92. The maximum power dissipation depends on the package and varies from 150 mW to 500 mW for the single tran­sistor chips.

There are also chips with two transistors, where each chip is provided with either one or two resistors. With these you can choose between o maximum dissipation of 300 mW or 600 mW. A complete overview of the available RETs can be found on the Internet at: http://www.semiconductors.com/acro-bat/literature/9397/75012514.pdf.

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