8
FEEDBACK
AMPLIFIERS
The performance of tremistr and veceam-tube amir: is enhanced in
Imany respects by returning facto of the utp inal othe
Input torminale ‘This proces i called fedback The foedbck
‘igual may either aupent the inp signal o end cane
The ater, called negative foack, ithe primary concern ef
his chepter. Improved froquney response charateritiy en
reduced waveform ditrtion or tained with gato edbach
{Tn addin, opin performance is much ls dependent wor
‘hangar a abe o tramter percocet cased by ing ot
tempertare afc
(NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
‘The circuit alterations of a standard amplier which return a
portion of the otpuit signal to the input may be analyzed by the
techniques developed in presious chapters. It is more illustrative,
however o isolate the feedback portion ofthe crest and teat it
separately. Consider the feedback amplifier, Fig. 8-1, comprising
ata
ol ai
“am
oe eee eee
oe be— |
Fp
ele |
4 standard amplifier with a gain a and a feedback network indi-
‘ated by the box marked According to this cincut,# vokage
{By is added co the input signal so chat the tol input signal to
the amplifier is
e+ Bey ey
Inuroducing the fac that =
mut abe, (82)
se that
co)
According to Eq, (8) the overall gain of the amplifier with feed
ack,
4)
smay be greater or smaller than that of the amplifier alone, depend
ing upon the algebraic sign of Ba
"The condition of greatest interest in this chapter it negative
Joodbach, when fs i 3 negative quantity. In thie case, Bq. (B-t)
ows that the overall gain fs reduced because in eect. che fee
back voltage cancels a portion af the mput signal. If the amplifier
{gin s very large, ¢ > 1, the overall gan reeaces to
es)
This shows thar the gain depends only upon the properties ofthe
feedback circuit. Most often, the Feedback network i 4 simple
‘combination of resistors andlor capacitors. Therefore, the gin itindependent of variations in tube or transistor parameters in the
Amplifier. In addition to this desirable improvement in stabil,
‘the gain may be calculated from circuit values ofthe feedback net.
work alone, ‘Thus it is not necessary (o know, for example, the
‘parameters ofall cransistors inthe circuit.
[Negative feedback is also effective in reducing waveform dis.
Lorton in ampliers. Waveform distortion result from non
linear transfer characteristic, which may be imerpreted asa smaller
agin where the slope ofthe transfer characteristic is less, and as 8
larger gain where the slope ofthe transfer characteristic i greater
According to Eq. (5), however, the gain of an amplifier with
feedback is essentially independent of variations caused by non
lineartes in tube oF transistor characteristics. Therelore, the
transfer characteristic is more linear and distordon is reduced
‘A quantitative meature of the reduction in distortion achieved
with feedback is obtained by assuming that distortion signals can
be represented by a volage generator in the amplifier. Fig. 8:2
(With this approximation the amplifed signal eis distortions.
[As usual, % represents the internal impedance of the ert a.
viewed from the output terminals of the amplifier. Under this
Condition, the output vokage
rant (86)
includes the distortion volages ay. Both the amplified signal and
distortion voltages are fed back, so thatthe input tothe amplifier is
yt Blut ue) an
Inwroducing Eq, (8-7) into (88) and solving for ourput signal,
atta,
rege (88)
‘The ratio of undistorted output signal to distortion vohages
the case of no feedback (where e, = is, from Eq. (84),
@-2 oo
Including feedback, this ratio is, from Eq, (88),
Brat on
O-r5, on
According to Eq. (8-11), feedback reduces the relative importance
of distortion signals in the output bythe Factor 1+ ef. Since a
isa large number, this smproverentesgnificant In effect, feed
bck results in an amplified distortion signal that cancels the
original distortion voltages toalarge extent. This result is parccu
larly useful in power amplifies where transistors or tubes are used
‘over the full ange of their characteristics
The benefits of negative feedback are obzined at he expenteof|
reduced gain, according to Eq. (8-1). This is nota serious tos,
however, because large amplifications are easily obtained in tran-
sisior and vacuumtube circus. In practice the maximum usable
fain limited by random noise effects anyway and itis not difficult
to achieve the maximum amplification that can be efectvely used,
even with feedback included.
“The gain a and the Teedback factor fare inherently complex
numbers. ‘That is, phase shifts associated with coupling capacitors
and stray capacitance effects sre present, particulary at frequen
ies outside of the passband of the amplifier. ‘These phase shifts
Cause 2 departure fram the 180” phase shift necessary forthe fed-
‘back voltage to imerfere destructively with the imputsignal. Ieean
happen thatthe overall phase sift becomes zero (., $60" s0 that
(fis positive and the feedback voltage augments the inpit signal.
‘This called past frdlach and leads to serious instability efects
in Feedback amplifiers.
Note, particulary, that if 98 =-+) the omput voltage, Eq (8-2,
becomes very large, even in the absence of an input signal. This
means that positive feedback may cause an amplifier to oscilate,
previously discussed in connection with the feedback effects ofthe
arid pate capacitance in wiodes and the collector capaciance in
(ransisiors. Oscillation is deleterious in amplifiers since the output
voltage is not a rephca of the impo signal. Pore feedback is,
however, a useful condition in oscillator circuits as discussed inthe
next chapter8-1 Voltage feedback
In the foregoing, a portion ofthe ousput wohage is returned to
the input terminals, a condition referred toa voltage feedback. The
‘wo-stage transistor amplifier, Fig. 83, uses voltage fedback intro
FIGURE 63 Teo.sage joliack anplier. Fontack is
determin by rb aR