High frequency realization of non-autonomous nonlinear transistor circuit

• Main Authors: Benjamin K. Rhea, Edmon Perkins, Robert N. Dean
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIP Publishing LLC 2019-06-01
• Series: AIP Advances
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5100948

In this paper, an electronic implementation of a non-autonomous nonlinear transistor circuit is presented. This nonlinear circuit topology requires a minimal number of components, which consists of two resistors, two capacitors, and a single NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT). This topology is of interest because it is relatively simple to construct and could be used for potential applications such as random number generators (RNGs) or noise signal generators (NSGs). The transistor portion of the circuit was analyzed using the Ebers-Moll model for a BJT. Using this model, time domain and phase space plots that qualitatively match the original systems dynamics were created. This model was also used to create bifurcation diagrams of the base voltage versus both frequency and amplitude, where periodic and chaotic solutions exist. The hardware realization was built using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components with two different printed circuit board (PCB) designs. This PCB included the forcing function on the board with the transistor circuit. This circuit topology functioned over a wide range of frequencies, with an upper limit of approximately 5.1 MHz. Many potential applications could benefit from this high operation frequency.