7
FN1342.6
July 11, 2005
Clamp Accuracy
The clamped output voltage will not be exactly equal to the
voltage applied to VH or VL. Offset errors, mostly due to VBE
mismatches, necessitate a clamp accuracy parameter which
is found in the device specifications. Clamp accuracy is a
function of the clamping conditions. Referring again to
Figure 4, it can be seen that one component of clamp
accuracy is the VBE mismatch between the QX6 transistors,
and the QX5 transistors. If the transistors always ran at the
same current level there would be no VBE mismatch, and no
contribution to the inaccuracy. The QX6 transistors are
biased at a constant current, but as described earlier, the
current through QX5 is equivalent to ICLAMP. VBE increases
as ICLAMP increases, causing the clamped output voltage to
increase as well. ICLAMP is a function of the overdrive level
(AVCL x VIN - VOUT CLAMPED), so clamp accuracy degrades
as the overdrive increases. As an example, the specified
accuracy of
±100mV (AV = -1, VH = 1V) for a 1.6X overdrive
degrades to
±240mV for a 3X (200%) overdrive, as shown in
Figure 43.
Consideration must also be given to the fact that the clamp
voltages have an affect on amplifier linearity. The
“Nonlinearity Near Clamp Voltage” curve, Figure 48,
illustrates the impact of several clamp levels on linearity.
Clamp Range
Unlike some competitor devices, both VH and VL have
usable ranges that cross 0V. While VH must be more positive
than VL, both may be positive or negative, within the range
restrictions indicated in the specifications. For example, the
HFA1113 could be limited to ECL output levels by setting
VH = -0.8V and VL = -1.8V. VH and VL may be connected to
the same voltage (GND for instance) but the result won’t be
in a DC output voltage from an AC input signal. A
150mV - 200mV AC signal will still be present at the output.
Recovery from Overdrive
The output voltage remains at the clamp level as long as the
overdrive condition remains. When the input voltage drops
below the overdrive level (VCLAMP/AVCL) the amplifier will
return to linear operation. A time delay, known as the
Overdrive Recovery Time, is required for this resumption of
linear operation. The plots of “Unclamped Performance” and
“Clamped Performance” (Figures 41 and 42) highlight the
HFA1113’s subnanosecond recovery time. The difference
between the unclamped and clamped propagation delays is
the overdrive recovery time. The appropriate propagation
delays are 8.0ns for the unclamped pulse, and 8.8ns for the
clamped (2X overdrive) pulse yielding an overdrive recovery
time of 800ps. The measurement uses the 90% point of the
output transition to ensure that linear operation has
resumed. Note: The propagation delay illustrated is
dominated by the fixturing. The delta shown is accurate, but
the true HFA1113 propagation delay is 500ps.
Overdrive recovery time is also a function of the overdrive
level. Figure 47 details the overdrive recovery time for
various clamp and overdrive levels.
Typical Performance Curves
VSUPPLY = ±5V, TA = 25
oC, R
L = 100, Unless Otherwise Specified
FIGURE 5. SMALL SIGNAL PULSE RESPONSE
FIGURE 6. LARGE SIGNAL PULSE RESPONSE
AV = +2
200
150
100
50
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
OUT
P
UT
V
O
L
T
A
G
E
(mV
)
TIME (5ns/DIV.)
AV = +2
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
-0.5
-1.0
-1.5
-2.0
OUT
P
UT
V
O
L
T
A
G
E
(
V
)
TIME (5ns/DIV.)
HFA1113