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COUPLING
MULTISTAGE AMPLIFIERS

EIE 323
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ANALOGUE ELECTRONICS
 MULTISTAGE AMPLIFIERS
• When a single stage amplifier is insufficient, several stages may be
combined to form a multistage amplifier and achieve greater gain.
• A Multi-stage amplifier is simply a cascade of single-stage amplifiers,
such that the output of a stage serves as the input of the next stage
• A number of single amplifiers are connected in cascade
Overall gain
• The overall gain of a multistage amplifier is the product of the gains of
the individual stages (ignoring potential loading effects)
• Gain (A) = A1* A2*A3 *A4 *... *An.
• Gain in dB (A) = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + ... An
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 COUPLING
• Every amplifier needs a coupling circuit; for connectivity to the input and output
devices and also for interstage coupling (in multistage amplifiers).
• Coupling is the linking of two circuits or devices.
• It transfers a.c. and isolates the d.c.
• It provides impedance matching for maximum power transfer.
• Coupling devices include capacitors, transformers etc
• There are 3 major types of interstage coupling:
 Capacitive or RC Coupling
 Transformer Coupling
 Direct (DC) Coupling
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 CAPACITIVE COUPLING
• This is also called Resistance-Capacitance (RC) Coupling because the coupling
capacitor is connected to shunt resistor(s).
• The coupling capacitor provides electrical isolation (blocks DC signals)
between the coupled stages while allowing AC signals to pass.
• Characteristics:
 Size – Small
 Cost – Small, quite cheap
 Frequency Response – Excellent in audio frequency
 Impedance Matching – Not good
 Application – Voltage Amplification in small signal amplifiers like radio
receivers because of its low gain.
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Two Stage RC Coupled Amplifier.

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 Easy Example:
• A single stage amplifier has collector load Rc=10kΩ,
input resistance Rin=1kΩ and β=100. If load RL =100Ω,
find the voltage gain.

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 TRANSFORMER COUPLING
• The reason for low voltage and power gain of RC coupled amplifier is the low
effective load (RAC). If the RAC of each stage could be increased, the voltage and
power gain could be increased.
• By using the impedance-matching properties of transformer, the low resistance of
a stage (or load) can be reflected as a high load resistance to the previous stage.
• A coupling transformer feeds the output of one stage to the input of the next.
• In transformer coupling, the signal current flowing in the collector circuit of one
stage, flows through the primary winding of a transformer which induces a signal
voltage into the secondary winding connected to the input of the next stage.
• Characteristics:
• Size – Large and bulky • Impedance Matching – Excellent
• Cost – Costlier • Application – Impedance Matching, Power Amp
• Frequency Response – Poor • Gain – very high
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Two Stage Transformer Coupled Amplifier.

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 Easy Example:
• A transistor uses transformer coupling for amplification. The
output impedance of first transistor is 10kΩ while the input
impedance of next stage is 2.5 kΩ. Determine the inductance
of primary and secondary of the transformer for perfect
impedance matching at a frequency of 200 Hz.
• 8…2

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 DIRECT (DC) COUPLING
• Both stages are connected either directly or via a component which does not
block DC signals (e.g. resistor).
• As a result, it passes both DC and AC components.
• Used where extremely low frequency (< 10 Hz) signals are to be amplified e.g.
amplifying photo-electric current, thermo-couple current etc.
• At this extremely low frequency, the electrical sizes of coupling devices become
very large
• Characteristics:
• Size – Very small / least • Impedance Matching – Good
• Cost – Very small/ cheapest • Application – Extremely low
• Frequency Response – Best frequency signal amplification
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Three-stage direct-coupled amplifier.

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 Thanks
for
Listening.

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