SLOA049D July 2000 – February 2023
At frequencies well above the cutoff, simplified high-frequency models help show the expected behavior of the circuits. Figure 11-1 is used to show the expected circuit operation for a second-order low-pass Sallen-Key circuit at high frequency. The assumption made here is that C1 and C2 are effective shorts when compared to the impedance of R1 and R2, so the input of the amplifier is at AC ground. In response, the amplifier generates an AC ground at the output, limited only by the closed-loop output impedance ZOUT. Different amplifiers have different closed-loop output impedances ZOUT and can impact the high frequency filter response based on ZOUT.
Placing a low-pass RC filter at the output of the amplifier can help nullify the feedthrough of high-frequency signals. Figure 11-2 shows a comparison between the original Sallen-Key Butterworth filter and one using an RC filter on the output. A 100-Ω resistor is placed in series with the output and a 47-nF capacitor is connected from the output to ground. This places a passive pole in the transfer function at about 40 kHz that improves the high-frequency response.