3/1/2011 section 2_5 Effect of finite gain bandwidth.

doc 1/2

2.5 Effect of finite open-loop gain and

bandwidth on circuit performance

Reading Assignment: 89-93

Bad News! Æ Real Op-Amps are not ideal!

In the “real world”, op-amp have a slew (pun intended) of problems

that limit their performance and application.

It is vital that we electrical engineers understand these

limitations.

HO: THE GAIN OF REAL OP AMPS

An approximation of can simplify the transfer function.

HO: A USEFUL APPROXIMATION OF THE OP-AMP TRANSFER

FUNCTION

We find the gain-bandwidth product to be a very useful value!

EXAMPLE: THE GAIN-BANDWIDTH PRODUCT

An amplifier built with an op-amp must have a gain (i.e., the closed-
loop gain) less than that of the op amp. We find that the resulting
amplifier bandwidth is easily determined!

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 section 2_5 Effect of finite gain bandwidth.doc 2/2

HO: THE CLOSED-LOOP BANDWIDTH

EXAMPLE: AMPLIFIER BANDWIDTH

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

 LM741 Operational Amplifier
August 2000

LM741
Operational Amplifier
General Description output, no latch-up when the common mode range is ex-
ceeded, as well as freedom from oscillations.
The LM741 series are general purpose operational amplifi-
The LM741C is identical to the LM741/LM741A except that
ers which feature improved performance over industry stan-
the LM741C has their performance guaranteed over a 0˚C to
dards like the LM709. They are direct, plug-in replacements
+70˚C temperature range, instead of −55˚C to +125˚C.
for the 709C, LM201, MC1439 and 748 in most applications.
The amplifiers offer many features which make their appli-
cation nearly foolproof: overload protection on the input and
Features

Connection Diagrams
Metal Can Package Dual-In-Line or S.O. Package

00934102 00934103

Note 1: LM741H is available per JM38510/10101 Order Number LM741J, LM741J/883, LM741CN
Order Number LM741H, LM741H/883 (Note 1), See NS Package Number J08A, M08A or N08E
LM741AH/883 or LM741CH
See NS Package Number H08C
Ceramic Flatpak

00934106
Order Number LM741W/883
See NS Package Number W10A

Typical Application
Offset Nulling Circuit

00934107

© 2004 National Semiconductor Corporation DS009341 www.national.com

LM741
Absolute Maximum Ratings (Note 2)
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/
Distributors for availability and specifications.
(Note 7)

LM741A LM741 LM741C

Supply Voltage ± 22V ± 22V ± 18V
Power Dissipation (Note 3) 500 mW 500 mW 500 mW
Differential Input Voltage ± 30V ± 30V ± 30V
Input Voltage (Note 4) ± 15V ± 15V ± 15V
Output Short Circuit Duration Continuous Continuous Continuous
Operating Temperature Range −55˚C to +125˚C −55˚C to +125˚C 0˚C to +70˚C
Storage Temperature Range −65˚C to +150˚C −65˚C to +150˚C −65˚C to +150˚C
Junction Temperature 150˚C 150˚C 100˚C
Soldering Information
N-Package (10 seconds) 260˚C 260˚C 260˚C
J- or H-Package (10 seconds) 300˚C 300˚C 300˚C
M-Package
Vapor Phase (60 seconds) 215˚C 215˚C 215˚C
Infrared (15 seconds) 215˚C 215˚C 215˚C
See AN-450 “Surface Mounting Methods and Their Effect on Product Reliability” for other methods of
soldering
surface mount devices.
ESD Tolerance (Note 8) 400V 400V 400V

Electrical Characteristics (Note 5)

Parameter Conditions LM741A LM741 LM741C Units
Min Typ Max Min Typ Max Min Typ Max
Input Offset Voltage TA = 25˚C
RS ≤ 10 kΩ 1.0 5.0 2.0 6.0 mV
RS ≤ 50Ω 0.8 3.0 mV
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX
RS ≤ 50Ω 4.0 mV
RS ≤ 10 kΩ 6.0 7.5 mV
Average Input Offset 15 µV/˚C
Voltage Drift
Input Offset Voltage TA = 25˚C, VS = ± 20V ± 10 ± 15 ± 15 mV
Adjustment Range
Input Offset Current TA = 25˚C 3.0 30 20 200 20 200 nA
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX 70 85 500 300 nA
Average Input Offset 0.5 nA/˚C
Current Drift
Input Bias Current TA = 25˚C 30 80 80 500 80 500 nA
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX 0.210 1.5 0.8 µA
Input Resistance TA = 25˚C, VS = ± 20V 1.0 6.0 0.3 2.0 0.3 2.0 MΩ
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX, 0.5 MΩ
VS = ± 20V
Input Voltage Range TA = 25˚C ± 12 ± 13 V
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX ± 12 ± 13 V

www.national.com 2
 LM741
Electrical Characteristics (Note 5) (Continued)
Parameter Conditions LM741A LM741 LM741C Units
Min Typ Max Min Typ Max Min Typ Max
Large Signal Voltage Gain TA = 25˚C, RL ≥ 2 kΩ
VS = ± 20V, VO = ± 15V 50 V/mV
VS = ± 15V, VO = ± 10V 50 200 20 200 V/mV
TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX,
RL ≥ 2 kΩ,
VS = ± 20V, VO = ± 15V 32 V/mV
VS = ± 15V, VO = ± 10V 25 15 V/mV
VS = ± 5V, VO = ± 2V 10 V/mV
Output Voltage Swing VS = ± 20V
RL ≥ 10 kΩ ± 16 V
RL ≥ 2 kΩ ± 15 V
VS = ± 15V
RL ≥ 10 kΩ ± 12 ± 14 ± 12 ± 14 V
RL ≥ 2 kΩ ± 10 ± 13 ± 10 ± 13 V
Output Short Circuit TA = 25˚C 10 25 35 25 25 mA
Current TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX 10 40 mA
Common-Mode TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX
Rejection Ratio RS ≤ 10 kΩ, VCM = ± 12V 70 90 70 90 dB
RS ≤ 50Ω, VCM = ± 12V 80 95 dB
Supply Voltage Rejection TAMIN ≤ TA ≤ TAMAX,
Ratio VS = ± 20V to VS = ± 5V
RS ≤ 50Ω 86 96 dB
RS ≤ 10 kΩ 77 96 77 96 dB
Transient Response TA = 25˚C, Unity Gain
Rise Time 0.25 0.8 0.3 0.3 µs
Overshoot 6.0 20 5 5 %
Bandwidth (Note 6) TA = 25˚C 0.437 1.5 MHz
Slew Rate TA = 25˚C, Unity Gain 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.5 V/µs
Supply Current TA = 25˚C 1.7 2.8 1.7 2.8 mA
Power Consumption TA = 25˚C
VS = ± 20V 80 150 mW
VS = ± 15V 50 85 50 85 mW
LM741A VS = ± 20V
TA = TAMIN 165 mW
TA = TAMAX 135 mW
LM741 VS = ± 15V
TA = TAMIN 60 100 mW
TA = TAMAX 45 75 mW

Note 2: “Absolute Maximum Ratings” indicate limits beyond which damage to the device may occur. Operating Ratings indicate conditions for which the device is
functional, but do not guarantee specific performance limits.

3 www.national.com
LM741
Electrical Characteristics (Note 5) (Continued)
Note 3: For operation at elevated temperatures, these devices must be derated based on thermal resistance, and Tj max. (listed under “Absolute Maximum
Ratings”). Tj = TA + (θjA PD).

Thermal Resistance Cerdip (J) DIP (N) HO8 (H) SO-8 (M)
θjA (Junction to Ambient) 100˚C/W 100˚C/W 170˚C/W 195˚C/W
θjC (Junction to Case) N/A N/A 25˚C/W N/A

Note 4: For supply voltages less than ± 15V, the absolute maximum input voltage is equal to the supply voltage.
Note 5: Unless otherwise specified, these specifications apply for VS = ± 15V, −55˚C ≤ TA ≤ +125˚C (LM741/LM741A). For the LM741C/LM741E, these
specifications are limited to 0˚C ≤ TA ≤ +70˚C.
Note 6: Calculated value from: BW (MHz) = 0.35/Rise Time(µs).
Note 7: For military specifications see RETS741X for LM741 and RETS741AX for LM741A.
Note 8: Human body model, 1.5 kΩ in series with 100 pF.

Schematic Diagram

00934101

www.national.com 4
3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 1/9

The Gain of
Real Op-Amps
The open-circuit voltage gain Aop (a differential gain!) of a real (i.e., non-
ideal) operational amplifier is very large at D.C. (i.e., ω = 0 ), but gets smaller as
the signal frequency ω increases!

In other words, the differential gain of an op-amp (i.e., the open-loop gain of a
feedback amplifier) is a function of frequency ω .

We will thus express this gain as a complex function in the frequency domain
(i.e., Aop (ω ) ).

−
−
v d (ω ) Aop (ω ) vout (ω ) = Aop (ω ) vd (ω )
+
+

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 2/9

Gain is a complex function frequency

Typically, this op-amp behavior can be described mathematically
with the complex function:

A0
Aop (ω ) =
1+ j ( )ω
ωb

or, using the frequency definition ω = 2πf , we can write:

A0
Aop (f ) =
1 + j ⎛⎜ f ⎞⎟
⎝ fb ⎠

where ω is frequency expressed in units of radians/sec, and f is signal

frequency expressed in units of cycles/sec.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 3/9

DC is when the signal frequency is zero

Note the squared magnitude of the op-amp gain is therefore the real function:

2 A0 A0
Aop (ω ) =
1+ j ( ) 1− j ( )
ω
ωb
ω
ωb

A02
=
( )
2
1+ ω
ωb

Therefore at D.C. (ω = 0 ) the op-amp gain is:

A0
Aop (ω = 0) = = A0
1+ j ( )
0
ωb

and thus:
2
Aop (ω = 0) = A02

Where:

A0 = op-amp D.C. gain

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 4/9

The break frequency

Again, note that the D.C. gain A0 is:

1) an open-circuit voltage gain

2) a differential gain
3) also referred to as the open-loop D.C. gain

The open-loop gain of real op-amps is very large, but fathomable —typically
between 105 and 108.

Q: So just what does the value ωb indicate ?

A: The value ωb is the op-amp’s break frequency.

Typically, this value is very small (e.g. fb = 10Hz ).

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 5/9

The 3dB bandwidth

To see why this value is important, consider the op-amp gain at ω = ωb :

A0 A0 A0 A0 A0 −jπ
Aop (ω = ωb ) = = = −j = e 4

1+ j ( )
ω
ωb
1+ j 2 2 2

The squared magnitude of this gain is therefore:

2 A0
A02 A0
A02
Aop (ω = ωb ) = = =
1+ j 1− j 1− j2 2

As a result, the break frequency ωb is also referred to as the “half-power”

frequency, or the “3 dB” frequency.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

 3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 6/9

This value is very important!

2
If we plot Aop (ω ) on a “log-log” scale, we get something like this:

2
Aop (ω ) (dB)

A0 (dB)
2

20 dB/decade

logω
0 dB
ωb ωt

Q: Hey! You have defined a new frequency — ωt .

What is this frequency and why is it important?

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 7/9

The unity gain frequency

A: Note that ωt is the frequency where the magnitude of the gain is “unity”
(i.e., where the gain is 1). I.E.,

2
Aop (ω = ωt ) = 1

Note that when expressed in dB, unity gain is:

10 log10 Aop (ω = ωt ) = 10 log10 (1 ) = 0 dB

2

Therefore, on a “log-log” plot, the gain curve crosses the horizontal axis at
frequency ωt .

We thus refer to the frequency ωt as the “unity-gain frequency” of the

operational amplifier.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 8/9

It’s the product of the

gain and the bandwidth!
Note that we can solve for this frequency in terms of break frequency ωb and
D.C. gain Ao:

2 A02
1 = Aop (ω = ωt ) =
( )
2
ωt
1+ ωb

meaning that:
(
ωt 2 = ωb 2 A02 − 1 )
But recall that A0  1 , therefore A02 − 1 ≈ A02 and:

ωt = ωb A0

Note since the frequency ωb defines the 3 dB bandwidth of the op-amp, the
unity gain frequency ωt is simply the product of the op-amp’s D.C. gain A0 and
its bandwidthωb .

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 The gain of real op amps lecture.doc 9/9

It’s not rocket science!

As a result, ωt is alternatively referred to as the gain-bandwidth product!

ωt  Unity Gain Frequency

and

ωt  Gain - Bandwidth Product

This is so simple perhaps even I can

remember it:

The gain-bandwidth-product is the

product of the gain and the bandwidth!

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 An Approximation of the OpAmp Transfer Function lecture.doc 1/3

An Approximation of the Op-Amp

Transfer Function
Recall the complex transfer function describing the differential gain of an op-
amp is:

vout (ω ) A0
Aop (ω ) = =
vd (ω ) 1 + j ω ω
b
( )

For frequencies much less than the break frequency, we find that ω ωb  1 and
thus this gain is approximately equal to A0:

Aop (ω  ωb ) ≈ A0

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 An Approximation of the OpAmp Transfer Function lecture.doc 2/3

For “large” frequencies,

the math gets simple
Likewise, for frequencies much greater than the break frequency, we find that
ω ωb  1 and thus this gain is approximately equal to:

A0 A0 A0ωb
Aop (ω  ωb ) = ≈ = −j
1+ j ( ) ω
ωb j ( )
ω
ωb
ω

But, we recall that the product of the op-amp D.C. gain A0 and the op-amp
bandwidth ωb is the gain-bandwidth product ωt (aka the unity gain frequency).

Thus, we can likewise write the previous approximation as:

A0ωb ω
Aop (ω  ωb ) ≈ − j = −j t
ω ω

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 An Approximation of the OpAmp Transfer Function lecture.doc 3/3

A useful approx. of the transfer function

Recall also that when the signal frequency is equal to the op-amp break
frequency (i.e., ω = ωb ), the transfer function is:

A0 A0
Aop (ω = ωb ) = =
1+ j ( )ω
ωb
1+ j

A0
such that Aop (ω = ωb ) = .
2

Expressed in terms of the magnitude of this complex transfer function, we can

express these approximations as:

⎧
⎪ A if f  f
⎪ 0 b

⎪
⎪⎪A
Aop (f ) ≈ ⎨ 0 if f ≈ fb
⎪ 2
⎪
⎪
⎪ ft if f  f
⎪⎩ f b

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example The GainBandwidth Product lecture.doc 1/3

Example: The Gain

-Bandwidth Product
An op-amp has a D.C. differential gain of A0 = 105 .

At a frequency of 1MHz (f =106), the differential op-amp gain drops to 10

(i.e., Aop (f =106 ) = 10 ).

Q: What is the break frequency and unity-gain frequency of this op-amp?

A: We know that if f > fb :

A0 fb
Aop (f ) =
f

and thus at a frequency of 1MHz, we find for the parameters of this problem:

105 fb
Aop (f = 10 ) = 10 =
6

106

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example The GainBandwidth Product lecture.doc 2/3

It’s 10 MHz
It is apparent then that the break frequency of this op-amp must be:

(10 ) (106 )
fb = = 100 Hz
10 5

and since the unity-gain bandwidth ft is related to the break frequency and
D.C. gain as:

ft = A0 fb
we find that:

ft = A0 fb
= 105 (100 )
= 107

Thus, the unity-gain frequency (i.e., the gain-bandwidth product) for this
problem is 10 MHz.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example The GainBandwidth Product lecture.doc 3/3

The gain depends on frequency

Q: What is the differential gain of this op-amp at a frequency of 10 kHz
(i.e., Aop (f =10 4 ) )?

A: We know that:
A0 fb ft
Aop (f ) = =
f f

therefore, using the values of this example:

ft
Aop (f = 10 4 ) =
f
107
= 4
10
= 103

Hence, the differential op-amp gain at 10 kHz is 1000.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 1/9

Closed-Loop Bandwidth
Say we build in the lab (i.e., the op-amp is not ideal) this amplifier:

R1 R2

i1 i2
i- =0
v-
v (ω ) -
Avo (ω ) = out vout (ω )
vin (ω )
Aop (ω )
i+ =0
v+
vin (ω ) +

We know that the open-circuit voltage gain (i.e., the closed-loop gain) of this
amplifier should be:
v (ω ) R
Avo (ω ) = out = 1 + 2 ???
vin (ω ) R1

This gain will certainly be accurate for input signals vin (ω ) at low frequencies
ω.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 2/9

As the signal frequency increases

But remember, the Op-amp (i.e., open-loop gain) gain Aop (ω ) decreases with
frequency.

If the signal frequency ω becomes too large, the open-loop gain Aop (ω ) will
become less than the ideal closed-loop gain!

(dB)

A0 (dB)
2 Aop (ω ) 2
ideal Avo

⎛ R⎞
⎜1 + R ⎟ (dB)
2

⎝ 1 ⎠
logω
0 dB
ωb ωt
ω′

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 3/9

The amp gain cannot

exceed the op-amp gain
Note as some sufficiently high frequency (ω ′ say), the open-loop (op-amp) gain
will become equal to the ideal closed-loop (non-inverting amplifier) gain:

R2
Aop (ω = ω ′) = 1 +
R1

Moreover, if the input signal frequency is greater than frequency ω ′ , the op-
amp (open-loop) gain will in fact be smaller that the ideal non-inverting (closed-
loop) amplifier gain:
R2
Aop (ω > ω ′) < 1+
R1

Q: If the signal frequency is greater than ω ′ , will the non-inverting amplifier

still exhibit an open-circuit voltage (closed-loop) gain of Avo (ω ) = 1 + R2 R1 ?

A: Allow my response to be both direct and succinct—NEVER!

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 4/9

Closed-loop gain < or = open-loop gain

The gain Avo (ω ) of any amplifier constructed with an op-amp can never exceed
the gain Aop (ω ) of the op-amp itself.

In other words, the closed-loop gain of any amplifier can never exceed its open-
loop gain.

* We find that if the input signal frequency exceeds ω ′ , then the

amplifier (closed-loop) gain Avo (ω ) will equal the op-amp (open-loop) gain
Aop (ω ) .

* Of course, if the signal frequency is less than ω ′ , the closed-loop gain

will be equal to its ideal value Avo (ω ) = 1 + R2 R1 , since the op-amp (open-
loop) gain is much larger than this ideal value ( Aop (ω < ω ′)  1 + R2 R1 ).

* We now refer to the value 1 + R2 R1 as the mid-band gain of the

amplifier.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 5/9

1+R2/R1 is the midband gain

Therefore, we find for this non-inverting amplifier that:

⎧ R2
⎪ 1 + ω < ω′
⎪ R1
Avo (ω ) ≈ ⎨
⎪
⎪ Aop (ω ) ω > ω′
⎩

(dB)

2
Aop (ω )
2
A0 (dB) ideal Avo 2

2
⎛ R2 ⎞
⎜1 + R ⎟ (dB)
⎝ 1 ⎠ 2
Avo (ω )
logω
0 dB
ω ′ = ω3dB ωt

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 6/9

Can we determine this bandwidth?

Now for one very important fact: the transition frequency ω ′ is the break
frequency of the amplifier closed-loop gain Avo (ω ) .

Thus, we come to conclusion that ω ′ is the 3dB bandwidth of this non-inverting

amplifier (i.e., ω ′ = ω3dB )!

Q: Is there some way to numerically determine this value ?

A: Of course!

Recall we defined frequency ω ′ as the value where the open-loop (op-amp) gain
and the ideal closed-loop (non-inverting amplifier) gains were equal:

R2
Aop (ω = ω ′) = 1 +
R1

Recall also that for ω > ωb , we can approximate the op-amp (open-loop) gain as:

A0ωb
Aop (ω ) ≈
ω

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 7/9

Divide the gain-bandwidth product by gain,

and you have determined the bandwidth!
Combining these results, we find:

R2 A0ωb
Aop (ω = ω ′) = 1 + 
R1 ω′
and thus:
−1
⎛ R ⎞
ω ′ = ⎜1 + 2 ⎟
R1 ⎠
(A ωb )
0
⎝

But remember, we found that this frequency is equal to the breakpoint of the
non-inverting amplifier (closed-loop) gain Avo (ω ) .

Therefore, the 3dB, closed-loop bandwidth of this amplifier is:

−1
⎛ R ⎞
ω3dB  ⎜1 + 2 ⎟
R1 ⎠
(A ωb )
0
⎝

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 8/9

This is not rocket science

Recall also that A0 ωb = ωt , so that:

−1
⎛ R ⎞
ω3dB  ⎜ 1 + 2 ⎟ ωt
⎝ R1 ⎠

If we rewrite this equation, we find something interesting:

⎛ R2 ⎞
ω3dB ⎜ 1+ ⎟  ωt
⎝ R1 ⎠

Look what this says: the PRODUCT of the amplifier (mid-band) GAIN and
the amplifier BANDWIDTH is equal to the GAIN-BANDWIDTH PRODUCT.

This result should not be difficult to remember !

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Closed Loop Bandwidth lecture.doc 9/9

The gain-bandwidth product

is an op-amp parameter
The above approximation is valid for virtually all amplifiers built using
operational amplifiers, i.e.:

Avo (ωm ) ω3dB = ωt

where:

Avo (ωm )  mid-band gain

In other words, ωm is some frequency within the bandwidth of the amplifier

(e.g., 0 < ωm < ω3dB ). We of course can equivalently say:

Avo (fm ) f3dB = ft

The product of the amplifier gain and the amplifier bandwidth is equal to the
op-amp gain-bandwidth product!

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example Amplifier Bandwidth lecture.doc 1/5

Example: Amplifier Bandwidth

Say we build the following amplifier in the lab:

R2 = 10K

i2

R1 =500
v-
vin -
vout
i1 ft = 10 6

v+
+

The op-amp in this circuit happens to have a unity-gain bandwidth of 1MHz.

Q: What is the 3 dB bandwidth of this amplifier?

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example Amplifier Bandwidth lecture.doc 2/5

xy=106 and x=20; you figure it out

A: We know that the mid-band gain of this amplifier is:

−R2 R2 10
Avo (ωm ) = = = = 20 (26dB )
R1 R1 0.5

Since we know that ft = 106 , we can directly determine the amplifier bandwidth:

ft 106
f3dB = = = 5x10 4
Avo (fm ) 20

Since the product of the amplifier gain and bandwidth is equal to the gain-
bandwidth product, we find that the gain-bandwidth product ft divided by the
mid-band gain equals the amplifier bandwidth f3dB !

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example Amplifier Bandwidth lecture.doc 3/5

If I want more bandwidth…

In this case, the amplifier bandwidth is f3dB = 50 kHz .

Avo (f ) 2 (dB)

Avo (fm ) 2 = 26 dB

ft = 1 MHz
0 dB
f3dB = 50 kHz logf

Q: Is there any way to increase the bandwidth of this amplifier to 500 kHz?

A: Sure! But we must decrease its mid-band gain.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example Amplifier Bandwidth lecture.doc 4/5

…I must accept less gain

The gain-bandwidth product ft = 106 is a constant—if we increase the
bandwidth, we must decrease the gain.

Therefore, if we want the amplifier bandwidth to equal 500 kHz, we must

decrease the mid-band gain to:

ft 106
Avo (fm ) = = =2 (6dB)
f3dB 5x105

A gain of 2—quite a decrease!

But this of course makes sense.

To increase the bandwidth 10 times, we must decrease the gain by a factor of

10.

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

3/1/2011 Example Amplifier Bandwidth lecture.doc 5/5

There’s no free lunch

Note we could accomplish this by simply changing the feedback resistor from
R2 = 10K to R2 = 1K .

Avo (f ) (dB)
2

26 dB

6 dB
ft = 1 MHz
0 dB
f3dB = 50 kHz f3dB = 500 kHz logf

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS