Demodulation of AM wave

When demodulating a signal, two basic steps may be considered:

Create baseband signal: The main element of AM demodulation is to create

the baseband signal. This can be achieved in a number of ways - one of the
easiest is to use a simple diode and rectify the signal. This leaves elements of
the original RF signal. When other forms of demodulation are used, they too
leave some elements of an RF signal.

Filter: The filtering removes any unwanted high frequency elements from
the demodulation process. The audio can then be presented to further stages
for audio amplification, etc.

Types of AM demodulator
There are a number of ways in which an AM signal can be demodulated. There is a
balance that needs to be made of the performance of the circuit that is required
against the complexity, and hence the cost that can be tolerated.
The major types of AM demodulator are:

Diode AM detector: This is by far the simplest form of AM demodulator or

detector, requiring just a semiconductor (or other form) of diode along with a
capacitor to remove the high frequency components. It suffers from a number
of disadvantages, but its performance is more than adequate for most
applications including broadcast receivers where cost is a significant driver.

Demodulation of AM wave

Synchronous AM detector: This form of AM detector offers a higher level of

performance, but at the cost is high due to more components. This means that
it is only used in receivers where the levels of performance are paramount and
can justify the additional component costs.

Both types of detector are widely used, although the diode detector is far more
common in view of its simplicity and the fact that it is quite adequate for broadcast
applications where performance is not normally an issue.

Diode detector basics

It operates by detecting the envelope of the incoming signal which it does by
rectifying the signal. Current is allowed to flow through the diode in only one
direction, giving either the positive or negative half of the envelope at the output.
If the detector is to be used only for audio detection it does not matter which half of
the envelope is used, either will work equally well. Only when the detector is also
used to supply the automatic gain control (AGC) circuitry will the polarity of the
diode matter.
The AM detector or demodulator includes a capacitor at the output. Its purpose is to
remove any radio frequency components of the signal at the output. The value is
chosen so that it does not affect the audio base-band signal. There is also a leakage
path to enable the capacitor to discharge.

Demodulation of AM wave
Balanced Modulator