Semiconductor Devices, Analog and Digital
Electronics
BLOCK – I SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES, TRANSISTORS AND AMPLIFIERS
UNIT 4: Feedback Amplifier
Dr. Meenakshi Rana
Department of Physics
Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani
Content
1. Introduction
2.Objectives
3.Transistor
4.Transistor history
5.Transistor construction
6.Comparison of transistor connection
7.Transistor biasing
8.Transistor types
• Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
• Unipolar Junction Transistor (UJT)
• Field Effect Transistor (FET)
9. Construction, working, and characteristic of various types of transistors
10. Application of various types of transistor
11. Some useful links
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to-
1. Define Amplifier
2. Classification of Basic Amplifiers
3. Amplifier without Feedback or with Feedback
4. Understand the Basic Concept of Feedback
5. Get Knowledge About the Characteristics of Negative-
feedback Amplifiers
6. Effect of negative feedback on input-output resistance
7. Application of negative feedback Amplifier
8. Method of identifying Feedback
Amplifier: Introduction
In the feedback process a part of output is sampled and feedback to the input.
The fed back signal can be in phase with or out of phase with the original input
signal.
Definition of feedback:
Feedback is defined as the process in which a part of output signal (voltage or
current) is returned back to the input.
The amplifier that operates on the principle of feedback is known as feedback
amplifier.
Definition of feedback amplifier:
The amplifier that operates on the principle of feedback is known as feedback amplifier.
Classification of Amplifiers
• Voltage Amplifier- An amplifier provides a voltage output proportional to the voltage
input and the proportionality factor does not depend on the magnitudes of the source and
load resistance
• Current Amplifier- An amplifier which provides an output current proportional to the
signal current .
• Transconductance Amplifier- An amplifier in which, the output current is proportional
to the signal voltage, independent of the magnitudes of source and load resistance.
• Transresistance Amplifier- An amplifier in which output voltage is proportional to the
signal current of the magnitudes of source and load resistance.
Types of Feedback
Depending upon whether the feedback energy aids or opposes the input signal, there are
two basic types of feedback in amplifiers viz
1. Positive feedback
2. Negative feedback
Positive feedback :
If the original input signal and the feedback signal are in phase, the feedback is called as
positive feedback.
Negative feedback:
However if these two signals are out of phase then the feedback is called as negative
feedback.
Amplifier Without Feedback
•In the amplifier without feedback the most important thing to understand is that the
output and input terminals of this amplifier are not connected to each other in any
way.
• Therefore the amplifier of is an amplifier without any feedback
• Gain without any feedback
Amplifier With Feedback
Refer to Fig. Here the same amplifier with a gain A is being used along with a mixer
network, sampling network and a feedback network.
The voltage gain of the feedback amplifier is given by,
Gain with feedback
Amplifier With Positive Feedback
When the feedback energy (voltage or current) is in phase with the input signal and thus
aids it, it is called positive feedback.
This is illustrated in Figure. Both amplifier and feedback network introduce a phase shift
of 180°. The result is a 360° phase shift around the loop, causing the feedback voltage Vf
to be in phase with the input signal Vin.
•The positive feedback increases the gain of the amplifier. However, it has the
disadvantages of increased distortion and instability.
•Therefore, positive feedback is seldom employed in amplifiers.
• One important use of positive feedback is in oscillators.
Amplifier With Negative Feedback
When the feedback energy (voltage or current) is out of phase with the input signal and
thus opposes it, it is called negative feedback. This is illustrated in Figure.
•As you can see, the amplifier introduces a phase shift of 180° into the circuit while the
feedback network is so designed that it introduces no phase shift (i.e., 0° phase shift). The
result is that the feedback voltage Vf is 180° out of phase with the input signal Vin.
• Negative feedback reduces the gain of the amplifier. However, the advantages of
negative feedback are: reduction in distortion, stability in gain, increased bandwidth
and improved input and output impedances.
• It is due to these advantages that negative feedback is frequently employed in
amplifiers.
Feedback Circuit
• The function of the feedback circuit is to return a fraction of the output voltage to the input
of the amplifier. Figure shows the feedback circuit of negative voltage feedback amplifier.
• It is essentially a potential divider consisting of resistances R1 and R2. The output voltage
of the amplifier is fed to this potential divider which gives the feedback voltage to the input.
• Referring to Figure, it is clear that :
Principles of Negative Voltage Feedback In Amplifiers
A feedback amplifier has two parts viz an amplifier and a feedback circuit.
• The feedback circuit usually consists of resistors and returns a fraction of output energy
back to the input.
• Figure shows the principles of negative voltage feedback in an amplifier.
• The output of the amplifier is 10 V. The fraction mv of this output i.e. 100 mV is
feedback to the input where it is applied in series with the input signal of 101 mV.
• As the feedback is negative, therefore, only 1 mV appears at
the input terminals of the amplifier.
Gain of amplifier without feedback, Av = 10 V / 1 mV= 10, 000
Fraction of output voltage fedback,
mv = 100 mV / 10 V = 0.01
• Gain of amplifier with negative feedback,
Avf = 10 V / 101 mV = 100
The following points are worth noting :
(i) When negative voltage feedback is applied, the gain of the amplifier is reduced. Thus, the
gain of above amplifier without feedback is 10,000 whereas with negative feedback, it is
only
100.
(ii) When negative voltage feedback is employed, the voltage actually applied to the amplifier
is extremely small. In this case, the signal voltage is 101 mV and the negative feedback is
100 mV
so that voltage applied at the input of the amplifier is only 1 mV.
(iii) In a negative voltage feedback circuit, the feedback fraction mv is always between 0 and
1.
(iv) The gain with feedback is sometimes called closed-loop gain while the gain without
feedback
is called open-loop gain.
These terms come from the fact that amplifier and feedback circuits form a “loop”.
When the loop is “opened” by disconnecting the feedback circuit from the input, the
amplifier's gain is Av, the “open loop” gain.
When the loop is “closed” by connecting the feedback circuit, the gain decreases to Avf,
the “closed-loop” gain
Gain of Negative Voltage Feedback Amplifier
Consider the negative voltage feedback amplifier shown in Figure. The gain of the
amplifier without feedback is Av.
• Negative feedback is then applied by feeding a fraction mv of the output voltage e0 back
to amplifier input. Therefore, the actual input to the amplifier is the signal voltage eg minus
feedback voltage mv e0 i.e.,
Actual input to amplifier = eg − mv eg
• The output e0 must be equal to the input voltage eg − mve0 multiplied by gain Av of the
amplifier i.e.,
(eg − mv e0) Av = e0
or Av eg − Av mv e0 = e0
or e0 (1 + Av mv) = Av eg
or e0 / eg = Av / 1 + Av mv
But e0/eg is the voltage gain of the amplifier with feedback.
∴ Voltage gain with negative feedback is Avf = Av / 1 + Av mv
• It may be seen that the gain of the amplifier without feedback is Av. However, when negative
voltage feedback is applied, the gain is reduced by a factor 1 + Av mv.
• It may be noted that negative voltage feedback does not affect the current gain of the circuit.
Advantages of Negative Voltage Feedback
(i) Gain stability. An important advantage of negative voltage
feedback is that the resultant gain of the amplifier can be made independent of transistor
parameters or the supply voltage variations.
Avf = Av / 1 + Av mv
• For negative voltage feedback in an amplifier to be effective, the designer deliberately
makes the product Av mv much greater than unity. Therefore, in the above relation, 1 can
be neglected as compared to Av mv and the expression becomes :
Avf = Av / Av mv = 1 / mv
• It may be seen that the gain now depends only upon feedback fraction mv i.e., on the
characteristics of feedback circuit
(ii) Reduces non-linear distortion
• A large signal stage has non-linear distortion because its voltage gain changes at various
points in the cycle. The negative voltage feedback reduces the nonlinear distortion in large
signal amplifiers. It can be proved mathematically that :
Dvf = D / 1 + Av mv
where D = distortion in amplifier without feedback Dvf = distortion in amplifier with
negative feedback
• It is clear that by applying negative voltage feedback to an amplifier, distortion is reduced
by a factor 1 + Av mv..
(iii) Improves frequency response.
• As feedback is usually obtained through a resistive network, therefore, voltage gain of the
amplifier is independent of signal frequency. The result is that voltage gain of the amplifier
will be substantially constant over a wide range of signal
frequency.
• The negative voltage feedback, therefore, improves the frequency response of the
amplifier.
(iv) Increases circuit stability
• The output of an ordinary amplifier is easily changed due to variations in ambient
temperature, frequency and signal amplitude.
• This changes the gain of the amplifier, resulting in distortion.
However, by applying negative voltage feedback, voltage gain of the amplifier is stabilized
or accurately fixed in value.
(v) Increases input impedance and decreases output impedance.
• The negative voltage feedback increases the input impedance and decreases the output
impedance of amplifier.
(a) Input impedance. The increase in input impedance with
negative voltage feedback can be explained by referring to Figure. Suppose the input
impedance of the amplifier is Zin without feedback and Z′in with negative feedback. Let us
further assume that input current is i1.
It is clear that by applying negative voltage feedback, the input impedance of the
amplifier is increased by a factor 1 + Aνmv. As Aνmv is much greater than unity, therefore,
input impedance is
increased considerably.
(b) Output impedance
• Following similar line, we can show that output impedance with negative voltage
feedback is given by :
It is clear that by applying negative feedback, the output impedance of the amplifier is
decreased by a factor 1 + Aν mν.
Eg: The voltage gain of an amplifier without feedback is 3000. Calculate the voltage gain
of the amplifier if negative voltage feedback is introduced in the circuit. Given that
feedback fraction m v = 0.01.
EX: The overall gain of a multistage amplifier is 140. When negative voltage feedback
is applied, the gain is reduced to 17.5. Find the fraction of the output that is fedback to
the input.
EX: When negative voltage feedback is applied to an amplifier of gain 100, the
overall gain falls to 50.
(i) Calculate the fraction of the output voltage fedback.
(ii) If this fraction is maintained, calculate the value of the amplifier gain required if
the overall stage gain is to be 75.
EX: Fig. shows the negative voltage feedback amplifier. If the gain of the amplifier
without feedback is 10,000, find :
• (i) feedback fraction (ii) overall voltage gain (iii) output voltage if input voltage is 1 mV.
Figure shows the circuit of a negative voltage feedback amplifier. If without feedback, Av =
10,000, Zin = 10 kΩ, Zout = 100 Ω, find :
(i) feedback fraction (ii) gain with feedback
(iii) input impedance with feedback
(iv) output impedance with feedback.
Principles of Negative Current Feedback
•In this method, a fraction of output current is fedback to the input of the amplifier. In other
words, the feedback current (If) is proportional to the output current (Iout) of the amplifier.
• Figure shows them principles of negative current feedback. This circuit is called current-
shunt feedback circuit.
• A feedback resistor Rf is connected between input and output of the amplifier. This
amplifier has a current gain of Ai without feedback. It means that a current I1 at the input
terminals of the amplifier will appear as Ai I1 in the output circuit i.e., Iout = Ai I1.
• Now a fraction mi of this output current is feedback to the input through Rf. The fact that
arrowhead shows the feed current being fed forward is because it is negative feedback.
Current Gain with Negative Current Feedback
The following points may be noted carefully :
(i) The current gain of the amplifier without feedback is Ai. However, when negative
current feedback is applied, the current gain is reduced by a factor (1 + mi Ai).
(ii) The feedback fraction (or current attenuation) mi has a value between 0 and 1.
(iii) The negative current feedback does not affect the voltage gain of the amplifier.
EX: The current gain of an amplifier is 200 without feedback. When negative current
feedback is applied, determine the effective current gain of the amplifier. Given that current
attenuation mi = 0.012.
Effects of Negative Current Feedback
(i) Decreases the input impedance.
The negative current feedback decreases the input impedance
of most amplifiers.
Let Zin = Input impedance of the amplifier without feedback Z ′in = Input impedance of
the amplifier with negative current feedback
Thus the input impedance of the amplifier is decreased by the factor (1 + mi Ai).
EX: An amplifier has a current gain of 240 and input impedance of 15 kΩ without Feedback.
If negative current feedback (mi = 0.015) is applied, what will be the input impedance of the
amplifier ?
EX: An amplifier has a current gain of 200 and output impedanceb of 3 kΩ without feedback.
If negative current feedback (mi = 0.01) is applied; what is the output impedance of the
amplifier ?
EX: An amplifier has a current gain of 250 and a bandwidth of 400 kHz without feedback. If
negative current feedback (mi = 0.01) is applied, what is the bandwidth of the amplifier?
The block diagram of an amplifier with voltage shunt feedback amplifier is shown in
Fig. Voltage Shunt Feedback = Voltage Sampling + Shunt Mixing.
The voltage shunt feedback is present in the trans resistance amplifier.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
Negative feedback stabilizes the gain of the amplifier.
Input resistance increases for certain feedback configurations.
Output resistance decreases for certain feedback configurations.
Operating point is stabilized.
Disadvantages
Reduction in gain.
Reduction in input resistance in case of voltage shunt and current shunt type
amplifiers.
Increase in output resistance in case of current shunt and current series feedback
amplifiers.
Applications of negative feedback
In a1most all the electronic amplifiers.
In the regulated power supplies.
In wideband amplifiers (amplifiers having a large bandwidth)
Some Useful Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8zx0RGJGQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nXEUkFBd8A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VulmfTrHdsQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_pqCNPs6xw
