TIP32C — PNP Power Bipolar Junction Transistor

Overview

The TIP32C is a general-purpose PNP power bipolar junction transistor (BJT) manufactured by STMicroelectronics and ON Semiconductor. Enclosed in a TO-220AB package, it is designed for medium-power linear voltage regulators, audio power amplifiers, motor speed control, and high-side DC load switching.

Supporting collector-emitter voltages up to $-100\text{ Volts}$ and continuous collector currents up to $-3.0\text{ Amps}$ (with peak currents up to $-5.0\text{ A}$ ), the TIP32C is the direct PNP complementary power transistor to the TIP31C.

Quick reference


Transistor Type	PNP Power Bipolar Junction Transistor
Package	TO-220AB (Metal tab connected to COLLECTOR)
Collector-Emitter Voltage ( $V_{CEO}$ )	$-100\text{ V}$ max
Collector-Base Voltage ( $V_{CBO}$ )	$-100\text{ V}$ max
Continuous Collector Current ( $I_C$ )	$-3.0\text{ A}$ continuous ( $-5.0\text{ A}$ peak)
Base Current ( $I_B$ )	$-1.0\text{ A}$ max
DC Current Gain ( $h_{FE}$ )	25 to 50 at $I_C = -1.0\text{A}$ ( $10\dots50$ at $I_C = -3.0\text{A}$ )
Transition Frequency ( $f_T$ )	$3.0\text{ MHz}$ min
Power Dissipation ( $P_D$ )	$40\text{ W}$ ( $T_C = 25^\circ\text{C}$ ) / $2.0\text{ W}$ ( $T_A = 25^\circ\text{C}$ )

Pinout (TO-220AB Package)

Looking at the front labeled face of the TO-220 package with leads pointing down:

text

        ┌─────────────┐
        │   O   [TAB] │  (Metal Mounting Tab = COLLECTOR)
        ├─────────────┤
        │   TIP32C    │  (Front Package Face)
        └─┬───┬───┬───┘
          1   2   3
          B   C   E

Pin	Name	Description
1	`BASE` (`B`)	Base control input
2	`COLLECTOR` (`C`)	Collector terminal (Connected internally to tab)
3	`EMITTER` (`E`)	Emitter terminal (High-side power rail $+V_{CC}$ )

Specifications

Parameter	Symbol	Min	Typ	Max	Unit	Conditions
Collector-Emitter Breakdown	$V_{(BR)CEO}$	-100	—	—	V	$I_C = -30\text{mA}, I_B = 0$
DC Current Gain ( $I_C=-1\text{A}$ )	$h_{FE}$	25	—	50	—	$V_{CE} = -4\text{V}, I_C = -1\text{A}$
DC Current Gain ( $I_C=-3\text{A}$ )	$h_{FE}$	10	—	50	—	$V_{CE} = -4\text{V}, I_C = -3\text{A}$
Collector Saturation Volts	$V_{CE(sat)}$	—	—	-1.2	V	$I_C = -3\text{A}, I_B = -375\text{mA}$
Base-Emitter Voltage	$V_{BE(on)}$	—	—	-1.8	V	$V_{CE} = -4\text{V}, I_C = -3\text{A}$

Common mistakes

Driving directly from MCU GPIO on high-voltage supply rails: With $h_{FE} \approx 25$ , switching a $-3\text{A}$ load requires an $I_B$ base current of $\sim 100\text{ mA}$ , far beyond an MCU GPIO pin limit ( $20\text{ mA}$ ). Use an NPN pre-driver transistor (such as 2N3904 or BC337).
Omitting heatsink under continuous load: At $2\text{A}$ output current, $V_{CE(sat)}$ power dissipation reaches $\sim 2.4\text{ Watts}$ . A heatsink is necessary to avoid thermal damage.

Notes

TIP32 vs TIP32A vs TIP32B vs TIP32C: TIP32 (-40V), TIP32A (-60V), TIP32B (-80V), TIP32C (-100V). The "C" suffix version is the most common because it handles higher DC supply voltages.