SBOA586 February   2024 OPA182 , OPA186 , OPA187 , OPA188 , OPA189 , OPA333 , OPA387 , OPA388

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3. Benefit of Zero-Drift Amplifiers
  4. Internal Operation of Choppers
  5. Chopping Input Current Transients
  6. Bias Current Translation Into Offset
  7. Chopping Current Transient Impact on Offset Voltage
  8. Input Bias Current versus Bias Transients
  9. Amplifier Intrinsic Noise
  10. Chopper Transient Noise
  11. Procedure for Selecting a Zero-Drift Amplifier
  12. 10Summary
  13. 11References

Benefit of Zero-Drift Amplifiers

Zero-drift amplifiers use an internal calibration method to minimize the amplifiers input offset voltage (Vos). Since this calibration happens continuously, the change in offset over temperature is also minimized. Zero-drift amplifiers additionally improve some other parameters that relate to how offset changes versus system or environmental factors. For example, power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) is a measurement of how the amplifiers offset is impacted by changing in power supply voltage, so this specification is generally better for zero-drift amplifiers than traditional topologies. Power supply rejection ratio (PSRR), common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR), and open loop gain (AOL) are all measurements of how the Vos is impacted by changing different amplifier operating conditions, so those specifications are generally much better for zero-drift amplifiers than for traditional topologies. Similarly, electromagnetic rejection ratio (EMIRR) is a measurement of how offset changes versus applied electromagnetic interference, so this is also generally improved in choppers.

For traditional amplifiers the noise increases at low frequency (called 1/f or flicker noise). Flicker noise can be thought of as a variation of input offset voltage versus time. Thus, chopper amplifiers eliminate 1/f noise. Figure 1-1 and Figure 1-2 compare a traditional amplifier noise spectral density to a zero-drift amplifier.

GUID-20240109-SS0I-ZHD5-B9LW-XDL7BBHTCQB9-low.svgFigure 1-1 OPA388 Noise Zero-Drift Example
GUID-20240109-SS0I-7L0J-VS8S-LM52HCVDNKBN-low.svgFigure 1-2 OPA328 Noise Traditional CMOS Example

The low offset voltage of chopper amplifiers makes them an excellent choice for applications requiring high DC precision. However, as with most innovations, there are some tradeoffs that limit the effectiveness in certain applications. The goal of this document is to show the limitations of zero-drift amplifiers so that you can make an informed decision whether a zero-drift amplifier is the right choice for your specific application.

Table 1-1 compares the DC specifications like Vos and Vos drift of zero-drift amplifiers to traditional amplifiers with the best-in-class DC performance. The offset voltage of the zero-drift device is on average two to five times better than a traditional precision amplifier. The traditional devices used in this comparison are the best-in-class for DC precision and use package or laser trim to achieve the precision specification. Many other traditional amplifiers can have offsets much greater than the examples in Table 1-1 (hundreds of microvolts). The Vos drift of the zero-drift amplifiers is often tens or even hundreds of times better than traditional counterparts. The excellent stability of offset over temperature is the is the greatest advantage of zero drift amplifiers.

Table 1-1 also compares the 0.1Hz to 10Hz noise. Broadband noise is inversely correlated to the quiescent current. Therefore, when comparing noise between two different amplifier topologies, comparing devices with similar quiescent current is the best practice. With this in mind the comparison shows a significant low frequency noise advantage for zero-drift devices.

Table 1-1 Comparison of Zero-Drift Specifications to Comparable Traditional Amplifiers
Amplifier Feature Tech. Max Vos (μV) Max Vos Drift (μV/°C) IQ TYP (mA) 0.1Hz to 10Hz Noise (μVPP) TYP PSRR (μV/V) TYP CMRR (dB) TYP Aol (dB) EMIRR at 100MHz (dB)
OPA392 e-Trim™ CMOS 10 0.6 1.22 2.0 0.5 120 132 29
OPA277 Laser trim Bipolar 20 0.15 0.79 0.22 0.3 140 140 38
OPA206 e-Trim™ Bipolar 25 0.5 0.22 0.2 0.05 140 132 45
OPA928 e-Trim™ CMOS 25 0.8 0.275 1.4 0.3 140 134 27
OPA191 e-Trim™ CMOS 25 0.8 0.14 1.4 1.0 140 120 27
OPA210 Laser trim Bipolar 35 0.5 2.20 0.09 0.05 168 132 35
OPA189 Zero-drift CMOS 3 0.02 1.30 0.1 0.005 168 170 63
OPA182 Zero-drift CMOS 4 0.012 0.85 0.119 0.005 168 170 55
OPA388 Zero-drift CMOS 5 0.05 1.70 0.14 0.1 138 148 41
OPA333 Zero-drift CMOS 10 0.05 0.017 0.3 1.0 130 130 65
OPA187 Zero-drift CMOS 10 0.015 0.10 0.4 0.01 145 160 49
OPA186 Zero-drift CMOS 10 0.04 0.09 0.075 0.02 134 148 51
OPA188 Zero-drift CMOS 25 0.085 0.425 0.25 0.075 146 136 48