Analog & Pulse Circuits

UNIT I
POWER AMPLIFIERS
K.Aruna Kumari
Assistant Professor
ECM Dept
SNIST
 Syllabus
UNIT I POWER AMPLIFIERS
UNIT II TUNED AMPLIFIERS
UNIT III WAVE SHAPING – Linear and Non-linear
UNIT IV MULTIVIBRATORS
  UNIT V TIME BASE GENERATORS
UNIT VI SAMPLING and LOGIC GATES
 Text Books
1. Integrated electronics-J.Milliman and C.C.Halkias, MC Graw –
Hill-1972
2. Pulse digital and switching wave forms-J. Millman and H. Taub,
Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi,2001.
3. Solid State Pulse circuits - David A. Bell, PHI, 4th Edn., 2002.
• References:
– Pulse and Digital Circuits – A. Anand Kumar, PHI, 2005.
– Wave Generation and Shaping - L. Strauss
– Electronic Circuit Analysis-K.Lal Kishore, 2004, BSP

 
• A power amplifier is an electronic amplifier
designed to increase the magnitude of power
of a given input signal. 
 Unit-I
PowerAmplifiers
• Voltage Amplifier:The function of a voltage amplifier is to
raise the voltage level of the signal. A voltage amplifier is
designed to achieve maximum voltage amplification.

• Power amplifier:The function of a power amplifier is to raise

the power level of input signal. It is required to deliver a large
amount of power and has to handle large current.

The DC power is distributed according to the relation,

DC power input = AC power output + losses
 Power Transistor
A Power transistor differs from the other
transistors, in the following factors.
• It is larger in size, in order to handle large powers.
• The collector region of the transistor is made large and a
heat sink is placed at the collector-base junction in order
to minimize heat generated.
• The emitter and base regions of a power transistor are
heavily doped.
• Due to the low input resistance, it requires low input
power.
The characteristics of a power amplifier
• The base of transistor is made thicken to handle large
currents. The value of β being (β > 100) high.
• The size of the transistor is made larger, in order to dissipate
more heat, which is produced during transistor operation.
• Transformer coupling is used for impedance matching.
• Collector resistance is made low.
The comparison between voltage and power amplifiers is given
below in a tabular form

S.No Particular Voltage Amplifier Power Amplifier

1 β High (>100) Low (5 to 20)

2 RC High (4-10 KΩ) Low (5 to 20 Ω)

Usually R-C coupling Invariably transformer

3 Coupling coupling

4 Input voltage Low (a few m V) High (2-4 V)

5 Collector current Low (≈ 1 mA) High (> 100 mA)

6 Power output Low High

7 Output impendence High (≈ 12 K Ω) Low (200 Ω)

Classification Based on Frequencies
Power amplifiers are divided into two categories, based
on the frequencies they handle. They are as follows.
• Audio Power Amplifiers − The audio power amplifiers
raise the power level of signals that have audio
frequency range (20 Hz to 20 KHz). They are also
known as Small signal power amplifiers.

• Radio Power Amplifiers − Radio Power Amplifiers or

tuned power amplifiers raise the power level of signals
that have radio frequency range (3 KHz to 300 GHz).
They are also known as large signal power amplifiers.
Classification Based on Mode of Operation
On the basis of the mode of operation, i.e., the portion of the input
cycle during which collector current flows, the power amplifiers
may be classified as follows.
• Class A Power amplifier − When the collector current flows at all
times during the full cycle of signal, the power amplifier is known
as class A power amplifier.
• Class B Power amplifier − When the collector current flows only
during the positive half cycle of the input signal, the power
amplifier is known as class B power amplifier.
• Class C Power amplifier − When the collector current flows for
less than half cycle of the input signal, the power amplifier is known
as class C power amplifier.
 Power Amplifier Voltage Amplifier
Voltage amplifier amplifies the voltage
The power amplifier amplifies the power or increases the voltage level of a
of a signal. signal.
The input signal of the power amplifier The voltage amplifier can work with
must have a high magnitude. low magnitude signal.
The current gain of the voltage
The current gain of the power amplifier amplifier is very low, it lies between 5
is very high, it greater than 100 to 20
Transformer coupling is used in Power RC coupling is used in Voltage
Amplifier. amplifier.

The transistor used in the voltage

The transistor used in the Power amplifier has a thin base because it not
Amplifier has a thick base because it handle large current, it just increases the
handles the very large current. voltage level of the input signal
The output impedance of the voltage
The output impedance of the power amplifier is very high, about 12 kilo-
amplifier is very low, up to 200ohm ohm
 Performance parameters:
1. Circuit efficiency: Also known as conversion
efficiency or overall efficiency.

2. Distortion: The difference between the output

& input of an amplifier is known as distortion.
(1) Harmonic or amplitude distortion – Due to nonlinearity in transistor.
(2) Crossover distortion – occurs when transistors not operating in correct
phase with each other.
3. Power Dissipation capacity: It’s defined as the ability
to dissipate the heat by the power transistor. Also known
as power rating.
Classification of power amplifiers:
Based on Transistor biasing and amplitude of
input signal
 Series fed class A amplifiers Class A
Amplifier
• When the collector current flows at all times
during the full cycle of signal, the power
amplifier is known as class A power amplifier.
 Transformer coupled class A amplifier
• A transformer can increase or decrease voltage or current
levels according to its turns ratio a=N 1 :N 2
 Class B Power amplifier
• If the collector current flows during the half cycle of the signal only, the
power amplifier is known as class B amplifier.
• To have this kind of operation, Q point must be located at cut-off.
• Consists of Push-Pull & complementary pair electronic devices
• One conducts for one half cycle of the input signal and the other conducts for
another half of the input signal
• When the input is zero, both devices are off, the bias currents are zero and the
output is zero.
• Ideal voltage gain is unity
Class B Push pull amplifier
Power Dissipation
 COMPLEMENTARY SYMMETRY PUSH PULL CLASS B AMPLIFIER

• a NPN transistor and a PNP transistor connected in push pull configuration.

This means that the arrangement uses two transistors having complementary
symmetry. The term complementary arises from the fact that one transistor
is NPN type and the other is PNP type.
ADVANTAGES
• As there is no need of center tapped transformers, the weight
and cost are reduced and the circuit becomes compact also.
• Equal and opposite input signal voltages are not required.
• It can be easily fabricated in an IC form.
DISADVANTAGES
• It is quite difficult to get a pair of transistors (NPN and PNP)
that have similar characteristics (or, matched transistors).
• The harmonics will be developed if there is any unbalance in
the two transistors which results in the increase of distortion.
Comparison of push pull and complementary symmetry amplifier
 CLASS AB AMPLIFIER

• Class AB amplifier output stage combines the advantages of

the Class A amplifier and the Class B amplifier producing a
better amplifier design
Class C Power Amplifier
 Distortion in Amplifiear
• Distortion in Amplifier basically implies the variation in the waveform received
at the output with respect to the applied input. The unwanted alterations
generated during amplification is known as distortion.
Ther are some factors that cause distortion.
• If biasing is not proper then amplification not occur properly.
• If the input signal is large beyond the transistor limit it will cause to distortion
in the signal.
• If signal is not linear during its cycle at the frequency range input signal.
• To understand amplifier distortion we explain an example of a common emitter
amplifier.
Amplitude Distortion due to Clipping
 Harmonic distortion
• Harmonic distortion in power amplifiers are mainly caused by the non
linearities of the active elements (transistors). The active element used for
amplification whether BJT, FET, MOSFET or anything like that  may not
equally amplify every points in the input waveform and this is the reason
behind the non-linearity. 
Power output due Distortion