One of the three main terminals on a field-effect transistor, alongside the gate and the drain. Charge carriers, either electrons or holes depending on the device type, flow from this terminal through the semiconductor channel toward the drain. The voltage applied between the gate and this terminal determines how much current the transistor conducts.
Heard on the job
Tie the source directly to the ground plane to minimize parasitic inductance in the switching path.
Do not mix it up with
- Drain: The source is where carriers enter the channel, whereas the drain is where they exit.