AmplifierInputProtection运放输入端保护.docVIP

Amplifier Input Protection... Friend or Foe? Many of today’s high-speed op amps have on-chip input protection. In most cases, this protection is transparent to the user, but in some applications it can be the circuit’s Achilles’ heel. This article discusses the need for input protection, its implementation, and its potential drawbacks. It also presents alternatives and circuit solutions that utilize amplifiers with input protection. Various forms of input protection can be found in high-speed amplifiers: common-mode over-voltage protection, electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, and input differential pair protection are some of the common ones. Common-mode over-voltage protection primarily limits the input voltage to be compatible with the safe operating range of the amplifier. ESD diodes protect the amplifier against static electricity, electrostatic induction, and other ESD events. These on-chip diodes are connected from the op amp inputs and outputs to the power supply rails. This protects the amplifier, as ESD currents are routed to the power supplies and bypass capacitors, rather than through the sensitive active circuitry.? Abrupt voltage changes across an op amp’s input can reverse bias the input differential pair, leading to latent defects, increased input bias current, and increased offset voltage. Protecting the differential input stage from damage is accomplished by limiting the voltage across the base-emitter junctions. In some higher-speed silicon processes, the base-emitter breakdown voltage (BVEBO) can be as small as 2 to 3 volts. Breakdown voltage is inversely proportional to process speed, so the faster a process is, the lower the breakdown voltage is. For reliable operation it is imperative to avoid reverse biasing the differential pair emitter-base junctions. The amplifier is most susceptible to input stage damage when configured as a voltage follower. Real (non-ideal) amplifier outputs cannot respond instantaneously to a change at the inpu