Electronic Circuit Design ELEN90056

Power Amplifiers
Not included for final examination

Ranjith R Unnithan
(ranjith.rajasekharan@unimelb.edu.au)
Office Level 4 – Building 193 – EEE Building

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,

The University of Melbourne
 Summary from last lecture: Emitter Follower Large-
Signal Behavior
Signal. VBE 0.767~ 0.8 V.

I1= Ic+ Vout/RL

 However as Vin decreases, Vout also decreases, shutting off Q1 and resulting in a
constant Vout.

 As Vin decreases the output waveform will be clipped, introducing nonlinearity

2
in
I/O characteristics.
Summary from last lecture: Push-Pull Stage: Class B

- 0.8 V
+ 0.8 V

- 0.8 V
+ 0.8 V

- 0.8 V
+ 0.8 V

3
Summary from last lecture: Implementation of VB

4
Summary from last lecture: Class A, Class B and
Class AB

<
 Summary from last lecture: Improved Push-Pull
Stage: Current Flow

If Vin is positive, Ib1 increases: Q1 ON and Q2 OFF

Iin

Iin  I1  I B1  I B 2

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Example: Current Flow and Lab 6&7

7
Improved Push-Pull Stage and Lab 6 & 7

8
 DC coupled multistage

In DC - coupled multistage cascade the output bias level of each stage increases to
maintain the collector more positive than the base (constant current operation)

If this voltage “stacking” is severe, little swing room is left in the final stages of
the cascade

http://www.doe.carleton.ca
 Active level shifting with amplification and Lab 6&7

By using complementary devices, active level shifting can be

combined with amplification

10

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Practical Power Amplifier

11
Next Operational Amplifier
 How to connect differential output to next stage

OFFSET
NULL
1 8 N.C.

-IN 2 7 V+

+IN 3 + 6 OUTPUT

OFFSET
V 4 5 NULL

We need only one output

instead of differential
output with same
properties as differential
output
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How to connect differential output to next stage

13
 RECAP: Differential Pair with Active Load

I1=I2 + I3
I3=I1 – I2
I1 I3

I2

One output gives same result as

differential output
 The input differential pair decreases the current drawn from RL by
I and the active load pushes an extra I into RL by current mirror
action; these effects enhance each other. 14
Simple operational amplifier 1

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Simple operational amplifier 2
Simple operational amplifier 3

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Simple operational amplifier 4

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 A component-level diagram of 741 op-amp

Current mirrors voltage level shifter

output stage

Differential amplifier Current mirror Gain stage (class A amplifier)