The 2N7000 has been referred to as a "FETlington" and as an "absolutely ideal hacker part."3 The word "FETlington" is a reference to the Darlington-transistor-like saturation characteristic.
A typical use of these transistors is as a switch for moderate voltages and currents, including as drivers for small lamps, motors, and relays.4 In switching circuits, these FETs can be used much like bipolar junction transistors, but have some advantages:
The main disadvantages of these FETs over bipolar transistors in switching are the following:
The 2N7002 is a surface-mount variant of the 2N7000. The 2N7002K variant integrates protection diodes between the gate and source for electrostatic robustness,5 and the 2N7002AK-Q additionally is marketed as "automotive qualified" and "logic-level compatible".6
Many other n-channel MOSFETs exist. Some part number are BS170, VQ1000J, and VQ1000P. They may have different pin outs, packages, and electrical properties. The BS250P is "a good p-channel analog of the 2N7000."7
"2N7000/2N7002, VQ1000J/P, BS170" (PDF). Vishay Siliconix datasheet. Retrieved 28 March 2011. http://www.vishay.com/docs/70226/70226.pdf ↩
H. Ward Silver (2005). Two-way radios & scanners for dummies. p. 237. ISBN 0-7645-9582-2. 0-7645-9582-2 ↩
Lancaster, Don (February 1986). "Hardware hacker". Modern Electronics. 3 (2). Richard Ross: 115. ISSN 0748-9889. /wiki/Don_Lancaster ↩
"2N7002K (N-channel TrenchMOS intermediate level FET)". Nexperia. Retrieved 31 May 2025. https://www.nexperia.com/product/2N7002K ↩
"2N7002AK-Q (60 V, N-channel Trench MOSFET)". Nexperia. Retrieved 31 May 2025. https://www.nexperia.com/product/2N7002AK-Q ↩
Lucio Di Jasio; Tim Wilmshurst; Dogan Ibrahim (2007). PIC microcontrollers. Newnes. p. 520. ISBN 978-0-7506-8615-0. 978-0-7506-8615-0 ↩