Integrated Circuit Amplifier

Integrated Circuit Amplifier

An integrated circuit amplifier is a compactly packaged collection of active and passive devices that may boost the voltage or current level of a signal. The active components are transistors, three-terminal semiconductor devices that are capable of current gain, wherein a small change in current produces a pro-rated change in the integrated circuit amplifier output.

IC Design Philosophy

Integrated circuits

More and more electronics circuits are integrated in a single chip

·        More complicated functions

·        Smaller size and lower cost

·        Suitable for mass-production

Implementation cost depends on device area rather than device count

·        Large/moderate-value resistors should be avoided

·        Larger/moderate-value capacitors should be avoided

·        Preferable to use transistors due to chip-area consideration

Design Philosophy

·        The design philosophy for ICs is different from that of discrete-component circuits Realize as many of functions as possible by using transistors only

·        Rely on device matching or size ratios for circuit design

·        Active loads are typically used for amplifier designs