Analog Integrated Circuits
Analog integrated circuits can handle a continuous range of inputs. They can also convert these signals into digital ones and zeros for processing. They are used in almost every electronic device.
This course will introduce the fundamentals of analog IC design. You’ll learn about op amps, and other IC components like voltage regulators, amplifiers, and DACs.
ADC
Analog-to-digital converters are a key component in almost every device that uses analog signals. These devices convert analog signals into digital data that can be processed by computers and microprocessors. They are commonly found in consumer electronics like cell phones, cameras and medical equipment like x-ray and MRI scanners.
An ADC takes an analog input, such as a voltage, and outputs a binary number corresponding to the value of the signal. The ADC has several different capabilities, including its sample rate and linear voltage regulator circuit resolution, which determine how accurately it can represent the original analog signal.
The ADC also has a number of errors, which are called quantization error and noise. These errors can be reduced by using dither, which is similar to the process used in photographic images to compensate for the loss of detail caused by quantizing a picture into a smaller number of bits.
DAC
The DAC takes the digital codes that compose a music file and turns them into an analog sound wave. It then processes this signal before sending it to your speakers or headphones. This is essential for music production and listening because it allows you to hear the subtle nuances in your favorite songs.
DACs can be found in many devices, including cell phones, tablets, and computers. They can also be used in high-end hi-fi systems to convert digital signals into analog line-level outputs that can be connected to amplifiers. They use different methods to process these signals, but they all have one thing in common: they are accurate and produce a clean signal.
Most modern DACs are implemented as integrated circuits (IC) that combine both analog and digital circuits. These ICs are very complex and require carefully matched components. As a result, they are susceptible to variability in manufacturing and operating temperature. This variability can affect performance and cause errors in the signal flow. To reduce this variability, designers must analyze the design and simulate it to ensure that all the devices are wired correctly.
Amplifier
The amplifier is a key component in many analog circuits. It increases the amplitude of a voltage signal by a factor known as gain. The amplifier’s ability to suppress noise is also important. Unwanted noise can enter sensitive circuits through conductive or radiated paths and can interfere with the desired signal. The amplifier can be designed to eliminate this noise by using special techniques such as differential input stage and feedback.
The op amp, or operational amplifier, is the most versatile and ubiquitous analog circuit component. It can perform a wide range of mathematical operations on electronic signals including amplification, differentiation, integration, and logarithmic amplification. It can also be configured with a variety of feedback elements to achieve different performance characteristics such as differential gain and slope.
The first commercial operational amplifier (op amp) was the Fairchild uA702, RMS converter created by process engineer David Talbert and designer Robert Widlar in 1964. This was followed by its successor, the uA709, which established the market for analog integrated circuits.
Voltage Regulator
The battery in your car, the power supply in your home, and even your cell phone require a consistent output of volts (units of electromotive force). Fluctuating outputs can damage these components. To prevent this from happening, a voltage regulator is used to maintain a stable output of volts.
Voltage regulators are analog ICs that regulate the power supply for electronic devices. They are used in computer systems, televisions, and mobile phones to ensure that the voltage remains constant despite changes in input current or power demand. They also provide protection against over-excitation and current overload. They usually feature parallel-connected limiters that function before generator protection relays are activated. They may include rotor-current, load-angle, and stator-current limiters.
Voltage regulators must stay within a certain range of thermal envelopes for effective heat dissipation. They must also be capable of maintaining a constant output voltage under different loads and temperatures. In addition, they must be highly reliable and have low power dissipation.
Transistor
Transistors are key components of analog ICs and have revolutionized electronics by making them smaller, cheaper, and more efficient. They are also found in almost all electronic devices. They act as a switch, allowing current to flow through or block it depending on the voltage applied to a third terminal known as the gate. Invented in 1947 by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley of Bell Laboratories, transistors have become one of the most important elements in the development of modern technology.
The transistor is a three-pin semiconductor device with two regions of different conductivity (emitter and collector). The base region of the transistor is lightly doped, while the emitter and collector are heavily doped. When a voltage is applied to the base-emitter junction, electrons flow into the base from the emitter and combine with holes (+ charge) in the base, producing a small Base current.
In analog ICs, the base and collector are connected to each other through a differential pair. This allows the differential signal to be subtracted from the input voltage using a simple circuit. This is important for a variety of applications, including amplifiers and regulators.
