Amplifier classes are mainly lumped into two basic groups.

The
first are the classically controlled conduction angle amplifiers
forming the more common amplifier classes of A, B, AB and C,
which are defined by the length of their conduction state over
some portion of the output waveform, such that the output stage
transistor operation lies somewhere between being “fully-ON” and
“fully-OFF”.
The second set of amplifiers are the newer so-called “switching”
amplifier classes of D, E, F, G, S, T etc, which use digital circuits
and pulse width modulation (PWM) to constantly switch the signal
between “fully-ON” and “fully-OFF” driving the output hard into
the transistors saturation and cut-off regions.
The most commonly constructed amplifier classes are those that
are used as audio amplifiers, mainly class A, B, AB and C and to
keep things simple, it is these types of amplifier classes we will
look at here in more detail.

Class A Amplifier Classes

Class A Amplifiers are the most common type of amplifier
topology as they use just one output switching transistor (Bipolar,
FET, IGBT, etc) within their amplifier design. This single output
transistor is biased around the Q-point within the middle of its
load line and so is never driven into its cut-off or saturation
regions thus allowing it to conduct current over the full 360
degrees of the input cycle. Then the output transistor of a class-A
topology never turns “OFF” which is one of its main
disadvantages.
Class “A” amplifiers are considered the best class of amplifier
design due mainly to their excellent linearity, high gain and low
signal distortion levels when designed correctly. Although seldom
used in high power amplifier applications due to thermal power
supply considerations, class-A amplifiers are probably the best
sounding of all the amplifier classes mentioned here and as such
are used in high-fidelity audio amplifier designs.

Class A Amplifier
To achieve high linearity and gain, the output stage of a class A
amplifier is biased “ON” (conducting) all the time. Then for an
amplifier to be classified as “Class A” the zero signal idle current
in the output stage must be equal to or greater than the
maximum load current (usually a loudspeaker) required to
produce the largest output signal.
As a class A amplifier operates in the linear portion of its
characteristic curves, the single output device conducts through a
full 360 degrees of the output waveform. Then the class A
amplifier is equivalent to a current source.
Since a class A amplifier operates in the linear region, the
transistors base (or gate) DC biasing voltage should by chosen
properly to ensure correct operation and low distortion. However,
as the output device is “ON” at all times, it is constantly carrying
current, which represents a continuous loss of power in the
amplifier.
Due to this continuous loss of power class A amplifiers create
tremendous amounts of heat adding to their very low efficiency at
around 30%, making them impractical for high-power
amplifications. Also due to the high idling current of the amplifier,
the power supply must be sized accordingly and be well filtered to
avoid any amplifier hum and noise. Therefore, due to the low
efficiency and over heating problems of Class A amplifiers, more
efficient amplifier classes have been developed.

Class B Amplifier Classes

Class B amplifiers were invented as a solution to the efficiency
and heating problems associated with the previous class A
amplifier. The basic class B amplifier uses two complimentary
transistors either bipolar of FET for each half of the waveform with
its output stage configured in a “push-pull” type arrangement, so
that each transistor device amplifies only half of the output
waveform.
In the class B amplifier, there is no DC base bias current as its
quiescent current is zero, so that the dc power is small and
therefore its efficiency is much higher than that of the class A
amplifier. However, the price paid for the improvement in the
efficiency is in the linearity of the switching device.

Class B Amplifier

When the input signal goes positive, the positive biased transistor
conducts while the negative transistor is switched “OFF”.
Likewise, when the input signal goes negative, the positive
transistor switches “OFF” while the negative biased transistor
turns “ON” and conducts the negative portion of the signal. Thus
the transistor conducts only half of the time, either on positive or
negative half cycle of the input signal.
Then we can see that each transistor device of the class B
amplifier only conducts through one half or 180 degrees of the
output waveform in strict time alternation, but as the output
stage has devices for both halves of the signal waveform the two
halves are combined together to produce the full linear output
waveform.
This push-pull design of amplifier is obviously more efficient than
Class A, at about 50%, but the problem with the class B amplifier
design is that it can create distortion at the zero-crossing point of
the waveform due to the transistors dead band of input base
voltages from -0.7V to +0.7.
We remember from the Transistor tutorial that it takes a base-
emitter voltage of about 0.7 volts to get a bipolar transistor to
start conducting. Then in a class B amplifier, the output transistor
is not “biased” to an “ON” state of operation until this voltage is
exceeded.
This means that the the part of the waveform which falls within
this 0.7 volt window will not be reproduced accurately making the
class B amplifier unsuitable for precision audio amplifier
applications.
To overcome this zero-crossing distortion (also known as
Crossover Distortion) class AB amplifiers were developed.

Class AB Amplifier Classes

As its name suggests, the Class AB Amplifier is a combination of
the “Class A” and the “Class B” type amplifiers we have looked at
above. The AB classification of amplifier is currently one of the
most common used types of audio power amplifier design.
The class AB amplifier is a variation of a class B amplifier as
described above, except that both devices are allowed to conduct
at the same time around the waveforms crossover point
eliminating the crossover distortion problems of the previous
class B amplifier.
The two transistors have a very small bias voltage, typically at 5
to 10% of the quiescent current to bias the transistors just above
its cut-off point. Then the conducting device, either bipolar of FET,
will be “ON” for more than one half cycle, but much less than one
full cycle of the input signal. Therefore, in a class AB amplifier
design each of the push-pull transistors is conducting for slightly
more than the half cycle of conduction in class B, but much less
than the full cycle of conduction of class A.
In other words, the conduction angle of a class AB amplifier is
somewhere between 180o and 360o depending upon the chosen
bias point as shown.

Class AB Amplifier
The advantage of this small bias voltage, provided by series
diodes or resistors, is that the crossover distortion created by the
class B amplifier characteristics is overcome, without the
inefficiencies of the class A amplifier design. So the class AB
amplifier is a good compromise between class A and class B in
terms of efficiency and linearity, with conversion efficiencies
reaching about 50% to 60%.

Class C Amplifier Classes

The Class C Amplifier design has the greatest efficiency but the
poorest linearity of the classes of amplifiers mentioned here. The
previous classes, A, B and AB are considered linear amplifiers, as
the output signals amplitude and phase are linearly related to the
input signals amplitude and phase.
However, the class C amplifier is heavily biased so that the output
current is zero for more than one half of an input sinusoidal signal
cycle with the transistor idling at its cut-off point. In other words,
the conduction angle for the transistor is significantly less than
180 degrees, and is generally around the 90 degrees area.
While this form of transistor biasing gives a much improved
efficiency of around 80% to the amplifier, it introduces a very
heavy distortion of the output signal. Therefore, class C amplifiers
are not suitable for use as audio amplifiers.

Class C Amplifier
Due to its heavy audio distortion, class C amplifiers are commonly
used in high frequency sine wave oscillators and certain types of
radio frequency amplifiers, where the pulses of current produced
at the amplifiers output can be converted to complete sine waves
of a particular frequency by the use of LC resonant circuits in its
collector circuit.

Amplifier Classes Summary

Then we have seen that the quiescent DC operating point (Q-
point) of an amplifier determines the amplifier classification.
Setting the position of the Q-point at half way on the load line of
the amplifiers characteristics curve, the amplifier will operate as a
class A amplifier. By moving the Q-point lower down the load line
changes the amplifier into a class AB, B or C amplifier.
Then the class of operation of the amplifier with regards to its DC
operating point can be given as:

Amplifier Classes and Efficiency

As well as audio amplifiers there are a number of high
efficiency Amplifier Classes relating to switching amplifier
designs that use different switching techniques to reduce power
loss and increase efficiency. Some amplifier class designs listed
below use RLC resonators or multiple power-supply voltages to
reduce power loss, or are digital DSP (digital signal processing)
type amplifiers which use pulse width modulation (PWM)
switching techniques.

Other Common Amplifier Classes

 Class D Amplifier – A Class D audio amplifier is basically a
non-linear switching amplifier or PWM amplifier. Class-D
amplifiers theoretically can reach 100% efficiency, as
there is no period during a cycle were the voltage and
current waveforms overlap as current is drawn only
through the transistor that is on.
 Class F Amplifier – Class-F amplifiers boost both efficiency
and output by using harmonic resonators in the output
network to shape the output waveform into a square
wave. Class-F amplifiers are capable of high efficiencies of
more than 90% if infinite harmonic tuning is used.
 Class G Amplifier – Class G offers enhancements to the
basic class AB amplifier design. Class G uses multiple
power supply rails of various voltages and automatically
switches between these supply rails as the input signal
changes. This constant switching reduces the average
power consumption, and therefore power loss caused by
wasted heat.
  Class I Amplifier – The class I amplifier has two sets of
complementary output switching devices arranged in a
type of parallel push-pull configuration. Both sets of
switching devices sample the same input waveform. Thus
one device switches the positive half of the waveform,
while the other switches the negative half. This switching
action is similar to that for the class B amplifier.

With no input signal applied, or when a signal reaches the

zero crossing point, the switching devices are both turned
ON and OFF simultaneously with a 50% PWM duty cycle
cancelling out any high frequency signals.

To produce the positive half of the output signal, the

output of the positive switching device is increased in duty
cycle while the negative switching device is decreased by
the same and vice versa. The two switching signal
currents are said to be interleaved at the output, giving
the class I amplifier the named of: “interleaved PWM
amplifier” operating at switching frequencies in excess of
250kHz.
 Class S Amplifier – A class S power amplifier is a non-linear
switching mode amplifier similar in operation to the class
D amplifier. The class S amplifier converts analogue input
signals into digital square wave pulses by a delta-sigma
modulator, and amplifies them to increases the output
power before finally being demodulated by a band pass
filter. As the digital signal of this switching amplifier is
always either fully “ON” or “OFF” (theoretically zero power
dissipation), efficiencies reaching 100% are possible.
 Class T Amplifier – The class T amplifier is another type of
digital switching amplifier design. Class T amplifiers are
starting to become more popular these days as an audio
amplifier design due to the existence of digital signal
processing (DSP) chips and multi-channel surround sound
amplifiers as it converts analogue signals into digital pulse
width modulated (PWM) signals for amplification
increasing the amplifiers efficiency. Class T amplifier
designs combine both the low distortion signal levels of
class AB amplifier and the power efficiency of a class D
amplifier.
We have seen here a number of classification of amplifiers
ranging from linear power amplifiers to non-linear switching
amplifiers, and have seen how an amplifier class differs along the
amplifiers load line. The class AB, B and C amplifiers can be
defined in terms of the conduction angle, θ as follows:

Amplifier Class by Conduction Angle

Conduction
Amplifier Class Description
Angle

Class-A Full cycle 360o of Conduction θ = 2π

Class-B Half cycle 180o of Conduction θ=π

Slightly more than 180o of

Class-AB
conduction π < θ < 2π

Slightly less than 180o of

Class-C
conduction θ<π

Class-D to T ON-OFF non-linear switching θ=0

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