THE OP-AMP IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST widely used linear
IC's. The OP-41 op-amp from PMI (Precision Monolithics, Inc., P.O. Box 58020, Santa Clara, CA 95052) is a new device that features a cascode FET-input stage that has a CMRR (Common Anode Rejection /Patio) of greater than 100 dB. The OP-41 also has improved linearity, and stabilized bias current with changing common-mode voltage. The OP-41 consumes only 750 A and it has a power-supply rejection ratio of 25 V/V. Those factors make the OP-41 ideal for use in battery-powered systems. Slew rate is symmetrical, and, despite the device's low current drain, is a respectable 1.3 V/s. Offset voltage has been reduced to less than 500 V so external nulling is un necessary in many applications.
Other features include a maximum bias current of five pA, and a
guaranteed gain of 1 million into a 2K load. Linearity is good in both high and low gain configurations. As a voltage follower, the CMRR effects dominate linearity, and, in high-gain service, open-loop gain dominates linearity. Further, the OP-41 recovers rapidly from signal overload. Following saturation at the positive supply, the output recovers in only 6 s, and recovery from a negative overdrive takes only 100 ns. The superior performance characteristics of the OP-41 make it an excellent output amplifier for a CMOS DAC (Digital to analog Converter). The OP-41's low, stable bias current would make it an excellent choice as a photodiode amplifier in medical applications. At unity gain, the output can drive 250 pF without oscillating. The OP-41'S superior characteristics and a pin out that is identical to the industry standard 741 make it simple for the designer to up grade an existing low power bipolar JFET design. An 11-page data sheet contains performance curves for various characteristics including bias current vs. temperature, bias current vs. common-mode voltage, supply current vs. supply voltage, and power supply rejection vs. frequency. Also included in the data sheet are circuits for testing and measuring performance characteristics. In addition, several applications diagrams, including a high Q notch filter, a current to voltage converter, and an amplifier for piezoelectric transducers, are included. But perhaps the most interesting and useful application is the low current ammeter shown here in Fig. 1. The circuit can measure current as low as a few pA and. as high as 100 A in six switch ranges. Unlike many low current ammeters, the one shown here does not require high-value precision resistors. As you can see, the desired range is selected from a tap on a voltage divider made up of six 1% (or better) 511 ohm resistors. The ammeter's accuracy is1% or better over most of its range; accuracy depends on the decade resistors (R6-R11) and on the OP-41'S input bias current. Any good ammeter should cause very little voltage drop across its input terminals. The voltage drop across the input of the OP-41 is less than 500 V, so that makes it effective as a low current metering device. The circuit works as follows.