Front end stage of an operational amplifier
US4783637A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 7, 1986 |
| Grant date | Nov 8, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 7, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03F2203/45674
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The front end of an operational amplifier having an improved slew rate and high gain current output capabilities. The amplifier includes a slew enhancement or large signal stage connected in parallel to a normal front end or small signal stage. The small signal stage supplies a transconductance output which is approximately linearly related to the input until its slew rate limit. The slew enhancement stage is designed to provide slew current when the small signal stage reaches a selected threshold such as its slew rate limit, thereby providing an increased output current response to an increasing differential input voltage beyond the slew rate of the small signal stage. The large signal stage can be optimized to provide a greater input linear dynamic range, faster slew rate and improved efficiency.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.