AN1686: Development of a Spice Op-Amp Macro Model for Current-Feedback Amplifiers

Application Note 1686
Authors: Jian Wang and Tamara Schmitz
Development of a Spice Op-Amp Macro Model for
Current-Feedback Amplifiers
Current-feedback amplifiers (CFAs) are the high-speed
relatives of more common voltage-feedback amplifiers (VFAs).
CFAs have wider bandwidths and faster slew rates.
Applications such as DSL rely on their fast and strong output
drives.
Models are important because they allow engineers to test
designs before they go through the time-intensive and costly
process of building a working prototype. In this application
note, we introduce you to a circuit model for a currentfeedback amplifier. Since it would take far too long to simulate
every nuance of a complete design, this macro model
simulates the most common effects, such as transient
response, frequency response, voltage noise and output slew
rate limiting. Detailed descriptions of each stage in the model
will be presented with examples of model performance and
correlation to actual device behavior.
Figure 1 shows the conceptual approach of the current
feedback amplifier. CFAs have a unity gain buffer to force the
inverting input (Vin-) to follow the non-inverting input (Vin+).
This topology is very different from the high impedance inputs
of the voltage-feedback amplifier. In the CFA case, the
inverting input node shows the low input impedance (Zin-)
from the output of the buffer. The error signal is the current (I)
flowing into or out of the inverting node. The error current is
converted by a large transimpedance, Z, to the output voltage.
Rf is used to control the feedback current. This is another
major deviation from the voltage-feedback topology. In VFAs,
the feedback network (Rf and Rg) primarily set the voltage
gain. In CFAs, the feedback network does set the gain, but the
value of Rf also controls the bandwidth of the amplifier.
Vin+
G=1
Vout
Zin-
+-
INPUT STAGE
GAIN STAGE
FREQUENCY
SHAPING
STAGES
OUTPUT STAGE
NOISE MODULE
FIGURE 2. THE BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A CFA MACRO MODEL
The Input Stage
As stated, the biggest difference between a CFA and a VFA is
the input stage. Figure 3 shows an example, the input stage of
a CFA model. Four bipolar transistors are included, Q1 to Q4.
The effective output of this stage is at nodes 11 and 12, which
are coupled into the gain stage by using voltage controlled
current source. The bias current I1-I2 of Q1-Q2 should be set
by:
I1 = I 2 =
kT
2q • Z in − i.e.
Z in − =
1
2gm
(EQ. 1)
The impedance at the inverting input, Zin-, can be measured.
In this example, I1 = I2 = 85µA. R1, R2, C1, C2 are used to fit
the frequency response and to control the input stage slew
rate.
There are many other components used in the input block. Cs1
and Cs2 are the inverting input capacitance. Cin1 is the noninverting input capacitance. The input bias current is modeled
by current sources Ib1 and Ib2. The input offset voltage is
modeled by the voltage source Vos. The current source Gb1 is
used to model the input current common mode rejection at
the inverting input.
Z•I
I
Vin-
Rf
Rg
FIGURE 1. THE BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A CURRENT FEEDBACK
AMPLIFIER
A five-stage model represents the actual circuit and the block
diagram is shown in Figure 2. These five basic blocks are the
input stage, the gain stage, the frequency-shaping stage, the
output stage and the noise module.
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FIGURE 3. INPUT STAGE OF A CFA (EL5165)
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Application Note 1686
The Gain Stage
This stage is similar to the gain stage of a VFA. It performs many
important functions.
1. This stage sets the open loop trans-impedance of the part.
2. It provides output slew rate limiting.
3. It contributes the dominant pole to the AC characteristic.
4. It level shifts the signal from two voltages referred to the
supplies to a single voltage referred to the mid-point.
5. It limits the output voltage swing.
Taking a closer look at the components of the gain stage in
Figure 4, slew rate limiting is set by limiting the current to C3 and
C4 in Figure 4. The current limiting is set in the input stage by
clamping the voltage across R3 and R4 shown in Figure 3. This
voltage is decided by voltage sources V1 and V2 and diodes D1
and D2. R7-C3 and R8-C4 decide the dominant pole of this
model. D3-D4 and V5-V6 are used to control the output clamping
voltage.
FIGURE 5. HIGHER ORDER POLE STAGES
Noise Module
The input current noise of the current feedback op amp model
can't be neglected. It is described as:
pA / Hz
Voltage noise is also important, so both a voltage noise module
and a current noise module are needed for our CFA model.
For the right noise analysis, one trick called "noiseless resistors"
can be used at the input stage. All the resistors in the input stage
should be substituted by voltage controlled current sources
(Device G in SPICE) where input and output terminals are
connected together and the gm is set to the reciprocal of the
required resistance.
We will use two pieces to construct the total noise model. The
noise module of Figure 6 generates 1/f and white noise by using
a 1.5V voltage source biasing a diode-resistor series
combination. White noise is generated by the thermal
noise-current generated in the material of the resistors.
in2 =
FIGURE 4. GAIN STAGE
Frequency-Shaping Stages
The frequency-shaping stages of a CFA model are very similar to
that of a VFA. Each frequency-shaping block provides unity gain,
so it is easy to add more poles and zeros. For more information of
the frequency-shaping stages, see [Reference 2]. For our
example op amp, only three pole stages are used, which is shown
in Figure 5. E3 is used to set the reference level at the middle of
the supplies, V+ and V-.
where k is the Boltzmann’s constant
4kT
R
(EQ. 2)
So the required value of the resistor for a given noise-voltage
spectral density is:
en2
R=
2 × 4kT
where en is the spectral density of
the white noise voltage
(EQ. 3)
Flicker noise, also called 1/f noise, refers to the noise exhibiting
power spectral density inversely proportional to the frequency.
More generally, this noise has a spectral density of:
SN ∝
where B > 0
1
f
(EQ. 4)
β
As a data point, the frequency where the flicker noise curve
crosses the white noise curve is defined as the corner frequency.
The small amount of flicker noise that remains is modeled within
the SPICE diode model. Referring to Figure 6,
I dAF
i = 2qI d + KF •
frequency
(EQ. 5)
2
n
2
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Application Note 1686
where Id is the DC diode current. AF and KF are the model
parameters of the SPICE diode and q is the charge of the
electron. The flicker noise exponent (AF) is set to 1 and the flicker
noise coefficient (KF) is set:
KF =
Ea2
2R 2 • I d
where Ea is the noise-voltage
spectral density at 1Hz.
(EQ. 6)
The simulated voltage noise will show the 1/f noise-voltage
spectral density with the correct corner frequency.
The noise module in Figure 7 only simulates the white noise
portion of the current noise by utilizing thermal noise of two
parallel resistors.
FIGURE 8. OUTPUT STAGE
Simulation Results
The simulation results of the macro model should be compared
with the real world device to verify its functionality. The example
op amp used in this application note is the EL5165, a high speed
current feedback amplifier. Some SPICE simulation results are
compared with the measured results.
The gain plots in Figure 9 shows a remarkable similarity between
our model on the left at a gain of two and measurements from
the EL5165 on the right. The measurements from the device are
taken at both unity gain and a gain of two. There is less than 1%
error between the -3dB frequency of the two gain-of-two
measurements.
FIGURE 6. NOISE VOLTAGE MODULE
FIGURE 9. AC RESPONSE FOR GAIN = +2 OF THE MACRO MODEL
(LEFT) AND EL5165 (RIGHT) (Rf = 499Ω)
FIGURE 7. NOISE CURRENT MODULE
At a gain of three, the discrepancy increases a bit, as shown in
Figure 10. Now the error in cut-off frequency is within 5%.
Output Stage
After the frequency shaping-stages, the signal appears at Node
VV5, which is referenced to the midpoint of the two supply rails.
Each controlled source can generate enough current to support
the desired voltage drop across its parallel resistor. R13 and R14
are equal to twice the open loop output resistance, so their
parallel combination gives the correct Zout. D5-D8 and G9-10 are
used to force a current from the positive rail to the negative rail
to correct the real current sink or source. G11-12 drive the
output.
1
G9 = G10 = G11 = G12 =
2 Z out
(EQ. 7)
(EQ. 8)
R13 = R14 = 2Z out
3
FIGURE 10. AC RESPONSE FOR GAIN = +3 OF THE MACRO MODEL
(LEFT) AND EL5165 DEVICE (RIGHT) (Rf = 249Ω)
Since the feedback resistor controls the bandwidth, we offer a
comparison of frequency response for a range of resistors in
Figure 11. The values of resistance are listed on the plot on the
right that comes from the data sheet. The left plot is from our
macro model. Again, the matching of -3dB frequency is within
5%.
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Application Note 1686
Several of Intersil's current feedback amplifiers use the same
model topology with different internal model values.
EL5165 Macro Model Netlist
.subckt EL5165
3 2 7 4 6
*
FIGURE 11. FREQUENCY RESPONSE WITH DIFFERENT RF FOR THE
MODEL (LEFT) AND THE DEVICE (RIGHT)
After examining the small-signal response versus frequency, the
next logical step is to inspect the large-signal response, as shown
in Figure 12. Here we look at the slew rate of the step response
with a gain of two driving a load of 150Ω from a ±5V supply.
While the time base (x-axis) is at different resolutions in the two
plots, the slew rate of the macro model shown on the left is
5000V/µs. This agrees to 5% from the slew rate on the output
signal of the EL5165 on the right.
FIGURE 12. LARGE-SIGNAL STEP RESPONSE FOR THE MACRO
MODEL (LEFT) AND FROM THE DEVICE DATA SHEET
(RIGHT)
After frequency response and slew rate, our next goal is to match
the noise performance. We have chosen to demonstrate the
voltage noise, so the model in Figure 6 is included, but not the
current noise model from Figure 7. The voltage noise model
exhibits the spectrum shown in the plot on the left and has a
value of
2.15
nV / Hz at 1MHz
The datasheet curve for voltage noise is on the right and has a
value of:
2.1
nV / Hz at 1MHz.
*Input Stage
C_Cin1
V_Vos
0 3 1.8p
1 N4150175 1.5mVdc
I_I1
8 4 DC 85uAdc
I_I2
7 5 DC 85uAdc
I_Ib1
7 1 DC 2uAdc
I_Ib2
7 2 DC 2uAdc
G_Gi1
8 10 8 10 0.001
G_Gi2
5 9 5 9 0.001
G_Gi3
12 4 12 4 0.01
G_Gi4
7 11 7 11 0.01
G_Gb1
7 2 1 16 0.0000001
Q_Q1
7 1 8 Inpn
Q_Q2
11 9 2 Inpn
Q_Q3
4 1 5 Ipnp
Q_Q4
12 10 2 Ipnp
D_D9
19 11 DX
D_D10
12 18 DX
V_V7
7 19 1.5dc
V_V8
18 4 1.5Vdc
C_C1
9 7 0.03p
C_C2
4 10 0.03p
C_Cs1
2 7 0.25p
C_Cs2
4 2 0.25p
I_I3
7 4 DC 3mAdc
*Gain stage
FIGURE 13. INPUT NOISE VOLTAGE VERSUS FREQUENCY FOR
MACRO MODEL (LEFT) AND DEVICE DATA SHEET
(RIGHT)
Conclusion
A more comprehensive SPICE macro model for a current
feedback amplifier is developed. This macro model includes
effects such as transfer response, accurate AC response, DC
offset and voltage noise. It is convenient to use such a model and
change the parameters to fit other current feedback amplifiers.
4
C_C3
VV2 7 0.405p
C_C4
4 VV2 0.405p
D_D3
13 7 DX
D_D4
4 14 DX
G_G1
7 VV2 7 11 0.01
G_G2
VV2 4 12 4 0.01
R_R7
VV2 7 10meg
R_R8
4 VV2 10meg
R_R17
13 0 1G
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R_R18
14 0 1G
R_R21
0 101 55
0 103 55
V_V5
13 VV2 1.6Vdc
R_R22
V_V6
VV2 14 1.6Vdc
*Current noise
*High-order poles
R_R23
0 NI2 0.022
E_E3
16 4 7 4 0.5
R_R24
0 NI2 0.022
C_C5
VV3 7 0.0032p
R_R25
0 NI1 0.022
C_C6
4 VV3 0.0032p
R_R26
0 NI1 0.022
C_C7
4 VV4 0.0009p
G_Gn1
3 0 NI1 0 1
C_C8
VV4 7 0.0009p
G_Gn2
2 0 NI2 0 1
C_C9
4 VV5 0.0001p
*
C_C10
R_R9
VV5 7 0.0001p
* Models
VV3 7 100k
*
R_R10
4 VV3 100k
.model Ipnp pnp(is=1e-15 bf=1E9 VAF=65)
R_R11
VV4 7 100k
.model Inpn npn(is=1e-15 bf=1E9 VAF=65)
R_R12
4 VV4 100k
.model Iden d(kf=100e-14 af=1)
R_R15
VV5 7 100k
.MODEL DY D(IS=1E-20 BV=50 Rs=1)
R_R16
4 VV5 100k
.MODEL DX D(IS=1E-15 Rs=1)
G_G3
4 VV3 VV2 16 0.00001
G_G4
7 VV3 VV2 16 0.00001
G_G9
7 VV4 VV3 16 0.00001
G_G10
4 VV4 VV3 16 0.00001
G_G11
7 VV5 VV4 16 0.00001
G_G12
4 VV5 VV4 16 0.00001
.ends EL5165
*Output stage
G_G5
15 4 6 VV5 0.0001
G_G6
17 4 VV5 6 0.0001
G_G7
7 6 7 VV5 -0.04
G_G8
6 4 VV5 4 -0.04
R_R13
6 7 25
R_R14
4 6 25
D_D5
7 15 DX
D_D6
7 17 DX
D_D7
4 15 DY
D_D8
4 17 DY
*Voltage noise
E_EN
N4150175 3 101 103 1
V_V15
102 0 0.5Vdc
V_V16
104 0 0.5Vdc
D_DN1
102 101 Iden
D_DN2
104 103 Iden
5
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Application Note 1686
References
[1] Derek Bowers, Mark Alexander, Joe Buxton, "A
Comprehensive Simulation Macromodels for 'Current
Feedback' Operational Amplifiers,” IEEE Proceedings, Vol.
137, April 1990 pp.137-145.
[2] Mark Alexander, Derek Bowers, "AN-138 SPICE-Compatible
Op Amp Macro-Models", Analog Devices Inc., Application
Note 138.
[3] "AN-840 Development of an Extensive SPICE Macromodel
for 'Current-Feedback' Amplifiers”, National Semiconductor
Corp., Application Note 840.
[4] “Current Feedback Amplifier Theory and Applications”,
Intersil Corp., Application Note 9420.
Intersil Corporation reserves the right to make changes in circuit design, software and/or specifications at any time without notice. Accordingly, the reader is
cautioned to verify that the Application Note or Technical Brief is current before proceeding.
For information regarding Intersil Corporation and its products, see www.intersil.com
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