Power Amplifiers

Class B
Class AB

Class B
The circuit

each transistor
conducts for a half of
every signal period
complementary pair
push-pull arrangement

Operation

vI (0.6V; 0.6V) T1 (off), T2 (off)

vI 0.6V T1 (on), T2 (off)

vO vI vBE1 vI 0.6V

iO 0

iC1 iO

iC 2 0

vo max VCC VCEsat VCC

vO 0V

vI 0.6V T1 (off), T2 (on)

vO vI vBE 2 vI 0.6V

iO 0

iC 2 iO iC1 0

vo min VCC VCE1sat VCC

Voltage
transfer
characteristic
crossover
distortions

Waveforms
Assume the signal magnitude sufficiently high to
neglect the crossover distortions.

vo (t ) Vo sin t

Vo VCC

Powers. Efficiency

T 2
T
Vo sin t
1
1

PPS VCC iPS (t )dt VCC

dt
T0
T 0
RL
T 2

V
V
1
V
V
1
2

CC
o
CC o
PPS
PPS
sin
t
dt
RL
T RL 0
T

PO

PPS

PPS

PPS

PPS

PO VOrms I Orms

2 VCCVo

RL

VO2

2 RL

Average efficiency:

For Vo VCC
For VO VCC

PPS max

PO max

2
2 VCC

RL

2
VCC

2 RL

PO
VO2 RL
VO

PPS
2 RL 2 VCCVO
4 VCC

Maximum average efficiency: for VO VCC

max

78.5%

The amplifying transistor

PT

OPTIONAL
1
1 VCCVo Vo2
PT PPS PO

2
RL
4 RL
2
2
2
V
V
V
1
CC
VO VCC PT
CC 0.068 CC
RL 4 RL
RL

1
PPS PO
2

Maximum efficiency:

What is the maximum average power dissipated by a

transistor depending on the output voltage magnitude?

dPT
0

dV

Vo VCC 0.64VCC

Maximum average power:

Maximum instantaneous
power:

iC max

Vo 0.64VCC
Vo VCC

VCC

RL

PT max

2
2
VCC
1 VCC
2
0.1
RL
RL

pT max

2
2
VCC
1 VCC

0.25
4 RL
RL

vCE max 2VCC

Class AB
- Crossover distortion, specific to class B amplifier can be
virtually eliminated

Class AB Amplifier. Basic Circuit

biasing the complementary output
transistors at a small output current

VBias 0.6V

I ISe

vI - positive

vO t vI t VBias VBEn vI t

vI - negative

vO t vI t VBias VBEp vI t

VBias
VT

Voltage Transfer
Characteristic (VTC)

Solutions to
generate VBias
???

Biasing using Diodes

R should allow the currents in the diodes

and in the bases of the transistors, even

for maximum output current
V 8V =50
V = +15V
CC

RL=100, ID1=1.5mA
R=?, IR=? (each R)

T is the driver
transistor from previous
amplifier stage

Biasing using VBE Multiplier

VBB

R1
VBE1
1
R2

Short-Circuit Protection

Protection against the effect of

short-circuiting the output
Effective in ensuring device
safety
Disadvantage: under normal
operation up to 0.6V appears
across each protection resistor.
The voltage swing will be
reduced by that much, in each
direction
Negative feedback, protection
of the output transistor against
thermal runaway

iOmax

VBE 2 0,6V

REn
REn

Illustration
I Bias

0.6 0.6 0.6

6mA
0.1

P - adjusts the biasing

voltage between VBE and
3.5VBE

C - in the bases of Tn
and Tp it is the same
variable input voltage
iOmax=0.6A

Use of Compound Transistors

with Higher Current Gain
Necessary for high output currents

The Darlington npn configuration

The compound pnp configuration preferred in IC

Exercise
VCC = 15V
RL1 500
RL 2 50

a) What is the expression vO(vi) for vi[-10V;10V]? Plot the vO(vi) VTC.
What is the operating class of this aplifier? What is the maximum
theoretical average efficiency?
b) Plot vO(t) for: (1) vi(t)= 0.2sint [V]; (2) vi(t)= 10sint [V].
c) For vi(t)= 10sint [V], vO(t) can be well approximated by a sinewave
(negleting crossover distorsions). Compute: the average output power,
the average power consumption, and the average efficiency of the stage.
Plot the collector-emiter voltage and colector current for T1 and T2.
d) Propose a solution to eliminate crossover distorsion