il300 appn50

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7/23/2019 IL300 appn50 http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/il300-appn50 1/19  VISHAY SEMICONDUCTORS Optocouplers  Application Note 50 Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler  C  O N  N  O  Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 1 Document Number: 83708 For technical questions, contact: [email protected] THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT  ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000 www.vishay.com INTRODUCTION This application note presents isolation amplifier circuit designs useful in industrial, instrumentation, medical, and communication systems. It covers the IL300’s coupling specifications, and circuit topologies for photovoltaic and photoconductive amplifier design. Specific designs include unipolar and bipolar responding amplifiers. Both single ended and differential amplifier configurations are discussed. Also included is a brief tutorial on the operation of photodetectors and their characteristics. Galvanic isolation is desirable and often essential in many measurement systems. Applications requiring galvanic isolation include industrial sensors, medical transducers, and mains powered switchmode power supplies. Operator safety and signal quality are insured with isolated interconnections. These isolated interconnections commonly use isolation amplifiers. Industrial sensors include thermocouples, strain gauges, and pressure transducers. They provide monitoring signals to a process control system. Their low level DC and AC signal must be accurately measured in the presence of high common-mode noise. The IL300’s 130 dB common mode rejection (CMR), ± 50 ppm/ °C stability, and ± 0.01 % linearity provide a quality link from the sensor to the controller input. Safety is an important factor in instrumentation for medical patient monitoring. EEG, ECG, and similar systems demand high insulation safety for the patient under evaluation. The IL300’s 7500 V withstand test voltage (WTV) insulation, DC response, and high CMR are features which assure safety for the patient and accuracy of the transducer signals. The aforementioned applications require isolated signal processing. Current designs rely on A to D or V to F converters to provide input/output insulation and noise isolation. Such designs use transformers or high-speed optocouplers which often result in complicated and costly solutions. The IL300 eliminates the complexity of these isolated amplifier designs without sacrificing accuracy or stability. The IL300’s 200 kHz bandwidth and gain stability make it an excellent candidate for subscriber and data phone interfaces. Present OEM switch mode power supplies are approaching 1 MHz switching frequencies. Such supplies need output monitoring feedback networks with wide bandwidth and flat phase response. The IL300 satisfies these needs with simple support circuits. OPERATION OF THE IL300 The IL300 consists of a high-efficiency AlGaAs LED emitter coupled to two independent PIN photodiodes. The servo photodiode (pins 3, 4) provides a feedback signal which controls the current to the LED emitter (pins 1, 2). This photodiode provides a photocurrent, I P1 , that is directly proportional to the LED’s incident flux. This servo operation linearizes the LED’s output flux and eliminates the LED’s time and temperature. The galvanic isolation between the input and the output is provided by a second PIN photodiode (pins 5, 6) located on the output side of the coupler. The output current, I P2 , from this photodiode accurately tracks the photocurrent generated by the servo photodiode. Figure 1 shows the package footprint and electrical schematic of the IL300. The following sections discuss the key operating characteristics of the IL300. The IL300 performance characteristics are specified with the photodiodes operating in the photoconductive mode.  Fig. 1 - IL300 Schematic SERVO GAIN - K1 The typical servo photocurrent, I P1 , as a function of LED current, is shown in figure 2. This graph shows the typical non-servo LED-photodiode linearity is ± 1 % over an LED drive current range of 1 to 30 mA. This curve also shows that the non-servo photocurrent is affected by ambient temperature. The photocurrent typically decreases by - 0.5 % per °C. The LED’s nonlinearity and temperature characteristics are minimized when the IL300 is used as a servo linear amplifier. 3 5 6 7 8 IL300 2 4 1 K1 K2 I P1 I P2 17752

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Page 1: IL300 appn50

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V I SH A Y S E M I C ON D U C T OR S

Optocouplers Application Note 50

Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P

P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 1 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

www.vishay.com

INTRODUCTION

This application note presents isolation amplifier circuitdesigns useful in industrial, instrumentation, medical, andcommunication systems. It covers the IL300’s couplingspecifications, and circuit topologies for photovoltaic andphotoconductive amplifier design. Specific designs includeunipolar and bipolar responding amplifiers. Both singleended and differential amplifier configurations arediscussed. Also included is a brief tutorial on the operationof photodetectors and their characteristics.

Galvanic isolation is desirable and often essential in manymeasurement systems. Applications requiring galvanicisolation include industrial sensors, medical transducers,and mains powered switchmode power supplies. Operatorsafety and signal quality are insured with isolatedinterconnections. These isolated interconnectionscommonly use isolation amplifiers.

Industrial sensors include thermocouples, strain gauges,and pressure transducers. They provide monitoring signalsto a process control system. Their low level DC and ACsignal must be accurately measured in the presence of highcommon-mode noise. The IL300’s 130 dB common moderejection (CMR), ± 50 ppm/ °C stability, and ± 0.01 %linearity provide a quality link from the sensor to thecontroller input.

Safety is an important factor in instrumentation for medicalpatient monitoring. EEG, ECG, and similar systems demandhigh insulation safety for the patient under evaluation. TheIL300’s 7500 V withstand test voltage (WTV) insulation, DCresponse, and high CMR are features which assure safetyfor the patient and accuracy of the transducer signals.

The aforementioned applications require isolated signalprocessing. Current designs rely on A to D or V to Fconverters to provide input/output insulation and noiseisolation. Such designs use transformers or high-speedoptocouplers which often result in complicated and costlysolutions. The IL300 eliminates the complexity of theseisolated amplifier designs without sacrificing accuracy orstability.

The IL300’s 200 kHz bandwidth and gain stability make it anexcellent candidate for subscriber and data phoneinterfaces. Present OEM switch mode power supplies areapproaching 1 MHz switching frequencies. Such suppliesneed output monitoring feedback networks with widebandwidth and flat phase response. The IL300 satisfiesthese needs with simple support circuits.

OPERATION OF THE IL300

The IL300 consists of a high-efficiency AlGaAs LED emittercoupled to two independent PIN photodiodes. The servophotodiode (pins 3, 4) provides a feedback signal whichcontrols the current to the LED emitter (pins 1, 2). Thisphotodiode provides a photocurrent, IP1, that is directlyproportional to the LED’s incident flux. This servo operationlinearizes the LED’s output flux and eliminates the LED’stime and temperature. The galvanic isolation between theinput and the output is provided by a second PINphotodiode (pins 5, 6) located on the output side of thecoupler. The output current, IP2, from this photodiodeaccurately tracks the photocurrent generated by the servophotodiode.

Figure 1 shows the package footprint and electricalschematic of the IL300. The following sections discuss thekey operating characteristics of the IL300. The IL300performance characteristics are specified with thephotodiodes operating in the photoconductive mode.

Fig. 1 - IL300 Schematic

SERVO GAIN - K1The typical servo photocurrent, IP1, as a function of LEDcurrent, is shown in figure 2. This graph shows the typicalnon-servo LED-photodiode linearity is ± 1 % over an LEDdrive current range of 1 to 30 mA. This curve also shows thatthe non-servo photocurrent is affected by ambienttemperature. The photocurrent typically decreases by- 0.5 % per °C. The LED’s nonlinearity and temperaturecharacteristics are minimized when the IL300 is used as aservo linear amplifier.

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1

K2

IP1 IP2

17752

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 2 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 2 - Servo Photocurrent vs. LED Current

The servo gain is defined as the ratio of the servo

photocurrent, IP1, to the LED drive current, IF. It is called K1,

and is described in equation 1.

(1)

The IL300 is specified with an IF = 10 mA, T A = 25 °C, and

Vd = - 15 V. This condition generates a typical servo

photocurrent of IP1 = 70 µA. This results in a typical

K1 = 0.007. The relationship of K1 and LED drive current is

shown in figure 3.

Fig. 3 - Servo Gain vs. LED Current

The servo gain, K1, is guaranteed to be between 0.005

minimum to 0.011 maximum of an IF = 10 mA, T A = 25 °C,

and VD = 15 V.

Fig. 4 - Normalized Servo Gain vs. LED Current

Figure 4 presents the normalized servo gain, NK1(IF, T A ), as

a function of LED current and temperature. It can be used to

determine the minimum or maximum servo photocurrent,

IP1, given LED current and ambient temperature. The actual

servo gain can be determined from equation 2.

(2)

The minimum servo photocurrent under specific use

conditions can be determined by using the minimum value

for K1 (0.005) and the normalization factor from figure 4. The

example is to determine IP1 (min.) for the condition of K1 at

T A = 75 °C, and IF = 6 mA.

(3)

(4) (5)

Using K1(IF, T A ) = 0.0036 in equation 1 the minimum IP1 can

be determined.

(6)

(7)

(8)

The minimum value IP1 is useful for determining the

maximum required LED current needed to servo the input

stage of the isolation amplifier.

OUTPUT FORWARD GAIN - K2

Figure 1 shows that the LED's optical flux is also received bya PIN photodiode located on the output side (pins 5, 6) of the

coupler package. This detector is surrounded by an optically

transparent high-voltage insulation material. The coupler

construction spaces the LED 0.4 mm from the output PIN

photodiode. The package construction and the insulation

material guarantee the coupler to have a withstand test

voltage of 7500 V peak.

0 5 10 15 20 25 300

50

100

150

200

250

300

0 °C

25 °C

50 °C75 °C

IF - LED Current - mA

I P 1 - S e r v o P h o t o c u r r e n t ( µ A )

17753

K1 IP1 IF ⁄ =

IF - LED Current (mA)

0.1 1 10 1000

K 1 - S e r v o

G a i n - I P 1

/ I F

0.010

0.008

0.006

0.004

0.002

25°

50°

75°

100°

17754

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

IF - LED Current (mA)

N K 1 - N o r m a l i z e d S e r v o G a i n

0 °

25 °

50 °

75 °

100 °

Normalized to:

IF = 10 mA,TA = 25 °C

17755

0.1 1 10 100

K1 IF TA,( ) K1 datasheet limit( ) NK1 IF TA,( )⋅=

NK1 IF 6 mA TA 75 °C=,=( ) 0.72 NK1 IF TA,( )⋅=

K1MIN IF TA,( ) K1MIN 0.005( ) NK1 0.72( )⋅( )=K1MIN IF TA,( ) 0.0036=

IP1MIN K1MIN IF TA,( ) IF⋅( )=

IP1MIN 0.0036 6 mA⋅=

IP1MIN IF 6 mA TA 75 °C=,=( ) 21.6 µA =

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 3 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

K2, the output (forward) gain is defined as the ratio of the

output photodiode current, IP2, to the LED current, IF. K2 is

shown in equation 9.

(9)

The forward gain, K2, has the same characteristics of the

servo gain, K1. The normalized current and temperature

performance of each detector is identical. This results from

using matched PIN photodiodes in the IL300’s construction.

TRANSFER GAIN - K3

The current gain, or CTR, of the standard phototransistor

optocoupler is set by the LED efficiency, transistor gain, and

optical coupling. Variation in ambient temperature alters the

LED efficiency and phototransistor gain and results in CTR

drift. Isolation amplifiers constructed with standard

phototransistor optocouplers suffer from gain drift due tochanging CTR.

Isolation amplifiers using the IL300 are not plagued with the

drift problems associated with standard phototransistors.

The following analysis will show how the servo operation of

the IL300 eliminates the influence of LED efficiency on the

amplifier gain.

The input-output gain of the IL300 is termed transfer gain,

K3. Transfer gain is defined as the output (forward) gain, K2,

divided by servo gain, K1, as shown in equation 10.

(10)

The first step in the analysis is to review the simple optical

servo feedback amplifier shown in figure 5.

The circuit consists of an operational amplifier, U1, afeedback resistor R1, and the input section of the IL300. The

servo photodiode is operating in the photoconductive

mode. The initial conditions are:

.

Initially, a positive voltage is applied to the nonirritating input

(Va ) of the op amp. At that time the output of the op amp will

swing toward the positive Vcc rail, and forward bias the LED.

As the LED current, IF, starts to flow, an optical flux will be

generated. The optical flux will irradiate the servo

photodiode causing it to generate a photocurrent, IP1. This

photocurrent will flow through R1 and develop a positive

voltage at the inverting input (Vb ) of the op amp. The

amplifier output will start to swing toward the negative

supply rail, - VCC. When the magnitude of the Vb is equal tothat of Va, the LED drive current will cease to increase. This

condition forces the circuit into a stable closed loop

condition.

Fig. 5 - Optical Servo Amplifier

When Vin is modulated, Vb will track Vin. For this to happen

the photocurrent through R1 must also track the change in

Va. Recall that the photocurrent results from the change in

LED current times the servo gain, K1. The following

equations can be written to describe this activity.

(11)

(12)

(13)

The relationship of LED drive to input voltage is shown by

combining equations 11, 12, and 13.

(14)

(15)

(16)

Equation 16 shows that the LED current is related to the

input voltage Vin. A changing Va causes a modulation in the

LED flux. The LED flux will change to a level that generates

the necessary servo photocurrent to stabilize the optical

feedback loop. The LED flux will be a linear representation

of the input voltage, Va. The servo photodiode’s linearity

controls the linearity of the isolation amplifier.

The next step in the analysis is to evaluate the output trans

resistance amplifier. The common inverting trans resistance

amplifier is shown in figure 6. The output photodiode is

operated in the photoconductive mode. The photocurrent,

IP2

, is derived from the same LED that irradiates the servo

photodetector. The output signal, Vout, is proportional to the

output photocurrent, IP2, times the trans resistance, R2.

Vout = - IP2 ⋅ R2 (17)

(18)

Combining equations 17 and 18 and solving for IF is shown

in equation 19.

(19)

K2 IP1 IF ⁄ =

K3 K2 K1 ⁄ =

Va Vb 0= =

6

-

+

3

2

7

4

R1

VCC

U1

Va

Vb

Vin I F

+

IP1

3

IL300

2

4

1

K1

17756

VCC

IP1

Va Vb Vin 0= = =

IP1 IF K1⋅=

Vb IP1 R1⋅=

Va IP1 R1⋅=

Vin

IF

K1 R1⋅ ⋅=

IF Vin K1 R1⋅( ) ⁄ =

IP2 K2 IF⋅=

IF - Vou t K2 R2⋅( ) ⁄ =

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 4 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 6 - Optical Servo Amplifier

The input-output gain of the isolation amplifier is determinedby combining equations 16 and 19.

(16)

(19)

(20)

(21)

Note that the LED current, IF, is factored out of equation 21.

This is possible because the servo and output photodiode

currents are generated by the same LED source. This

equation can be simplified further by replacing the K2/K1

ratio with IL300’s transfer gain, K3.

(22)

The IL300 isolation amplifier gain stability and offset drift

depends on the transfer gain characteristics. Figure 7 shows

the consistency of the normalized K3 as a function of LED

current and ambient temperature. The transfer gain drift as

a function of temperature is ± 0.005 %/°C over a 0 °C to

75 °C range.

Figure 8 shows the composite isolation amplifier including

the input servo amplifier and the output trans resistance

amplifier. This circuit offers the insulation of an optocoupler

and the gain stability of a feedback amplifier.

Fig. 7 - Normalized Servo Transfer Gain

An instrumentation engineer often seeks to design an

isolation amplifier with unity gain of Vout /Vin = 1.0. The

IL300’s transfer gain is targeted for: K3 = 1.0.

Package assembly variations result in a range of K3.

Because of the importance of K3, Vishay offers the transfer

gain sorted into ± 5 % bins. The bin designator is listed on

the IL300 package. The K3 bin limits are shown in table 1.

This table is useful when selecting the specific resistor

values needed to set the isolation amplifier transfer gain.

U2 6

-

+3

2

7

4

VoutVCC

R2IP2

5

6

7

8IL300

K2

IP2

17757

VCC

IF Vin K1 R1⋅( ⁄ =

IF - Vou t K2 R2⋅( ) ⁄ =

Vin K1 R1⋅( ) ⁄ - Vou t K2 R2⋅( ) ⁄ =

Vout Vin ⁄ K2 R2⋅( ) K1 R1⋅( ) ⁄ – =

Vout Vin ⁄ - K3 R2 R1 ⁄ ( )⋅=TABLE 1 - K3 TRANSFER GAIN BINS

BIN TYP. MIN. MAX. A 0.59 0.56 0.623

B 0.66 0.623 0.693

C 0.73 0.693 0.769

D 0.81 0.769 0.855

E 0.93 0.855 0.95

F 1.0 0.95 1.056

G 1.11 1.056 1.175

H 1.24 1.175 1.304

I 1.37 1.304 1.449

J 1.53 1.449 1/61

0 5 10 15 20 250.990

0.995

1.000

1.005

1.010

IF - LED Current (mA)

K 3 - T r a n s f e r G a i n ( K 2 / K 1 )

Normalized to IF = 10 mA, T

A = 25 °C

0 °C

25 °C

50 °C

75 °C

Non - servoed

17758

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 5 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 8 - Composite Amplifier

ISOLATION AMPLIFIER DESIGN TECHNIQUES

The previous section discussed the operation of an isolation

amplifier using the optical servo technique. The following

section will describe the design philosophy used in

developing isolation amplifiers optimized for input voltage

range, linearity, and noise rejection.

The IL300 can be configured as either a photovoltaic or

photoconductive isolation amplifier. The photovoltaic

topology offers the best linearity, lowest noise, and drift

performance. Isolation amplifiers using these circuit

configurations meet or exceed 12 bit A to D performance.Photoconductive photodiode operation provides the largest

coupled frequency bandwidth. The photoconductive

configuration has linearity and drift characteristics

comparable to a 8 to 9 bit A to D converter.

PHOTOVOLTAIC ISOLATION AMPLIFIER

The transfer characteristics of this amplifier are shown in

figure 9.

The input stage consists of a servo amplifier, U1, which

controls the LED drive current. The servo photodiode is

operated with zero voltage bias. This is accomplished by

connecting the photodiodes anode and cathode directly to

U1’s inverting and non-inverting inputs. The characteristics

of the servo amplifier operation are presented in figure 9a

and figure 9b. The servo photocurrent is linearly proportional

to the input voltage, . Figure 9b shows the

LED current is inversely proportional to the servo transfer

gain, . The servo photocurrent, resulting from

the LED emission, keeps the voltage at the inverting input of

U1 equal to zero. The output photocurrent, IP2, results from

the incident flux supplied by the LED. Figure 9c shows that

the magnitude of the output current is determined by the

output transfer gain, K2. The output voltage, as shown in

figure 9d, is proportional to the output photocurrent IP2. The

output voltage equals the product of the output

photocurrent times the output amplifier’s trans resistance,

R2.

When low offset drift and greater than 12 bit linearity is

desired, photovoltaic amplifier designs should beconsidered. The schematic of a typical positive unipolar

photovoltaic isolation amplifier is shown in figure 10.

The composite amplifier transfer gain (Vo /Vin ) is the ratio of

two products. The first is the output transfer gain, K2 · R2.

The second is the servo transfer gain, K1 · R1. The amplifier

gain is the first divided by the second. See equation 23.

Fig. 9 - Positive Unipolar Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier Transfer Characteristics

6

+

3

2

7

4

VCC

R1

U1

Va

Vb

VinIF

+

IP1

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

U26

+

3

2

7

4

Vout

R2

17759

VCC

IP1 IP2

VCC

VCC

IP2

IP1 Vin R1 ⁄ =

IF IP1 K1 ⁄ =

IP1V

in

+0

a

+

IF

0

b

Vout

0

d

0

c

R21K1

1R1

K2

17760

IP1

IP2

IP2

IF

IP1V

in

+0

a

+

IF

0

b

Vout

0

d

0

c

R21K1

1R1

K2

17760

IP1

IP2

IP2

IF

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 6 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 10 - Positive Unipolar Photovoltaic Aamplifier

(23)

Equation 23 shows that the composite amplifier transfer gain

is independent of the LED forward current. The K2/K1 ratio

reduces to IL300 transfer gain, K3. This relationship is

included in equation 24. This equation shows that the

composite amplifier gain is equal to the product of the IL300

gain, K3, times the ratio of the output to input resistors.

(24)

Designing this amplifier is a three step process. First, given

the input signal span and U1’s output current handling

capability, the input resistor R1 can be determined by using

the circuit found in figure 9 and the following typicalcharacteristics:

OP- 07 out = ± 15 mA

L300 K1 = 0.007

K2 = 0.007

K3 = 1.0

Vin 0 ≥ + 1.0 V

The second step is to determine servo photocurrent, IP1,

resulting from the peak input signal swing. This current is the

product of the LED drive current, IF, times the servo transfer

gain, K1. For this example the Ioutmax is equal to the largest

LED current signal swing, i.e., IF = Ioutmax.

IP1 = K1 · Ioutmax

IP1 = 0.007 · 15 mA IP1 = 105 µA

The input resistor, R1, is set by the input voltage range and

the peak servo photocurrent, IP1.

Thus R1 is equal to:

R1 = Vin /IP1

R1 = 1.0/105 µA

R1 = 9.524 kΩ

R1 is rounded to 10 kΩ.

Fig. 11 - Photovoltaic Amplifier Transfer Gain

Fig. 12 - Photovoltaic Amplifier Frequency Response

VCC

OP-07

-

+3

2R1

+ Voltage3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1

6

OP-076

-2

3

10 kΩ

R2

Vin

Vout

IF

+17761

IP2

IP1

10 kΩ

1 k Ω

Vout

Vin

-----------K2 R2⋅

K1 R1⋅--------------------=

Vout

Vin

-----------K3 R2⋅

R1--------------------=

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.00.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Vin - Input Voltage (V)

V o u t - O u t p u t V o l t a g e ( V )

17762

101 102 103 104 105- 10

- 9

- 8

- 7- 6

- 5

- 4

- 3

- 2

- 1

0

1

F - Frequency (Hz)

A m p l i t u d e R e s p o n s e ( d B )

TA = 25 °C

17763

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 7 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 13 - Negative Unipolar Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier

The third step in this design is determining the value of the

trans resistance, R2, of the output amplifier. R2 is set by the

composite voltage gain desired, and the IL300’s transfer

gain, K3. Given K3 = 1.0 and a required Vout /Vin = G = 1.0,

the value of R2 can be determined.

R2 = (R1 · G) / K3

R2 = (10 kΩ · 1.0)/ 1.0

R2 = 10 kΩ

When the amplifier in figure 9 is constructed with OP-07

operational amplifiers it will have the characteristics shown

in figure 11 and figure 12.The frequency response is shown

in figure 12. This amplifier has a small signal bandwidth of

45 kHz.

The amplifier in figure 9 responds to positive polarity input

signals. This circuit can be modified to respond to negative

polarity signals.

The modifications of the input amplifier include reversing the

polarity of the servo photodiode at U1’s input and

connecting the LED so that it sinks current from U1’s output.

The non inverting isolation amplifier response is maintained

by reversing the IL300’s output photodiodes connection to

the input of the trans resistance amplifier. The modified

circuit is shown in figure 13.

The negative unipolar photovoltaic isolation amplifier

transfer characteristics are shown in figure 14. This

amplifier, as shown in figure 13, responds to signals in only

one quadrant. If a positive signal is applied to the input of

this amplifier, it will forward bias the photodiode, causing U1

to reverse bias the LED. No damage will occur, and the

amplifier will be cut off under this condition. This operation

is verified by the transfer characteristics shown in figure 14.

Fig. 14 - Negative Unipolar Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier TransferCharacteristics

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

OP-07

+3

2R1

- Voltage

6

Vin

IF

Vout

OP-076

–2

3

10 kΩ

R2

+17764

10 kΩ

1 kΩ

IP1

IF

0

b d

+

c

+

Vin

- 0

a

-

IP1

-1R1

1K1

IP2

0

K2

Vout

0

- R2

17765

IP2

IP1 I

F

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 8 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 15 - Bipolar Input Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier

Fig. 16 - Bipolar Input Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier Transfer Characteristics

A bipolar responding photovoltaic amplifier can be

constructed by combining a positive and negative unipolar

amplifier into one circuit. This is shown in figure 15. Thisamplifier uses two IL300s with each detector and LED

connected in anti parallel. The IL300a responds to positive

signals while the IL300b is active for the negative signals.

The operation of the IL300s and the U1 and U2 is shown in

the transfer characteristics given in figure 16. Bipolar input

photovoltaic isolation amplifier transfer characteristics

The operational analysis of this amplifier is similar to the

positive and negative unipolar isolation amplifier. This

simple circuit provides a very low offset drift and

exceedingly good linearity. The circuit’s useful bandwidth is

limited by crossover distortion resulting from the

photodiode stored charge. With a bipolar signal referenced

to ground and using a 5 % distortion limit, the typicalbandwidth is under 1 kHz. Using matched K3s, the

composite amplifier gain for positive and negative voltage

will be equal.

Whenever the need to couple bipolar signals arises a pre

biased photovoltaic isolation amplifier is a good solution. By

pre biasing the input amplifier the LED and photodetector

will operate from a selected quiescent operating point. The

relationship between the servo photocurrent and the input

voltage is shown in figure 17.

3

5

6

7

8IL300b

2

4

1

K1bK2b

U1

+3

2R1

3

5

6

7

8IL300a

2

4

1

K1aK2a

IP1a

6

U26

–2

3

R2

Vout

Vin

1 kΩ

+

17766

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

IP2a

IP2bIP1b

a b

0

c

0

Vout

+

d

R2

+0

IFa

IP2a

IP2B

+

+

+

+

IP1a

0

+ +

I

-R2

IP1b

+

1K1b

+

+IFb

K2b

++

Vin

0 0 0

0

+

1R1 K2a

1K1a

-1R1

17767V

out

Vin

IP1a

IFa

IP2a

IP2BI

FbIP1b

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 9 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 17 - Transfer Characteristics Pre Biased Photovoltaic Bipolar Amplifier

Fig. 18 - Pre Biased Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier

The quiescent operation point, IP1Q, is determined by the

dynamic range of the input signal. This establishes

maximum LED current requirements. The output current

capability of the OP-07 is extended by including a buffer

transistor between the output of U1 and the LED. The buffer

transistor minimizes thermal drift by reducing the OP-07

internal power dissipation if it were to drive the LED directly.

This is shown in figure 18. The bias is introduced into the

inverting input of the servo amplifier, U1. The bias forces the

LED to provide photocurrent, IP1, to servo the input back to

a zero volt equilibrium. The bias source can be as simple as

a series resistor connected to VCC. Best stability and

minimum offset drift is achieved when a good quality current

source is used.Figure 20 shows the amplifier found in figure 18 including

two modified Howland current sources. The first source pre

biases the servo amplifier, and the second source is

connected to U2’s inverting input which matches the input

pre bias.

Fig. 19 - Pre Biased Photovoltaic Isolation AmplifierTransfer Characteristics

IP1

Vin

- +

IP1Q

1

R1

17768

OP-177

-

+

0.1 µF

3

2

6 2N3906

VCC100 Ω

10 kΩ

OP-177

-

62

3 Output

Input

R1 R2

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1

0.1 µF

+100 µA

100 µA currentsource

GAIN= K3R2

R1FS = ± 1 V

17770

100 µA

10 kΩ

IP2

100 µA

Vin

+0

a

IP1

+0

b

IP2

Vout

+0

d

IP2

+0

c

IF

-

+

-

1R1 1

K1

R2

K2

17769

IF

IP1

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 10 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 20 - Pre Biased Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier

Fig. 21 - Differential Pre Biased Photovoltaic Isolation Amplifier

1.2 V

1.2 V

OP-07

+

100 pF

3

2

6 2N3906

VCC100 Ω

10 kΩ

OP-07

62

3

Output

OP-07

+6

LM313

3

2

0.01 µF

100µA

100µA currentsource

100µA

OP-07

+

6

LM313

3

2

0.01µF

100 µA100µA currentsource

VCC-

Input

2N4340

2N4340

100 pF

R1 R2

FS = ± 1V

R2

R1K3GAIN =

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

+

17771

VCC-

12 kΩ

12 kΩ

10 kΩ

1.2 V

Output

OP-07

+3

2

6

LM313

0.01µF

100 µA

100 µA currentsource

OP-07

+

2

3 6

VCC-

2N4340

OP-07

+3

2 100 pF

6 2N3906

VCC10 kΩ

OP-07 6

–2

312 kΩ

100µA

Input +

100 pF

R1 R2

OP-07

+

2

3

100 pF

6

100 Ω

12 kΩ

2N3906

Input -R4

OP-07

+

2

3 6

OP-076

–2

3

100 pF

R3

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1

+

+

100 µA

17772

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

VCC

IP2

IP1 IP2

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

1 0 k Ω

1 0 k

Ω

1 0 k

Ω

1 0 k Ω

100 Ω

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 11 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

The previous circuit offers a DC/AC coupled bipolar isolation

amplifier. The output will be zero volts for an input of zero

volts. This circuit exhibits exceptional stability and linearity.This circuit has demonstrated compatibility with 12 bit A/D

converter systems. The circuit’s common mode rejection is

determined by CMR of the IL300. When higher common

mode rejection is desired one can consider the differential

amplifier shown in figure 21.

This amplifier is more complex than the circuit shown in

figure 20. The complexity adds a number of advantages.

First the CMR of this isolation amplifier is the product of the

IL300 and that of the summing differential amplifier found in

the output section. Note also that the need for an offsetting

bias source at the output is no longer needed. This is due to

differential configuration of the two IL300 couplers. This

amplifier is also compatible with instrumentation amplifierdesigns. It offers a bandwidth of 50 kHz, and an extremely

good CMR of 140 dB at 10 kHz.

PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ISOLATION AMPLIFIER

The photoconductive isolation amplifier operates the

photodiodes with a reverse bias. The operation of the input

network is covered in the discussion of K3 and as such will

not be repeated here. The photoconductive isolation

amplifier is recommended when maximum signal bandwidth

is desired. Bipolar photoconductive isolation amplifier.

UNIPOLAR ISOLATION AMPLIFIER

The circuit shown in figure 22 is a unipolar photoconductiveamplifier and responds to positive input signals. The

gain of this amplifier follows the familiar form of

. R1 sets the input signal

range in conjunction with the servo gain and the maximum

output current, Io, which U1 can source. Given this,

. R1 can be determined from equation 28.

(28)

The output section of the amplifier is a voltage follower. The

output voltage is equal to the voltage created by the output

photocurrent times the photodiode load resistor, R2. This

resistor is used to set the composite gain of the amplifier as

shown in equation 29.

(29)

This amplifier is conditionally stable for given values of R1.

As R1 is increased beyond 10 kΩ, it may become necessary

to frequency compensate U1. This is done by placing a

small capacitor from U1’s output to its inverting input. This

circuit uses a 741 op amp and will easily provide 100 kHz or

greater bandwidth.

Fig. 22 - Unipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier

Fig. 23 - Bipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier

Vout Vin ⁄ G K3 R2 R1 ⁄ ( )⋅= =

I0maxIFmax=

R1 VinmaxK1 I0max

⋅( ) ⁄ =

R2 R1 G⋅( ) K3 ⁄ =

U2

6–

+3

2

7

4

VCC

Vout

6

+

3

2

7

4

R1

U1

Va

Vb

Vin

I F

+

R2

IP1

IP2

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

17773

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

U1

741

6

+

R3

R1

3

2

7

4

R2

100 Ω

Vin

20 pF

-Vref1

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1

K2

IP1 IP2

R4

+ Vref2

U2

741

6

-

+3

2

7

4

Vout

17774

- VCC

VCC

VCC

- VCC

VCC

VCC

- VCC

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 12 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

BIPOLAR ISOLATION AMPLIFIER

Many applications require the isolation amplifier to respondto bipolar signals. The generic inverting isolation amplifier

shown in figure 23 will satisfy this requirement. Bipolar

signal operation is realized by pre biasing the servo loop.

The pre bias signal, Vref1, is applied to the inverting input

through R3. U1 forces sufficient LED current to generate a

voltage across R3 which satisfies U1’s differential input

requirements. The output amplifier, U2, is biased as a trans

resistance amplifier. The bias or offset, Vref2, is provided to

compensate for bias introduced in the servo amplifier.

Much like the unipolar amplifier, selecting R3 is the first step

in the design. The specific resistor value is set by the input

voltage range, reference voltage, and the maximum output

current, Io, of the op amp. This resistor value also affects the

bandwidth and stability of the servo amplifier.The input network of R1 and R2 form a voltage divider. U2

is configured as a inverting amplifier. This bipolar

photoconductive isolation amplifier has a transfer gain given

in equation 30.

(30)

Equation 31 shows the relationship of the Vref1 to Vref2.

(31)

Another bipolar photoconductive isolation amplifier is

shown in figure 24. It is designed to accept an input signal

of ± 1 V and uses inexpensive signal diodes as reference

sources. The input signal is attenuated by 50 % by a voltage

divider formed with R1 and R2. The solution for R3 is givenin equation 32.

(32)

For this design R3 equals 30 kΩ. The output trans resistance

is selected to satisfy the gain requirement of the composite

isolation amplifier. With K3 = 1, and a goal of unity transfer

gain, the value of R4 is determined by equation 33.

(33)

R4 = 60 kΩ

From equation 31, Vref2 is shown to be twice V ref1. Vref2 is

easily generated by using two 1N914 diodes in series.

This amplifier is simple and relatively stable. When better

output voltage temperature stability is desired, consider the

isolation amplifier configuration shown in figure 25. This

amplifier is very similar in circuit configuration except that

the bias is provided by a high quality LM313 band gap

reference source.

This circuit forms a unity gain non-inverting

photoconductive isolation amplifier. Along with the

LM113 references and low offset OP-07 amplifiers thecircuit replaces the 741 op amps. A 2N2222 buffer transistor

is used to increase the OP-07’s LED drive capability. The

gain stability is set by K3, and the output offset is set by the

stability of OP-07s and the reference sources.

Figure 26 shows a novel circuit that minimizes much of the

offset drift introduced by using two separate reference

sources. This is accomplished by using an optically coupled

tracking reference technique. The amplifier consists of two

optically coupled signal paths. One IL300 couples the input

to the output. The second IL300 couples a reference voltage

generated on the output side to the input servo amplifier.

This isolation amplifier uses dual op amps to minimize parts

count. Figure 26 shows the output reference being supplied

by a voltage divider connected to VCC. The offset drift can

be reduced by using a band gap reference source to replace

the voltage divider.

Fig. 24 - Bipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier

Vout

Vin

-----------K3 R4 R2⋅ ⋅

R3 R1 R2+( )⋅---------------------------------------=

Vref2 Vref1 R4⋅( ) R3 ⁄ =

R3 0.5 Vinmax Vref1+( ) IF K1⋅( ) ⁄ =

R4 R3 G R1 R2+( )⋅ ⋅[ ] K3 R2⋅( ) ⁄ =

U1 6

-

+

Vin

20 pF

22 µF

30 kΩ

3

2

7

4

6

-

+3

2

7

4

74130 kΩ

14.3 kΩ

22 µF

741

+

100 Ω

Vout

1N914

+13.7 kΩ

20 pF1N914

+

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

R3

++U2

17775

30 kΩ

60 kΩ

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

- VCC

VCC

- VCC

- VCC

- VCC

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 13 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 25 - High Stability Bipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier

Fig. 26 - Bipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier with Tracking Reference

10 kΩ

62N2222

-

+Vin

20pF

47 µF0.1 µF

2 kΩ

1 kΩ

18 kΩ

3

2

7

4

6-

+3

2 7

4

OP07

1.5 kΩ

1 kΩ

6.8 kΩ 10 kΩ

2 kΩ

LM313

LM313

2 kΩ

6.8 kΩ

10µF

18 kΩ

OP07

20 kΩ

Gain

Offset

1 kΩ

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

R3

17776

- VCC

- VCC

- VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCC

6

10 kΩ

3

2

7

4

10 kΩ

470 Ω

Vin

20 pF

6

-

+

3

2

7

4

5 kΩ

+Vref2

+ Vref1

6

-

+

2

3

73.2 kΩ7

46

-

+

4.7 kΩ

3

27

4

1 kΩ

470 Ω5 kΩ

VCC

900 kΩ

90 kΩ

0.1 V

1 V

100 V

10 V

9 MΩ

7.5 kΩ

10 kΩ

Gain adjust

± 0 to 100 mVOutput

Tracking Reference

Zero

adjust

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

3

5

6

7

8 IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1IP2

OP77

OP77

OP77

OP77

- VCC 220 pF

+ VCC

+

-

17777

VCC

- VCC

- VCC

- VCC

- VCC

+ VCC

+ VCC

+ VCC

+ VCC

+ VCC

+ VCC

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 14 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

One of the principal reasons to use an isolation amplifier is

to reject electrical noise. The circuits presented thus far are

of a single ended design. The common mode rejection,CMRR, of these circuits is set by the CMRR of the coupler

and the bandwidth of the output amplifier. The typical

common mode rejection for the IL300 is shown in figure 27.

Fig. 27 - Common mode rejection

The CMRR of the isolation amplifier can be greatly

enhanced by using the CMRR of the output stage to its

fullest extent. This is accomplished by using a differential

amplifier at the output that combines optically coupled

differential signals. The circuit shown in figure 28 illustrates

the circuit.

Op amps U1 and U5 form a differential input network. U4

creates a 100 µA, IS, current sink which is shared by each of

the servo amplifiers. This bias current is divided evenly

between these two servo amplifiers when the input voltage

is equal to zero. This division of current creates a differential

signal at the output photodiodes of U2 and U6. The transfer

gain, Vout / Vin, for this amplifier is given in equation 34.

(34)

The offset independent of the operational amplifiers is given

in equation 35.

(35)

Equation 35 shows that the resistors, when selected to

produce equal differential gain, will minimize the offset

voltage, Voffset. Figure 29 illustrates the voltage transfer

characteristics of the prototype amplifier. The data indicates

the offset at the output is - 500 µV when using 1 kΩ 1 %

resistors.

Fig. 28 - Differential Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier

10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000- 130

- 120

- 110

- 100

- 90

- 80

- 70

- 60

F - F

C M R

R - R e j e c t i o n R a t i o ( d B )

TA = 25 °C

17778

Vou t

Vin

----------- R4 R2 K3 U5( )⋅ ⋅ R3 R1 K3 U2( )⋅ ⋅+

2 R1 R2⋅ ⋅--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=

VoffsetIs R1 R3 K3 U2( )⋅ ⋅ R2 R4 K3 U5( )⋅ ⋅ – [ ]⋅

R1 R2+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=

U1

U5

U4 U3

OP-07OP-07

+

+

6.8 kΩ

LM313

3

Noninverting

Inverting

Common

6

7 VCC

4 -

2

3

1.2 V

12 kΩ

OP-07

+

2.2 kΩ

470 Ω100 pF

3

24 - V

CC

7 VCC

6

2N3904

OP-07

+2.2 kΩ

470 Ω100 pF

3

2

4 - VCC

7 VCC

6

2N3904

4 - VCC

6

2N3904

2

1 kΩ 1 %

2 kΩ

2 kΩ

Gain

Zero adjust

Output

0.01 µF

10 kΩ

10 kΩ

1 kΩ

100 µA currentsink

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

U2

U6

17779

VCC

VCC

VCC

VCCV

CC

- VCC

7 VCC

1 kΩ 1 %

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 15 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 29 - Differential Photoconductive Isolation AmplifierTransfer Characteristics

Fig. 30 - Transistor Unipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier Transfer Characteristics

DISCRETE ISOLATION AMPLIFIER

A unipolar photoconductive isolation amplifier can be

constructed using two discrete transistors. Figure 32 shows

such a circuit. The servo node, Va, sums the current from

the photodiode and the input signal source. This control

loop keeps Va constant. This amplifier was designed as a

feedback control element for a DC power supply. The DC

and AC transfer characteristics of this amplifier are shown in

figures 30 and 31.

Fig. 31 - Transistor Unipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier Frequency and Phase Response

CONCLUSION

The analog design engineer now has a new circuit element

that will make the design of isolation amplifiers easier. The

preceding circuits and analysis illustrate the variety of

isolation amplifiers that can be designed. As a guide, when

highest stability of gain and offset is needed, consider the

photovoltaic amplifier. Widest bandwidth is achieved with

the photoconductive amplifier. Lastly, the overall

performance of the isolation amplifier is greatly influenced

by the operational amplifier selected. Noise and drift are

directly dependent on the servo amplifier. The IL300 also

can be used in the digital environment. The pulse response

of the IL300 is constant over time and temperature. In digital

designs where LED degradation and pulse distortion can

cause system failure, the IL300 will eliminate this failure

mode.

- 0.15 - 0.10 - 0.05 - 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15

- 0.6

- 0.5

- 0.4

- 0.3

- 0.2

- 0.1

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Vin - Input Voltage (V)

V o u t - O u t p u t V o l t a g e ( V )

Vout = - 0.4657 mV - 5.0017 x V in

TA = 25 °C

17780

4.4 4.6 4.8 5.0 5.2 5.4 5.6

38

40

42

44

46

Vin - Input Voltage (V)

I p 2 - O u t p u t C u r r e n t ( µ A )

Ip2 = 74.216 µA - 6.472 (µA/V) x V in

TA = 25 °C

17810

102 103 104 105 106

- 15

- 10

- 5

0

5

- 135

- 90

- 45

0

45

F - Frequency (Hz)

A m p l i t u d e R e s p o n s e ( d B )

Ø - P h a s e R e s p o n c e ( ° C )to amplifier gain of - 1; 0 ° = 180 °

Phase response reference

dB

17781

PHASE

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 16 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

Fig. 32 - Unipolar Photoconductive Isolation Amplifier with Discrete Transistors

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

PHOTODETECTOR OPERATION TUTORIAL

PHOTODIODE OPERATION AND

CHARACTERISTICS

The photodiodes in the IL300 are PIN ( P-material - Intrinsic

material - N-material) diodes. These photodiodes convert

the LED’s incident optical flux into a photocurrent. The

magnitude of the photocurrent is linearly proportional to the

incident flux. The photocurrent is the product of the diode’s

responsivity, Sl, (A/ W), the incident flux, Ee (W/mm2 ), and

the detector area A D (mm2 ). This relationship is shown

below:

(1a)

PHOTODIODE I/V CHARACTERISTICS

Reviewing the photodiode’s current/voltage characteristics

aids in understanding the operation of the photodiode, when

connected to an external load. The I-V characteristics are

shown in figure 33. The graph shows that the photodiode

will generate photocurrent in either forward biased

(photovoltaic), or reversed biased (photoconductive) mode.

In the forward biased mode the device functions as a

photovoltaic, voltage generator. If the device is connected

to a small resistance, corresponding to the vertical load line,

the current output is linear with increases in incident flux. AsRL increases, operation becomes nonlinear until the open

circuit (load line horizontal) condition is obtained. At this

point the open circuit voltage is proportional to the logarithm

of the incident flux.

In the reverse-biased (photoconductive) mode, the

photodiode generates a current that is linearly proportional

to the incident flux. Figure 33 illustrates this point with the

equally spaced current lines resulting from linear increase of

Ee.

The photocurrent is converted to a voltage by the load

resistor RL. Figure 33 also shows that when the incident flux

is zero (E = 0), a small leakage current, or dark current (I D )

will flow.

Fig. 33 - Photodiode I/V Characteristics

PHOTOVOLTAIC OPERATION

Photodiodes, operated in the photovoltaic mode, generate

a load voltage determined by the load resistor, R L, and the

photocurrent, IP . The equivalent circuit for the photovoltaic

operation is shown in figure 34. The photodiode includes a

current source (IP ), a shunt diode (D), a shunt resistor (RP ), a

series resistor (RS ), and a parallel capacitor (CP ). The

intrinsic region of the PIN diode offers a high shunt

resistance resulting in a low dark current, and reverseleakage current.

Fig. 34 - Equivalent Circuit - Photovoltaic Mode

MPSA10

MPSA10

1.1 kΩ

6.2 kΩ

200 Ω15 kΩ 10 kΩ

100 kΩ

5 V VCC

GND2

Vi n

GND1

+ 5 V

5 V

Vout

Va

IL300

3

5

6

7

8

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

17782

VCC

IP SI Ee AD⋅ ⋅=Reverse biasForward bias

RL (small)

Photovoltaicload l ine

RL (large)

Photoconductiveload l ine

Ee-5

Ee-4

Ee-3

Ee-2

Ee-2

Ee-1Id

Vd/RL

17783

D

RSR

P

CP

IL

IP +

-Cathode

Anode

VO

RL

IF

17784

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 17 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

The output voltage, Vo, can be determined through nodal

analysis. The circuit contains two nodes. The first node, VF,

includes the photocurrent generator, IP, the shunt diode, D,shunt resistor (RP ), and parallel capacitance, CP. The

second node, VO, includes: the series resistor, RS, and the

load resistor, RL. The diode, D, in the VF node is responsible

for the circuit’s nonlinearity. The diode’s current voltage

relationship is given in equation 2a.

(2a)

This graphical solution of 2a for the IL300 is shown in

figure 35.

Fig. 35 - Photodiode Forward Voltage vs. Forward Current

Inserting the diode equation 2a into the two nodal equations

gives the following DC solution for the photovoltaic

operation (equation 3a):

(3a)

Typical IL300 values:

IS = 13.94 ·10-12

RS = 50 Ω

RP = 15 GΩ

K = 0.0288

By inspection, as RL approaches zero ohms the diode

voltage, VF, also drops. This indicates a small diode current.

All of the photocurrent will flow through the diode seriesresistor and the external load resistor. Equation 3a was

solved with a computer program designed to deal with

nonlinear transcendental equations. Figure 36 illustrates the

solution.

Fig. 36 - Photovoltaic Output vs. Load Resistance and

PhotocurrentThis curve shows a series of load lines, and the output

voltage, Vo, caused by the photocurrent. Optimum linearity

is obtained when the load is zero ohms. Reasonable linearity

is obtained with load resistors up to 1000 Ω. For load

resistances greater than 1000 Ω, the output voltage will

respond logarithmically to the photocurrent. This response

is due to the nonlinear characteristics of the intrinsic diode,

D. Photovoltaic operation with a zero ohm load resistor

offers the best linearity and the lowest dark current, ID. This

operating mode also results in the lowest circuit noise. A

zero load resistance can be created by connecting the

photodiode between the inverting and non-inverting input of

a trans resistance operational amplifier, as shown in figure

37.

Fig. 37 - Photovoltaic Amplifier Configuration

PHOTOCONDUCTIVE OPERATION MODE

Isolation amplifier circuit architectures often load thephotodiode with resistance greater than 0 Ω. With non-zero

loads, the best linearity is obtained by using the photodiode

in the photoconductive or reverse bias mode. Figure 38

shows the photodiode operating in the photoconductive

mode. The output voltage, Vo, is the product of the

photocurrent times the load resistor.

The reverse bias voltage causes a small leakage or dark

current, ID, to flow through the diode. The output

photocurrent and the dark current, sum the load resistor.

IF IS EXP VF K ⁄ ( ) 1 – [ ]⋅=

0.60.50.40.30.20.10.010-10

10-9

10-8

10-7

10-6

10-5

10-4

Vf - Forward Voltage (V)

I F - F o r w a r d C u r r e n t ( A )

17785

0 IP IS EXP VO RS RL+( ) K RL⋅ ⁄ [ ] 1 –

VO RS RL RP+ +( ) RP RL⋅( ) ⁄ [ ] –

⋅ – =

0 50 100 150 2000.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

100300

500

700

1 K

3 K

5 K

7 K

10 K

20 K

30 K

50 K

Ip - Photocurrent (µA)

V o - O u t p u t V o l t a g e ( V )

17786

Ip

+ Vout

IF

Vout

= RIp

U

-

R

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

IP1 IP2

17787

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

N

O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 18 Document Number: 83708

For technical questions, contact: [email protected]

THIS DOCUMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN AND THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC DISCLAIMERS, SET FORTH AT www.vishay.com/doc?91000

This is shown in equation 4a.

(4a).

Fig. 38 - Photoconductive Photodiode Model

The dark current depends on the diode construction,

reverse bias voltage and junction temperature. The dark

current can double every 10 °C. The IL300 uses matched

PIN photodiodes that offer extremely small dark currents,

typically a few picoamps. The dark current will usually track

one another, and their effect will cancel each other when a

servo amplifier architecture is used. The typical dark current

as a function of temperature and reverse voltage is shown in

figure 39.

The responsivity, S, of the photodiode is influenced by the

potential of the reverse bias voltage. Figure 40 shows the

responsivity percentage change versus bias voltage. This

graph is normalized to the performance at a reverse bias of

15 V. The responsivity is reduced by 4 % when the bias is

reduced to 5 V.

Fig. 39 - Dark Current vs. Reverse Bias

Fig. 40 - Photoconductive Responsivity vs. Bias Voltage

The photodiode operated in the photoconductive mode iseasily connected to an operational amplifier. Figure 41

shows the diode connected to a trans resistance amplifier.

The transfer function of this circuit is given in equation 5a.

(5a)

BANDWIDTH CONSIDERATIONS

PIN photodiodes can respond very quickly to changes in

incident flux. The IL300 detectors respond in tens of

nanoseconds. The slew rate of the output current is related

to the diodes junction capacitance, C j, and the load resistor,

R. The product of these two elements set the

photo-response time constant.

(6a)

This time constant can be minimized by reducing the load

resistor, R, or the photodiode capacitance. This capacitance

is reduced by depleting the photodiode’s intrinsic region, I,

by applying a reverse bias. Figure 42 illustrates the effect of

photodiode reverse bias on junction capacitance.

Fig. 41 - Photoconductive Amplifier

VL

RL

IP

ID

+( )⋅=

D

IP

RS

RP C

P

ID

IL

+

Cathode

AnodeV

O

RL

VD

IF

17788

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 3510-2

10-1

110

101

102

Vr - Reverse Bias (V)

I d - D a r k C u r r e n t ( n A )

Ta

70 °C

50 °C

25 °C

17789

0 5 10 15 20- 8

- 7

- 6

- 5

- 4

- 3

- 2

- 1

01

2

Vr - Reverse Voltage (V)

P e r c e n t D i f f e r e n c e ( % )

17790

Vout R IP Id⋅( )⋅=

τ R Cj⋅=

VccIF

IP2

3

5

6

7

8IL300

2

4

1

K1K2

U26

-

+3

2

7

4

Vout

R

17791

IP2IP1

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Designing Linear Amplifiers Using the IL300 Optocoupler

A P P L I C

A T I O

N

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O

T E

Application Note 50www.vishay.com Vishay Semiconductors

Rev. 1.6, 20-Mar-12 19 Document Number: 83708

F t h i l ti t t t l @ i h

Fig. 42 - Photodiode Junction Capacitance vs. Reverse Voltage

The zero biased photovoltaic amplifier offers a 50 kHz to

60 kHz usable bandwidth. When the detector is reverse

biased to - 15 V, the typical isolation amplifier response

increases to 100 kHz to 150 kHz. The phase and frequency

response for the IL300 is presented in figure 43. When

maximum system bandwidth is desired, the reverse biased

photoconductive amplifier configuration should be

considered.

Fig. 43 - Phase and Frequency Response

0 5 10 15 20 25 300

5

10

15

20

Vr - Reverse Bias (V)

C J - J u n c t i o n C a p a c i t a n c e ( p F )

17792

103 104 105 106 107

- 20

- 15

- 10

- 5

0

5

- 180

- 135

- 90

- 45

0

45

dB

F - Frequency (Hz)

A m p l i t u d e R e s p o n s e ( d B )

Ø - P h a s e R e s p o n s e ( ° C )

17793

IFq = 10 mA, MOD = 4 mATA = 25 °C, RI = 50W

PHASE