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The Differential Amplifier
A typical op-amp is made up of three types
of amplifier circuits:
Differential amplifier
Input stage for the op-amp; it has two inputs and provides
amplification of the difference voltage
Voltage amplifier
Usually a class A amplifier that provides gain
Push-pull amplifier
Class B amplifier is used for the output stage

Negative Feedback
The inverting input (-)
effectively makes the
feedback signal 180
out of phase with the
input signal
When negative
feedback is present,
the noninverting and
inverting inputs are
nearly identical

Negative Feedback
Since the inherent open-loop gain of a typical opamp
is very high, usually > 100,000, an extremely
small difference in the two input voltages drives
the op-amp into its saturated output states
The usefulness of an op-amp operated in this manner is
severely restricted and is generally limited to
comparator applications
With negative feedback, the overall closed-loop gain
(Ao) can be reduce and controlled so that the op-amp
can function as a linear amplifier

Imran Mirza (MSc Physics, PGCC Scotland, UK)

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FIGURE : Without negative feedback, an extremely small difference in
the two input voltages drives the op-amp to
its output limits and it becomes nonlinear.

Vout is limited by the positive

and negative voltage supply
For example, if the supply
was +/-15 Volts, the output
signal would clip at +/- 15
Volts
Op-amp Configurations with Negative Feedback
Closed-loop voltage
gain
Closed-loop
voltage gain is the
voltage gain of an
opamp
with negative
feedback
An external
feedback network
connects the output
to the inverting input
The closed-loop voltage gain is determined by the
component values in the feedback network

Imran Mirza (MSc Physics, PGCC Scotland, UK)

033365

www.studyguide.pk
Summary
The op-amp has three terminals, not including power and ground:
inverting (-), non-inverting (+), and output
Most op-amps require both a positive and a negative dc supply voltage
The ideal op-amp has infinite input impedance, zero output impedance
and infinite voltage gain
A practical op-amp has high input impedance, low output impedance,
and high open-loop voltage gain

Summary
A diff-amp is normally used for the input stage of an op-amp
A differential input voltage appears between the inverting and noninverting inputs of a diff-amp
A differential output voltage appears between two output terminals of a
diff-amp
Common mode occurs when equal, in-phase voltages are applied to
both input terminals

Summary
Negative feedback occurs when a portion of the output voltage is
connected back to the inverting input such that it subtracts from the
input voltage, thus reducing the voltage gain but increasing the stability
and bandwidth
There are three basic op-amp configurations:
inverting, non-inverting, and voltage-follower
All op-amp configurations (except comparators, covered in the next
chapter) employ negative feedback

Imran Mirza (MSc Physics, PGCC Scotland, UK)

033365