ADA4857-1/ADA4857-2
NOISE
CIRCUIT CONSIDERATIONS
To analyze the noise performance of an amplifier circuit,
identify the noise sources and then determine if the source has a
significant contribution to the overall noise performance of the
amplifier. To simplify the noise calculations, noise spectral densities
were used rather than actual voltages to leave bandwidth out of the
expressions (noise spectral density, which is generally expressed
in nV/√Hz, is equivalent to the noise in a 1 Hz bandwidth).
Careful and deliberate attention to detail when laying out the
ADA4857 board yields optimal performance. Power supply
bypassing, parasitic capacitance, and component selection all
contribute to the overall performance of the amplifier.
PCB LAYOUT
Because the ADA4857 can operate up to 850 MHz, it is essential
that RF board layout techniques be employed. All ground and
power planes under the pins of the ADA4857 should be cleared
of copper to prevent the formation of parasitic capacitance between
the input pins to ground and the output pins to ground. A single
mounting pad on the SOIC footprint can add as much as 0.2 pF
of capacitance to ground if the ground plane is not cleared from
under the mounting pads. The low distortion pinout of the
ADA4857 increases the separation distance between the inputs
and the supply pins, which improves the second harmonics. In
addition, the feedback pin reduces the distance between the
output and the inverting input of the amplifier, which helps
minimize the parasitic inductance and capacitance of the
feedback path, reducing ringing and peaking.
The noise model shown in Figure 47 has six individual noise
sources: the Johnson noise of the three resistors, the op amp
voltage noise, and the current noise in each input of the amplifier.
Each noise source has its own contribution to the noise at the
output. Noise is generally referred to input (RTI), but it is often
simpler to calculate the noise referred to the output (RTO) and
then divide by the noise gain to obtain the RTI noise.
V
N, R2
R2
GAIN FROM
A TO OUTPUT
=
4kTR2
NOISE GAIN =
V
I
N, R1
N–
R2
NG = 1 +
R1
B
A
R1
R3
V
N
4kTR1
V
V
OUT
N, R3
POWER SUPPLY BYPASSING
I
N+
GAIN FROM
B TO OUTPUT
R2
R1
= –
Power supply bypassing for the ADA4857 was optimized for
frequency response and distortion performance. Figure 42
shows the recommended values and location of the bypass
capacitors. The 0.1 μF bypassing capacitors should be placed as
close as possible to the supply pins. Power supply bypassing is
critical for stability, frequency response, distortion, and PSR
performance. The capacitor between the two supplies helps
improve PSR and distortion performance. The 10 μF electrolytic
capacitors should be close to the 0.1 μF capacitors but it is not as
critical. In some cases, additional paralleled capacitors can help
improve frequency and transient response.
4kTR3
2
R2
R1 + R2
2
2
V
+ 4kTR3 + 4kTR1
N
2
2
R1 × R2
2
R1
R1 + R2
2
RTI NOISE =
+I
R3 + I
+ 4kTR2
N+
N–
R1 + R2
RTO NOISE = NG × RTI NOISE
Figure 47. Op Amp Noise Analysis Model
All resistors have a Johnson noise that is calculated by
(4kBTR) .
where:
GROUNDING
k is Boltzmann’s Constant (1.38 × 10–23 J/K).
B is the bandwidth in Hertz.
T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin.
R is the resistance in ohms.
Ground and power planes should be used where possible. Ground
and power planes reduce the resistance and inductance of the
power planes and ground returns. The returns for the input,
output terminations, bypass capacitors, and RG should all be
kept as close to the ADA4857 as possible. The output load
ground and the bypass capacitor grounds should be returned
to the same point on the ground plane to minimize parasitic
trace inductance, ringing, overshoot and to improve distortion
performance. The ADA4857 LFSCP packages feature an exposed
paddle. For optimum electrical and thermal performance,
solder this paddle to ground. For more information on high
speed circuit design, see A Practical Guide to High-Speed
Printed-Circuit-Board Layout at www.analog.com.
A simple relationship that is easy to remember is that a 50 Ω
resistor generates a Johnson noise of 1 nV/√Hz at 25°C.
In applications where noise sensitivity is critical, care must
be taken not to introduce other significant noise sources to
the amplifier. Each resistor is a noise source. Attention to the
following areas is critical to maintain low noise performance:
design, layout, and component selection. A summary of noise
performance for the amplifier and associated resistors can be
seen in Table 9.
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