AD548

TPC 19c. Unity Gain Follower

Pulse Response (Small Signal)

TPC 19b. Unity Gain Follower

Pulse Response (Large Signal)

TPC 20c. Unity Gain Inverter

Pulse Response (Small Signal)

TPC 20b. Utility Gain Inverter

Pulse Response (Large Signal)

APPLICATION NOTES

The AD548 is a JFET-input op amp with a guaranteed maxi-

0.5 mV and 5

µV/°C, respectively (AD548B). AC specs include

1 MHz bandwidth, 1.8 V/

µs typical slew rate and 8 µs settling time

for a 20 V step to

± 0.01%—all at a supply current less than

200

µA. To capitalize on the device’s performance, a number of

error sources should be considered.

The minimal power drain and low offset drift of the AD548

reduce self-heating or “warm-up” effects on input offset voltage,

making the AD548 ideal for on/off battery-powered applica-

tions. The power dissipation due to the AD548’s 200

µA supply

current has a negligible effect on input current, but heavy out-

put loading will raise the chip temperature. Since a JFET’s

input current doubles for every 10

°C rise in chip temperature,

this can be a noticeable effect.

The amplifier is designed to be functional with power supply

voltages as low as

±4.5 V. It will exhibit a higher input offset

voltage than at the rated supply voltage of

±15 V, due to power

supply rejection effects. The common-mode range of the AD548

extends from 3 V more positive than the negative supply to 1 V

more negative than the positive supply. Designed to cleanly

drive up to 10 k

Ω and 100 pF loads, the AD548 will drive a 2

k

Ω load with reduced open-loop gain.

OFFSET NULLING

Unlike bipolar input amplifiers, zeroing the input offset voltage

of a BiFET op amp will not minimize offset drift. Using balance

Pins 1 and 5 to adjust the input offset voltage as shown in

Figure 1 will induce an added drift of 0.24

µV/°C per 100 µV of

nulled offset. The low initial offset (0.5 mV) of the AD548B

results in only 0.6

µV/°C of additional drift.

REV. D

–7–

TPC 19a. Unity Gain Follower

TPC 20a. Utility Gain Inverter

Figure 1. Offset Null Configuration

LAYOUT

To take full advantage of the AD548’s 10 pA max input current,

parasitic leakages must be kept below an acceptable level. The

practical limit of the resistance of epoxy or phenolic circuit

board material is between 1

result in an additional leakage of 5 pA between an input of 0 V

and a –15 V supply line. Teflon

rial (with a resistance exceeding 10

17

Ω) should be used to

isolate high impedance input lines from adjacent lines carrying

high voltages. The insulator should be kept clean, since con-

taminants will degrade the surface resistance.

A metal guard completely surrounding the high impedance nodes

and driven by a voltage near the common-mode input potential

can also be used to reduce some parasitic leakages. The guarding

pattern in Figure 2 will reduce parasitic leakage due to finite

board surface resistance; but it will not compensate for a low

volume resistivity board.

Teflon is a registered trademark of DuPont.