JAJSIR7C October 2019 – August 2021 TPS8804
PRODUCTION DATA
The input stage is a wide-bandwidth, low-offset op-amp designed for amplifying photodiode currents. In GUID-93A8EB23-F641-4DAC-A98A-6E4EBA930AE1.html#T5791252-4, negative feedback causes the photodiode to conduct with zero voltage bias. The photo-current flows through resistors connected from PDP to a reference (GND or PREF) and PDN to PDO. These two resistors determine the gain of the input stage. The same value must be used for these two resistors because PDP and PDN leakage is amplified by these resistors. Capacitors installed in parallel with the resistors compensate the op-amp feedback loop for optimal response. The optimal compensation capacitance depends on the photodiode's capacitance. The compensation capacitance should be adjusted to minimize settling time without having overshoot on the output of the amplifier. Overshoot adds unnecessary noise in the output. The input stage outputs through the PDO pin, which is internally connected to the integrated photo gain stage and AMUX.
The input stage has the option of being referenced to GND or PREF. PREF is a reference that is normally pulled to VINT and is set to 50 mV when PREF_SEL = 1 and either PAMP_EN = 1 or PGAIN_EN = 1. The 50 mV reference keeps the input amplifier in a linear operating region when no signal is applied, improving the speed and zero-current sensitivity of the amplifier. It is generally recommended to set PREF_SEL=1 and connect the external gain resistor and compensation capacitor to PREF. Connect a 100-pF filtering capacitor from PREF to GND to reduce high frequency noise on PREF.
When measuring the photo amplifier output, it is recommended to take multiple ADC samples. Averaging ADC samples approximately reduces the noise by the square root of the amount of samples. The power consumed in a photoelectric smoke measurement is dominated by the LED power consumption, which is proportional to the LED on-time multiplied by the LED current. To maximize the signal-to-noise ratio for a given power level, set the LED pulse length to approximately twice the photo amplifier rise time and take multiple ADC samples while the output is stabilized.
In systems where the compensation capacitor is selected for a slower rise time and lower noise, take multiple ADC samples around the peak of the photo amplifier output.