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4.1 Opamps Introduction The Ideal Amplifier

The op amp (operational amplifier) comes close to achieving the characteristics of an ideal amplifier. An ideal amplifier would have an infinitely wide bandwidth, high gain that can be easily controlled, be perfectly linear with no distortion, generate no noise, and be easily convertible and cheap. While no amplifier can be truly ideal, the op amp was developed to closely approximate these ideal properties. Op amps were first used in analog computers in the 1930s due to their ability to perform accurate mathematical operations. Today, op amp integrated circuits have improved performance while reducing size and cost. Op amps remain widely used in electronics that deal with real-world signals like sound, light, heat and motion.

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39 views2 pages

4.1 Opamps Introduction The Ideal Amplifier

The op amp (operational amplifier) comes close to achieving the characteristics of an ideal amplifier. An ideal amplifier would have an infinitely wide bandwidth, high gain that can be easily controlled, be perfectly linear with no distortion, generate no noise, and be easily convertible and cheap. While no amplifier can be truly ideal, the op amp was developed to closely approximate these ideal properties. Op amps were first used in analog computers in the 1930s due to their ability to perform accurate mathematical operations. Today, op amp integrated circuits have improved performance while reducing size and cost. Op amps remain widely used in electronics that deal with real-world signals like sound, light, heat and motion.

Uploaded by

lizhi0007
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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4.

1 Opamps Introduction
The Ideal Amplifier
In amplifier modules 1 to 5 voltage and power amplifiers are described in some detail so that the
circuit elements that go into making an amplifier can be understood. Each of these circuit
elements, such as negative and positive feedback, impedance, linearity, gain and efficiency are
used with the aim of improving the amplifiers performance towards the goal of making the ideal
amplifier. The bad news is that the ideal amplifier does not exist, but the good news is that the op
amp does!
The ideal amplifier should:
Have an infinitely wide bandwidth.
Have an infinitely high gain available that can be easily controlled.
Be ideally linear, with no distortion.
Generate no noise (have an infinitely high signal to noise ratio).
Be easily convertible to perform different amplifier functions.
Be cheap.
All of the above is what the op-amp does, or at least comes pretty close to.
Early Op amps
Amplifiers with gain controlled by negative feedback were first thought of in the 1930s as a way
of creating amplifiers for the telephone system that could have a controllable and reliable gain,
but became operational amplifiers when they were adopted by designers of analogue computers,
because of their ability to perform accurate mathematical operations, such as adding, subtracting,
integration and differentiation.
Op amp ICs

Operational amplifiers can still be built from discrete components but with the introduction of
silicon planar technologies and integrated circuits their performance has improved and both size
and cost have reduced dramatically. Although computing, for which op amps were originally
designed, has practically all moved from analogue circuitry to digital electronics, the op amp has
become so useful in so many circuits that deal with real (analogue) quantities such as sound,
light, heat and motion, that the op amp is now a widely varied and indispensable part of
electronics equipment.
This module will discuss the basic properties of op amps and comparators, and how their
integrated circuit versions can be manipulated to make simple circuits that provide so many vital
functions in electronics.

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