ECE 3410 – Homework 4

Problem 1. In each of the ideal-diode circuits shown below, vIN is a 1 kHz sinusoid with zero-to-peak
amplitude 10 V. For each circuit, sketch the output waveform and state the values of
the maximum and minimum output voltages. For this problem, use the ideal switch
model of the diode.

D1 D2 D1 D1 D2
vIN vOUT vIN vOUT vIN vOUT

1 kΩ 1 kΩ 1 kΩ

(A) (B) (C)

D1 D1 D1 D2
vIN vOUT vIN vOUT vIN vOUT

D2 1 kΩ D2 1 kΩ D3 1 kΩ

(D) (E) (F)

1 kΩ
1 kΩ 1 kΩ vIN vOUT
vIN vOUT vIN vOUT
1 kΩ
D1 D1 D2

D1
(G) (H)

(I)

Solution

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Solution (cont.)

10 0 1

0.5
5 −5 0

−0.5
0 −10
0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
·10−3 ·10−3 ·10−3
(A) (B) (C)

10 10 10

5 0 5

0 −10 0
0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
·10−3 ·10−3 ·10−3
(D) (E) (F)

1 1

0.5 0.5 0

0 0
−2
−0.5 −0.5
−4
0 1 2 0 1 2
·10−3 ·10−3 0 1 2
·10−3
(G) (H)
(I)

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Problem 2. The circuit shown below uses a diode in the feedback path of the op amp. For each
question, use only the ideal switch model to analyze the circuit’s behavior (i.e. ignore
the diode’s 0.7V forward drop). Assume that R1 = 1kΩ, R2 = 4kΩ, and the op amp is
ideal.

R2

R1
vIN −
vOUT
i1 +

(A) Suppose vIN = 2V. What direction is the current i1 passing through R1 ? Is the
diode ON or OFF? What is vOUT ?

Solution

The current is passing forward (left to right), so the diode should be ON and
we expect vOUT = 0 V since it is shorted to the virtual ground at the op amp’s
inverting input terminal.

(B) Suppose vIN = −2V. What direction is the current i1 passing through R1 ? Is the
diode ON or OFF? What is vOUT ?

Solution

In this case the current is passing backward (right to left), so the diode is
reverse biased and should be OFF. With the diode deactivated, the circuit
should behave like an ordinary inverting configuration with vOUT = − R R1 =
2

8 V.

Problem 3. The circuit shown below uses a diode in the feedback path of the op amp. For each
question, use only the ideal switch model to analyze the circuit’s behavior (i.e. ignore
the diode’s 0.7V forward drop). Assume that R = 1kΩ, and the op amp is ideal.

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D i

vOUT −

i +
R

+
− vIN

(A) Suppose vIN = 2V. What direction is the current i passing through R? Is the
diode ON or OFF? What is vOUT ?

Solution

With vIN positive, if the diode is OFF then the op amp will rail in the positive
direction, so the diode will turn ON. Then the current i flows in the forward
direction (consistent with the diode being ON). Since the feedback loop is
closed, the op amp will regulate vOUT = vIN = 2 V.

(B) Suppose vIN = −2V. What direction is the current i passing through R1 ? Is the
diode ON or OFF? What is vOUT ?

Solution

With vIN negative, if the diode is OFF then the op amp will rail in the negative
direction, so the diode will stay OFF. In that case there is no current passing
through R and vOUT = 0 V.

(C) Explain why vOUT can never be less than 0V.

Solution

If vOUT is ever negative, then current will have to flow backwards through R,
and then backwards through the diode. Since the diode will block any reverse
current, this case is impossible.

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Problem 4. A half-wave rectifier circuit is shown below. You may assume that R = 1kΩ and the
diode D has a 0.7V forward drop when its forward current equals 1mA.

vIN vOUT

i R

(A) Using the iterative analysis procedure, solve a precise solution for i and vOUT
for the case when vIN = 2V. Show your results at each iteration, and state the
number of iterations required to reach three significant digits of precision.

Solution

We start with the initial guess that vD = 0.7 V and iD = 1 mA. We then
iterate these steps:
i. Solve vOUT = vIN − vD and update iD = vOUT /R.
ii. Solve vD = 0.7 V + 26 mV × ln (iD /1 mA) .
Then the table of iterations is as follows:
vD iD vOUT ∆vD ∆iD ∆vOUT
0.70000 1.00000 1.30000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
0.70682 1.30000 1.30000 0.00682 0.30000 0.00000
0.70668 1.29318 1.29318 -0.00014 - 0.00682 -0.00682
0.70669 1.29332 1.29332 0.00000 0.00014 0.00014
After three iterations (four rows including the initial guess) we can verify there
is no change in the three most significant digits.

(B) Using the small-signal model, solve an approximate solution for i and vOUT for
the case when vIN = 2V. How close is the small-signal result compared to the
iterative method, and compared to the constant voltage drop method?

Solution

Using the linearized method, we insert a 26 Ω resistor to account for the error
in our initial guess. Then we have this equivalent circuit:

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Solution (cont.)

0.7 V
26 Ω

+
−
vOUT
vIN
1 mA
R

NOT FINISHED YET!!!

(C) Repeat the iterative and small-signal solutions for the case when vIN = 0.5V. How
do they compare in this case?

Problem 5. A 0.7V regulator circuit is shown below. You may assume that R = 1kΩ and the diode
has a 0.7V forward drop at 1mA.

R
vin vout

(A) Suppose vIN has a sinusoidal “ripple” such that its maximum and minimum values
are
vIN (max) = 3.5V
vIN (min) = 3.0V

Using the small-signal procedure, estimate the maximum and minimum values
that will appear at vOUT . Calculate your answer with mV precision.
(B) Calculate the line regulation, defined as the ratio
vOUT (max) − vOUT (min)
LR =
vIN (max) − vIN (min)
Give your result in mV/ V.

Problem 6. The peak rectifier circuit shown below is used to convert a 1kHz AC signal into a DC
signal. The input signal has a zero-to-peak amplitude of 15V. The input signal also

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has a frequency f = 1kHz and period T = 1ms. The resistor and capacitor values are
C = 10µF and R = 10kΩ, respectively. The diode has a 0.7V forward drop when its
forward current is 1mA.

vIN vOUT

C R

(A) Assuming that vOUT charges all the way up to +15V during the positive cycle of
vIN , calculate the ripple amplitude Vr that happens during the period when the
diode is OFF. Note that, since RC  T , if the diode switches OFF at some time
t0 then we may approximate vOUT as
t − t0
vOUT ≈ 15V −
RC

(B) Calculate the ripple amplitude when f is increased to 10kHz.

Problem 7. The half-wave precision rectifier circuit suffers from three problems: First, when the
diode is off, the feedback loop becomes an open-circuit and the op amp is driven to a
rail voltage. Second, when the diode turns on again, the op amp must slew back from
the rail, which delays its response. Third, only half of the waveform is rectified. The
circuit shown below rectifies (ehem) these problems. Study the circuit and answer the
following questions.

vIN +
vX
−
vY
1

D
D

RL

+
vOUT
D

4
D
3

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(A) First, let vIN = 0 V and suppose has a (very large) open-loop gain A but is other-
wise ideal. Using the ideal switch model, predict the voltages that will appear at
vX , vY and vOUT .
(B) Now let vIN = 100 mV. Using the ideal switch model for the diodes, predict which
diodes will be on and which will be off, and report the state (ON/OFF) for
each diode. Is the op amp’s negative feedback loop closed? Predict the value at
vY , vX and vOUT .
(C) Now let vIN = −100 mV. Again using the ideal switch model, predict which diodes
will be on and which will be off, and report the state for each diode. Is the op
amp’s negative feedback loop closed? Predict the value at vY , vX and vOUT .
(D) If you use the diode’s full exponential model instead of the ideal switch model,
how will your results change for the last two sub-problems? You may state your
answer symbolically, in terms of the diodes’ unknown forward voltage drop, vD .

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