Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ.

Spring, 2016

Chapter 2. Operational Amplifiers

Tong In Oh

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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.3 The Noninverting Configuration

• 𝑣𝐼 is applied directly to the positive input terminal of the op amp
• One terminal of 𝑅1 is connected to ground
• Closed-loop gain (𝑣𝑂 /𝑣𝐼 )
• Assuming that the op amp is ideal with infinite gain
𝑣𝑂
• 𝑣𝐼𝑑 = =0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐴 = ∞
𝐴
• Virtual short circuit

Figure 2.13 Analysis of the noninverting circuit. The sequence of the steps in the analysis is
Figure 2.12 The noninverting configuration.
2 indicated by the circled numbers.
Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.3.1 The Closed-Loop Gain

• Since the current into the op-amp inverting input is zero, the circuit
composed of 𝑅1 and 𝑅2 acts as a voltage divider feeding a fraction of
the output voltage back to the inverting input terminal of the op amp
𝑅1
• 𝑣1 = 𝑣𝑂 ( )
𝑅1 +𝑅2
• Action of the negative feedback
• Let 𝑣𝐼 increase → 𝑣𝐼𝑑 to increase → 𝑣𝑂 correspondingly increase → a
fraction of the increase in 𝑣𝑂 feed to the inverting input terminal
through voltage divider → 𝑣𝐼𝑑 back to zero
• Degenerative action of negative feedback: Degenerative feedback

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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.3.2 Effect of Finite Open-Loop Gain

• Assuming the op amp to be ideal except for having a finite open-loop
gain A
𝑅
𝑣𝑜 1+( 2 )
𝑅1
•𝐺≡ = 𝑅
𝑣𝐼 1+( 2 )
𝑅1
1+
𝐴
• Due to the same feedback loop, denominators are identical
• The numerator gives the ideal or nominal closed-loop gain
𝑅2
• 𝐴 ≫1+
𝑅1
𝑅
1+( 2 )
𝑅1
• 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = − 𝑅 × 100
𝐴+1+( 2 )
𝑅1

• Input impedance: infinite (no current flows into the positive input)
• Output resistance: zero (take at the terminals of the ideal voltage
source)
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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.3.4 The Voltage Follower

• High input impedance: very desirable feature of the noninverting
configuration
• Buffer amplifier (impedance transformer or power amplifier)
• 𝑅2 = 0 and 𝑅1 = ∞ to obtain the unity-gain amplifier
• Voltage follower since the output “follows” the input
• 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣𝐼 , 𝑅𝑖𝑛 = ∞, 𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 0
• 100% negative feedback, act to make 𝑣𝐼𝑑 = 0 and hence 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣𝐼

Figure 2.14 (a) The unity-gain buffer or follower amplifier. (b) Its equivalent circuit model.
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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.4 Difference Amplifiers

• Difference or differential amplifiers
• Amplify only the differential input signal, 𝑣𝐼𝑑
• Reject completely the common-mode input signal, 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚
• 𝑣𝑂 = 𝐴𝑑 𝑣𝐼𝑑 + 𝐴𝑐𝑚 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚
• 𝐴𝑑 : differential gain
• 𝐴𝑐𝑚 : common-mode gain
• Common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR)
𝐴𝑑
• 𝐶𝑀𝑅𝑅 = 20 log
𝐴𝑐𝑚
• Need in the instrument front end
• Op amp itself (Difference amp)
Figure 2.15 Representing the input signals to a differential amplifier in
• Impossible to use due to very high gain terms of their differential and common-mode components.
• Devise a feedback for finite, predictable,
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and stable amp
Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.4.1 A Single-Op-Amp Difference Amplifier

• Combining the noninverting and inverting amplifiers (reduce the gain
of the positive path from (1 + 𝑅2 /𝑅1 ) to (𝑅2 /𝑅1 )
𝑅4 𝑅2
• =
𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝑅2 +𝑅1
𝑅4 𝑅
• = 2
𝑅3 𝑅1

7 Figure 2.16 A difference amplifier.

Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

𝑅2
• 𝑣𝑂1 = − 𝑣 (𝑣𝐼2 = 0)
𝑅1 𝐼1
𝑅4 𝑅2 𝑅
• 𝑣𝑂2 = 𝑣𝐼2 1+ = 2 𝑣𝐼2 (𝑣𝐼1 = 0)
𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝑅1 𝑅1
𝑅2 𝑅2
• 𝑣𝑂 = (𝑣𝐼2 −𝑣𝐼1 ) = 𝑣
𝑅1 𝑅1 𝐼𝑑

Figure 2.17 Application of superposition to the analysis of the circuit of Fig. 2.16.
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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

Common-mode Gain
1 𝑅4 𝑅3 1
• 𝑖1 = 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚 − 𝑣 = 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚
𝑅1 𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝐼𝑐𝑚 𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝑅1
𝑅4
• 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣 − 𝑖2 𝑅2
𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝐼𝑐𝑚
𝑅4 𝑅2 𝑅3 𝑅4 𝑅2 𝑅3
• 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣 − 𝑣 = 1− 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚
𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝐼𝑐𝑚 𝑅1 𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝐼𝑐𝑚 𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝑅1 𝑅4
𝑣𝑂 𝑅4 𝑅2 𝑅3
• 𝐴𝑐𝑚 ≡ = 1−
𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚 𝑅4 +𝑅3 𝑅1 𝑅4
• If 𝐴𝑐𝑚 nonzero, CMRR finite

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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

• High input resistance

• Differential input resistance 𝑅𝑖𝑑
𝑣𝐼𝑑
• 𝑅𝑖𝑑 ≡
i𝐼
• 𝑣𝐼𝑑 =𝑅1 i𝐼 + 0 + 𝑅1 i𝐼 , 𝑅𝑖𝑑 = 2𝑅1
• Relatively low input resistance for large gain
• Not easy to vary the differential gain

Figure 2.19 Finding the input resistance of the difference amplifier for the case R3 = R1 and R4 = R2.
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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

2.4.2 The Instrumentation Amplifier

• Low input resistance problem of the difference amplifier → voltage
followers to buffer
• Gain adjusting without compromising the high input resistance by
using followers with gain
• Input common-mode signal is
amplified in the first stage
• Must be matched in the first
stage
• To vary the differential gain,
two resistors have to be varied
simultaneously (𝑅1 )

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Microelectronic Circuits, Kyung Hee Univ. Spring, 2016

• Virtual short circuits at the inputs of op amp (𝐴1 and 𝐴2 )

• Produce a voltage difference between the output terminals of 𝐴1 , 𝐴2
2𝑅2
• 𝑣𝑂2 − 𝑣𝑂1 = 1 + 𝑣𝐼𝑑
2𝑅1
𝑅4 𝑅4 𝑅2
• 𝑣𝑂 = 𝑣𝑂2 − 𝑣𝑂1 = 1+ 𝑣𝐼𝑑
𝑅3 𝑅3 𝑅1
• Gain varied by 2𝑅1
• 𝑣𝐼𝑐𝑚 , no longer amplifies at the 1st stage

Figure 2.20 A popular circuit for an instrumentation amplifier. (a) Initial approach to the circuit (b) The circuit in (a) with the
connection between node X and ground removed and the two resistors R1 and R1 lumped together. This simple wiring change
dramatically improves performance. (c) Analysis of the circuit in (b) assuming ideal op amps.
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