SBOS940A May 2019 – March 2020 OPA818
PRODUCTION DATA.
When configuring the OPA818 as a transimpedance amplifier additional care must be taken to minimize the inductance between the avalanche photodiode (APD) and the amplifier. Always place the photodiode on the same side of the PCB as the amplifier. Placing the amplifier and the APD on opposite sides of the PCB increases the parasitic effects due to via inductance. APD packaging can be quite large which often requires the APD to be placed further away from the amplifier than ideal. The added distance between the two device results in increased inductance between the APD and op amp feedback network as shown in Equation 1. The added inductance is detrimental to a decompensated amplifier's stability since it isolates the APD capacitance from the noise gain transfer function. The noise gain is given by Equation 1. The added PCB trace inductance between the feedback network increases the denominator in Equation 1 thereby reducing the noise gain and the phase margin. In cases where a leaded APD in a TO can is used inductance should be further minimized by cutting the leads of the TO can as short as possible. Also, edge mounting the photodiode on the PCB should be considered versus through the hole if the application allows.
The layout shown in Figure 59 can be improved by following some of the guidelines shown in Figure 60. The two key rules to follow are:
Equation 1.
where
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