The drain is the terminal in a field-effect transistor (FET) where charge carriers leave the channel. In an N-channel device, electrons flow from the source to the drain, meaning conventional current flows into the drain. The voltage applied between the drain and source, controlled by the gate, dictates how much current passes through the device.
Check the voltage at the drain to see if the MOSFET is actually turning on when the gate goes high.
Also heard as
- D
Related terms
Source
The terminal of a field-effect transistor where majority charge carriers enter the channel.
MOSFET
A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor is a voltage-controlled switch used to amplify or switch electronic signals.
FET
A field-effect transistor controls the flow of electrical current using an electric field.
JFET
A type of field-effect transistor that uses a reverse-biased junction to control current.