Logarithmic Amplifiers

Barrie Gilbert ADI Northwest Portland, Oregon
ANALOG DEVICES
LOGARITHMIC AMPLIFIERS
ANALOG DEVICES
Unique Nonlinear Function Integrated Multistage Systems Calibrated Slope and Intercept Provide Complete Solutions -- easy to use Up to 100 dB Dynamic Range Now covering DC - 30 GHz Limiter Versions for PSK, FSK Low Cost, Small Packages Numerous types available
AD606 AD607 AD608 AD640 AD641 AD8302 AD8306 AD8307 AD8309 AD8310 AD8311
AD8313 AD8314 AD8315 AD8316 AD8317 AD8318 AD8319 AD8362 AD8363 AD8364 more..
A Personal Goal: Make Log Amps as Cheap, and Easy to Use, as Op Amps
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2.7-7.5V
4.7 10nF
N.C.
SIGNAL INPUT -73dBm to +17dBm (-86dBV to +4dBV) to +/-1dB error pts. (100dB to +/-3dB)
INP VPS ENB INT
AD8307
INM COM OFS OUT
N.C.
LOG OUTPUT 0.3 to 2.3V
20mV/dB
SO HERES THE PLAN.
BEGIN WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE VARIOUS TYPES, TO SET THE STAGE MOVE ON AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSING TYPES as likely to be of most value in beam instr. DEVELOP THEIR FUNDAMENTAL THEORY starting from the most basic of foundations SHOW SOME PRACTICAL EMBODIMENTS
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010
WHAT DO LOG AMPS DO?
Convert signals of high dynamic range (HDR) to a substantially smaller dynamic range The output is readily scaled to represent the decibel value of the input, in simple units This is a fundamental nonlinear conversion of the signal representation - with important consequences Some types may be used to simply compress a HDR signal, thereby achieving high observational or measurement-sensitivity near a nominal null
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTION
W = Y log
where
X ____ Z
W is the X ..... Y ..... Z .....
Output variable Input variable Slope parameter Log Intercept
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
VW = VY log
where
VX ____ VZ
VW VX VY VZ
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is the ..... ..... .....
Output voltage Input voltage Slope voltage Intercept voltage
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
IW = IY log
where
IX ___ IZ
IW IX IY IZ
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is the Output current . . . . . Input current . . . . . Slope current . . . . . Intercept current
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
VW = VY log
where
IX ___ IZ
VW IX VY IZ
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is the Output voltage . . . . . Input current . . . . . Slope voltage . . . . . Intercept current
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
THE BASIC LOGARITHMIC RELATIONSHIP

VW
VW = 5VY VW = 4VY VW = 3VY VW = 2VY VW = VY VW = 0
log VX
VX = 10-2VZ - 40dBc VX = VZ 0dBc VX = 102 VZ + 40dBc VX = 104 VZ + 80dBc
ANALOG DEVICES
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REGION NEAR ZERO

VW ______ VX = = _____ VX VX VY ( log VX + log VZ )
VY _____
THE INCREMENTAL GAIN OF A LOG-AMP SHOULD APPROACH INFINITY AS VX 0
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN VX < 0 ?

Formally, log (-X) IS COMPLEX
One might consider using
VW = sgn (VX) VY log ( |VX| / VZ)

The inverse hyperbolic sine is useful here: sinh- 1(u) = log { u + (u2 + 1) } log (2u) for u > than ~3 Of course,
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sinh- 1(u) =
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- sinh- 1(-u)
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1 sinh (u) & log(2u)

f (u)
sinh-1(u)
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1 1
log(2u)
u
COMPLEX
REAL
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
PRACTICAL LOG AMP TYPES

TRANSLINEAR (inc. DC/LF log-ratio) EXPONENTIAL-AGC PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSION Baseband Demodulating True-log (sinh-1) Synchronous Dual (RF log-ratio)
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
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DIRECT TRANSLINEAR
BASED ON THE LOG-EXPONENTIAL PROPERTIES OF THE BJT CURRENT-MODE DYNAMIC RANGE CAN BE VERY HIGH (e.g., 200dB, 1pA to 1mA) INVALUABLE IN MANY TYPES OF LF INSTRUMENTATION (DC to about 10MHz) THE MOST ADVANCED FORMS ACTUALLY PROVIDE FULL LOG-RATIO OPERATION
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THE TOUCHSTONE:
VBE
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A widely used formulation is
VBE (T,IC ) =
kT IC log q IS(T)
.. which is very nearly exact in most respects, over a temperature range of -250C to 250C and an IC range from (typically) 1pA to 1mA; at high currents the junction resistances and other effects cause VBE to exceed this value. But what is this peculiar quantity IS(T)
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The Saturation Current IS(T)

If the wondrous VBE can be called the heart of a bipolar transistor, IS(T) must surely be its soul! Although very tiny, it is also a marvel to behold, and derives from the expression for the intrinsic carrier concentration - the number of free holes and electrons per unit volume generated by the thermal energy in an unbiased semiconductor:
ni2(T)
-EGO k 3 3 = 32( memh ) T exp exp kT h k

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The Saturation Current IS(T)

In practice IS(T) cannot be accurately calculated -or even measured directly - for use in the basic expression VBE = (kT/q) log IC / IS(T). Instead, the VBE of a representative transistor is measured at a known temperature and current; then a different formulation for VBE is used for calculating its value at other operating points.
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ANALOG DEVICES
Measurement of VBE(T,IC)
IC VCB
V=0 I=0
High-Accuracy Current Source 1pA to 100mA
A E
DUT
B
High-Accuracy DC Voltmeter 1.00000 V FS
-VBE
In BJT modeling, the default collector bias is VCB = 0, that is, VCE = VBE. Collector current IC is forced by an electrometer-grade op amp
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1e-11
The form
1e-12
kT IC log VBE (T,IC ) = q IS(T)

might suggest that VBE has a strong positive coefficient of temperature - because of the factor kT/q. However, it is the saturation current IS(T) which dominates, climbing by a ratio of about a trillion from -50C to +150C. Graph is for a VBE of 0.75V at IC = 100uA & 300K
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Mead @ Lausanne, July 2003
A m p s
10pA
1e-13
1e-14
1e-15
1e-16
1e-17
IS(T)
2.5610-17A at T = 27C
1e-18
1e-19
1e-20
1e-21
1e-22
1e-23
-40
40
80
120
160
Barrie Gilbert
Temperature C
ANALOG DEVICES
1e-11
Amps
1e-12
10pA
kT 10 IC pA log VBE (T,IC ) = q IS(T) 10pA

also suggests that the VBE of this transistor would become ZERO at 150C for IC = 10pA . which indeed really does happen, because all of IC is then supplied entirely by IS ! In fact, at high temperatures and picoamp current levels, VBE may become negative !!
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Mead @ Lausanne, July 2003
1e-13
1e-14
1e-15
1e-16
1e-17
IS(T)
1e-18
1e-19
1e-20
1e-21
1e-22
1e-23
-40
40
80
120
160
Barrie Gilbert
Temperature C
ANALOG DEVICES
VBE
1.14
1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0
VBE vs. TEMPERATURE
10pA 100pA
1nA 10nA
-55C
-240 -200 -160 -120 -80 -40 0
30C
40 80
125C
-0.1
C
120 160 200 240
Actual PNP transistor having LE=100um, WE=2um, EG=1.13, XTI=4.03, IS = 2.644e-16 IC = 10pA, 100pA, 1nA and 10nA. To optimally illustrate the effect, VBC was adjusted to 52mV (10pA), 83mV (100pA), 110mV (1nA) and 150mV (10nA) - all values ZTAT
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ANALOG DEVICES
V BE 1.0
.9 .8 .7 .6 .5 .4 .3 .2 .1
c:/AD/ADL5304/New and Improved/basic_bjt_logger.ckt Temperature: 126.85 Degrees Celsius v(out)-1:v(out) -2:v(out)
VBE vs. IC
COLD
HOT
DATA FOR ACTUAL L28 TRANSISTOR 10 units, each 10 2u 1u emitters
0.0
-.1
-.2 1e-12 1e-11 1e-10 1e-9 1e-8 1e-7 1e-6 1e-5 1e-4 .001
IC
10mA
.01
1pA
IC
V=0 I=0
VBE
1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 -0.1 -0.2
VBE
961.63mV 821.62mV
T = 200K
671.76mV 550.5mV
T = 300K
1.1V
212.33mV
T = 400K
133.75mV
NEGATIVE VBE
IC
1pA 10pA 100pA 1nA 10nA 100nA 1A 10A 100A 1mA 10mA
ELIMINATING THE VERTICAL SHIFT

The vertical shift in VBE(T) is due to the extreme change in IS(T) over temperature (the ratio can be as high as a trillion-to-one from -55C to +125C). This shift is readily eliminated by using a second transistor, operating at a fixed reference current; this current and the size of this device determines the raw intercept of the logarithmic conversion.
NUMERATOR
DENOMINATOR
IC1
SAME SIZE
IC2
VBE1
VBE2
VBE1 VBE2 VBE1 VBE2 = VK log IC1 / IS (T) VK log IC2 / IS (T) = VK log IC1 / IC2
ELIMINATING THE CHANGE IN SLOPE

The variation in the slope of VBE(T) is due simply to the inherent PTAT scaling factor of VK = kT/q:
VBE = VK log IC1 / IC2

We need to convert this factor from PTAT to ZTAT, that is, a slope that is invariant with temperature, re-evaluate it, now using the decibel basis of log10 and rename the two currents:
VLOG = VY log10 INUM / IDEN
NUMERATOR
DENOMINATOR
INUM
IDEN
VBE1
Scaling @ 27oC is 2.998mV/dB
VBE2
VK log INUM / IDEN

(PTAT-to-ZTAT CONVERTER)
Scaling here is 10mV/dB at all temperatures
D I S T I L L E R Y
VY log10 INUM / IDEN
DEC1 FLT1
2P8V
2.8V LDO
VPOS
HFCP
DEC2
1A SRC
OUTPUT AMP
PDBS INUM
PDBS LOG QS
VOUT SCL1
HYPERTANH
SCL2
REFERENCES
JFET OP AMP
SCL3 VNUM
SUMP PUMP V-MIRROR
SCL4
FLT2 VREF COMM ACOM SHF1 SHF2

ANALOG DEVICES
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Barrie Gilbert
A 200-dB sweep of DC input current, from 1pA to 10mA, showing the scaling of 20mV/dB and very low log-conformance error (+/-0.05dB) 5 4 3 2 1 0 200 100 x1e-3 0 v(out)
DIRECT TRANSLINEAR
4.5V
0.5V
v(out)/vy-20*log10(inum/iz)
VOUT = 0.4V lgt (INUM/IZ) IZ = 56.23 femtoamps
1010 range of current 0.05dB

1nA
1e-11 1e-10
-100
1pA
-200 1e-12
1 A
1e-4
1mA
.001 .01
ANALOG DEVICES
1e-9 1e-8 1e-7 1e-6 1e-5 inum, from 1e-12 to 0.01 dec 30
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Barrie Gilbert
A 200-dB step of input current, from 1pA to 10mA, with a sine-squared rise-time of 100ns, is accomodated within a slewing time of 200ns
DIRECT TRANSLINEAR
1010 step of current
.01 .001 1e-4 1e-5 1e-6 1e-7 1e-8 1e-9 1e-10 1e-11 1e-12 5 4 3 2 1 0 0
<>i(input,p)
out
Time-domain response
50
100
150
200
250 300 350 400 time, x1e-9 Seconds
450
500
550
600
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AC response for DC inputs of 1pA, 10pA, 100pA, 1nA, 10n and 100nA Note the LF gain at 1pA is 225dB, corresponding to RT = 178 G-ohm 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 .1 vdb(out) -1:vdb(out) -2:vdb(out) -3:vdb(out) -4:vdb(out) -5:vdb(out)
10
100
1e3 1e4 freq, Hertz
1e5
1e6
1e7
1e8
ANALOG DEVICES
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Barrie Gilbert
EXPONENTIAL AGC
A VARIABLE-GAIN AMPLIFIER HAVING INVERSE EXPONENTIAL CONTROL OF GAIN (e-x, that is, Linear-in-dB) .. . DRIVES A DETECTOR CELL TO A FIXED SET-POINT AT ITS OUTPUT THIS SCHEME CAN OPERATE OVER A LARGE DYNAMIC RANGE (noise-limited) AND IS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING AN EXACT RMS (TRUE POWER) RESPONSE
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
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LOG-AMP BASED ON EXPONENTIAL AGC

A = A0 exp (-VW / VY) VX A VA
1 __ sT
VR
VW
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ANALOG DEVICES

The amplifier output settles to equal VR by the action of the loop: the mean input to the integrator must be forced to zero. Thus
VA = VX A0 exp (-VW / VY) VR

Solving for VW:
VW = VY log (VX / VZ)

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Vz = V R / A0
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For AC signals, add a detector:
VAC
VX
VDC
VR
1 __ sT
VW
ANALOG DEVICES
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For higher dynamic range and higher bandwidth, cascade several stages:
N stages
VX
A A0 =
VDC
VR
1 __ sT
AN
VW
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For even higher dynamic range, add filter(s):
VX
F(s)
VDC
VR
1 __ sT
VW
ANALOG DEVICES
120dB of range is readily obtainable

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The X-AMP
A PROPRIETARY VGA PRINCIPLE FUNDAMENTALLY LINEAR-in-dB USES FEEDBACK IN ORDER TO:
ACCURATELY DETERMINE GAIN & MINIMIZE HF NONLINEARITIES
GUARANTEES ULTRA-LOW NOISE EXHIBITS WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE

FROM NOISE FLOOR (0.7V RMS) TO TYPICALLY 1.4V RMS (106dB)
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ANALOG DEVICES
A BASIC X-AMP
VARIABLE SLIDER LOW-NOISE
AMPLIFIER
+
VIN RO
R:nR ATTENUATOR R1 R2
VOUT
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ANALOG DEVICES
TYPICAL 8-STAGE X-AMP

INTERPOLATING gm STAGES
gm1
gm2
gm7
gm8
VIN
100
R 2R
R 2R
R 2R R
VOUT - 41dB
R1 200 10
0dB -6.02dB 43
-36.12dB -42.14dB
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ANALOG DEVICES
R2 11*200
VOUT
CURRENTS IN THE gm STAGES

gm1 gm2 gm3 gm4 gm5 gm6 gm7 gm8
INCREASING GAIN
(MOVES ACTION TOWARDS FRONT)
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ANALOG ANALOG DEVICES DEVICES
is an example of a log-amp that is also RMS-repsonding. It can operate from a few Hz up to a specified 6 GHz, providing a 50-dB range and laser-trimmed calibration to absolute standards.
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ANALOG DEVICES
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SQUARE-LAW DETECTOR
I1 +V/2 e I2 2e e ID
IOUT
I3 0
-V/2
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ANALOG DEVICES
SQUARE-LAW DETECTOR
I1 = ID e u / ( e u + e- u + 2 ) I2 = ID e- u / ( e u + e- u + 2 ) I3 = 2ID / ( eu + e- u + 2 )
where
u = V/2VT
IOUT = I1 + I2 -
e u + e- u - 2 I I3 = u D u e +e +2
Error is < 2.7%, -2VT < V < +2VT

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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
f(u)
e u + e- u - 2 2(u/2) = = 1 sech e u + e- u + 2 f(u)=1
f(u)=0.5 u=0 u=4 f(u)=0

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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
END OF OVERVIEW
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ANALOG DEVICES
PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSION

A MAJOR CLASS, with many sub-types THE METHOD USED FOR PRACTICALLY ALL WIDEBAND LOG-AMPS, UP TO SHF THE BACKBONE IS A CHAIN OF SIMPLE AMPLIFIER CELLS FUNCTION IS A TYPE OF PIECEWISE LINEAR APPROXIMATION, but the law
conformance error may be as low as 0.1dB
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSION
THE LITERATURE ON LOG AMP DESIGN IS SCANT, EMPIRICAL, AND SURPRISINGLY QUIET ON THE CRUCIAL MATTER OF SCALING. THE ANALYSES NOW PRESENTED FLOW
DIRECTLY FROM A SIMPLE, FUNDAMENTAL STARTING POINT. NO GUESSING NEEDED
!
ANALOG DEVICES
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THE A/1 AMPLIFIER

VOUT
A/1
SYMBOL
AEK
Slope = 1
Slope = A
0
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EK
VIN
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THE A/1 AMPLIFIER

VOUT = AVIN
for VIN < EK
VOUT = (A-1) EK + VIN

for VIN > EK
Note: The amplifier function is usually odd-order symmetric
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ANALOG DEVICES
A CASCADE OF N, A/1 CELLS

Stage 1 Stage N
VX
A/1
A/1
A/1
A/1
VW
WELL IMPLEMENT A BASEBAND LOG-AMP USING PIECEWISE-LINEAR APPROXIMATION CASCADE HAS VERY HIGH OVERALL GAIN (AN)
ANALOG DEVICES
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THE FUNCTION WILL BE
VW = VY log
but.....
VX ____ VZ
WHERE DO VY & VZ COME FROM?
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WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT
VY = y EK VZ = z EK
where y and z must be linear functions of A and N
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FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
VX A/1 AVX A/1 A2VX A/1 A3VX A/1 A4VX
INPUT VOLTAGE VERY SMALL ALL STAGES REMAIN LINEAR INTERNAL VOLTAGE EK IS HIDING
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Barrie Gilbert
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK/A3 A/1 EK/A2 A/1 EK /A A/1 EK A/1 AEK
FIRST TRANSITION POINT REACHED BOTH OUTPUT AND INPUT DEFINED VOLTAGE EK NOW IN EVIDENCE
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FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
(A times larger)
EK/A2
EK/A A/1
EK A/1
AEK A/1
(2A-1)EK
(It was AEK)
A/1
SECOND TRANSITION POINT OUTPUT HAS INCREASED BY (A-1)EK INPUT INCREASED BY THE RATIO A
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FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
(A times larger)
EK/A
EK A/1
AEK
(2A-1)EK A/1 A/1
(3A-2)EK
(was (2A-1)EK)
A/1
THIRD TRANSITION POINT OUTPUT HAS INCREASED BY (A-1)EK INPUT INCREASED BY THE RATIO A
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FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK
(A times larger)
AEK A/1
(2A-1)EK A/1 A/1
(3A-2)EK A/1
(4A-3)EK
(was (3A-2)EK)
FOURTH & FINAL TRANSITION POINT OUTPUT HAS INCREASED BY (A-1)EK INPUT HAS INCREASED BY RATIO A
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BUILDING THE LOGARITHMIC FUNCTION

VW VX < EK/A3
ANVX
log VX
0 EK/A3
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VW VX = EK/A3
THIS IS THE LIN-LOG TRANSITION. ABOVE WHICH THE AMPLIFIER CHAIN CEASES TO BE LINEAR AND ENTERS A REGION OF PIECEWISE APPROXIMATION TO A LOG LAW
AEK
log VX
0 EK/A3
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Barrie Gilbert

VW VX = EK/A2
(2A-1)EK AEK
EK/A2
SLOPE AND INTERCEPT ARE ALREADY DEFINED BY JUST THESE TWO POINTS log VX
0 EK/A2
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Barrie Gilbert

VW VX = EK/A
(3A-2)EK (2A-1)EK AEK log VX
0
EK/A3 EK/A2
EK/A
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VW
(4A-3)EK (3A-2)EK (2A-1)EK AEK log VX
VX = EK
0
EK/A3 EK/A2 EK/A
EK
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VW
(4A-3)EK (3A-2)EK
VX > EK
(A - 1)EK
(2A-1)EK AEK
RATIO of A
log VX
0
EK/A3 EK/A2 EK/A EK
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SLOPE CALCULATION
THE OUTPUT CHANGES BY (2A-1)EK WHEN THE INPUT CHANGES BY THE RATIO A VY = (2A-1)EK lgt (A)
(volts/decade)
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ANALOG DEVICES
INTERCEPT CALCULATION
VW = VY lgt VX ____ VZ
SOLVE FOR VZ BY SUBSTITUTING VY = (2A-1)EK lgt (A) , VX = EK / (N-1) , VW = AEK
Vz =
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EK ___________ AN + 1/(A-1)
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APPROXIMATION ERROR
Error
log VX
EK/A3 EK/A2 EK/A EK
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LAW CONFORMANCE
dB Error = Actual Output (in dB) minus Ideal Output (in dB) Since there are 20 decibels per decade the ideal output in dB is IDEALdB = 20 lgt (VX/VZ)
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LAW CONFORMANCE
The Actual Output in dB is
ACTUALdB = 20 ERRORdB = 20 ACTUAL OUTPUT VW VOLTS/DECADE (VY)
{ VW/VY - lgt (VX/VZ) }

ANALOG DEVICES
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LAW CONFORMANCE
For a log-amp based on the A/1 gain stages, the peak deviation from an ideal logarithmic response is
RdB = 10 { (A + 1 - 2 A) lgt A}/(A -1)

Examples: A = 2 (6dB), A = 10 (10dB), A = 4 (12dB), A = 5 (14dB),
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R = 0.52dB; R = 1.4dB R = 2.01dB; R = 2.67dB

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DYNAMIC RANGE
THE FUNCTION FIT CONTINUES TO BE USEFULLY ACCURATE EVEN AT INPUTS BELOW THE FIRST TRANSITION AND ABOVE LAST ONE. IN PRACTICE, THE DYNAMIC RANGE IS SLIGHTLY MORE THAN AN. THUS, USING A=4, N=10 WE COULD EXPECT A 120dB RANGE ......
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ANALOG DEVICES
DYNAMIC RANGE
... EXCEPT FOR THE LITTLE MATTER OF NOISE. FOR EXAMPLE, A FIRSTSTAGE NOISE-SPECTRAL-DENSITY OF 1nV /Hz IN A 500-MHZ BANDWIDTH IS EQUIVALENT TO AN INPUT-REFERRED NOISE OF 22.4V RMS, OR -80dBm/50
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ANALOG DEVICES
DYNAMIC RANGE
THE INPUT NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST 6dB ABOVE THE NOISE FLOOR TO MAKE AN ACCURATE MEASUREMENT, THUS AT -74dBm IN THIS EXAMPLE. 120dB ABOVE THIS NOISE FLOOR IS AT +46dBm (63V SINE AMPLITUDE!)
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ANALOG DEVICES
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ANALOG DEVICES
THE A/0 AMPLIFIER

VOUT
Slope = 0
A/0
SYMBOL
AEK
Slope = A
0
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EK
VIN
ANALOG DEVICES
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THE A/0 AMPLIFIER

VOUT = AVIN
for VIN < EK
VOUT = AEK
for VIN > EK
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ANALOG DEVICES
N-CASCADE OF A/0 CELLS

Stage 1 Stage N
VX
A/0
A/0
A/0
A/0
WE CAN NO LONGER TAKE THE OUTPUT FROM THE LAST STAGE: IT LIMITS TO AEK AS SOON AS ITS INPUT IS EK AND THEREAFTER IT DOES NOT INCREASE
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
N-CASCADE OF A/0 CELLS

WHILE WE MUST STILL FIND
VY = y EK VZ = z EK
we should expect y and z to now be different functions A and N than for the cascade of A/1 stages
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ANALOG DEVICES
THE SOLUTION: ADD ALL

THE OUTPUTS TOGETHER
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 . . . . . STAGE N
VX
A/0
A/0
A/0
A/0
VLIM VW
THIS IS THE BASIC BACKBONE OF PRACTICALLY ALL MONOLITHIC PROGRESSIVE-COMPRESSION LOG-AMPS; NOTE THAT LAST STAGE OUTPUT IS NOW CALLED VLIM
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
VX VX A/0 AVX A/0 A2 VX A/0 A3 VX A/0 A4 VX
VLIM VW

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INPUT VOLTAGE VERY SMALL ALL STAGES REMAIN LINEAR INTERNAL VOLTAGE EK HIDDEN
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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
VX VX A/0 AVX A/0 A2 VX A/0 A3 VX A/0 A4 VX
VLIM VW
FOR SMALL INPUTS
VW = (1+ A + A2 + A3 + A4 )VX
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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK/A3 VX A/0 EK/A2 A/0 EK/A A/0 EK A/0 AEK
OUTPUT LIMITED
VLIM VW
FOR AN INPUT OF EXACTLY EK/A3
VW = (A+1+ A-1 + A-2 + A-3 )EK

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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK/A2 VX A/0 EK/A A/0 EK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK
VLIM VW
FOR AN INPUT OF EXACTLY EK/A2
VW = (2A+1+ A-1 + A-2 )EK

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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK/A VX A/0 EK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK
VLIM VW
FOR AN INPUT OF EXACTLY EK/A
VW = (3A+1+ A-1 )EK

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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
EK VX A/0 AEK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK
VLIM VW
FOR AN INPUT OF EXACTLY EK
VW = (4A+1) EK
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ANALOG DEVICES
FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
VIN>EK VX A/0 AEK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK A/0 AEK
VLIM VW
FOR ANY INPUT ABOVE EK
VW = 4AEK + VIN
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ANALOG DEVICES
SLOPE CALCULATION
THE OUTPUT CHANGES BY essentially* AEK as the INPUT CHANGES BY THE RATIO A VY = AEK lgt (A)
* its actually A (1 - A- N)EK
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(volts/decade)
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ANALOG DEVICES
SLOPE CALCULATION
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE FUNCTION A/lgt(A) VARIES BY ONLY 6% OVER 2 < A < 4 (6.64 6.26 6.64) WITH ITS MINIMUM AT A = e
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ANALOG DEVICES
SLOPE CALCULATION
SO, BY CHOOSING TO USE A GAIN OF A = e (2.72, or 8.7dB) THE LOG SLOPE WILL EXHIBIT ZERO SENSITIVITY TO SMALL VARIATIONS IN ACTUAL GAIN: IT WOULD BE SIMPLY 6.26EK
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ANALOG DEVICES
INTERCEPT FOR A/0 SYSTEM

USING THE SAME APPROACH AS FOR THE A/1 CASE, IT IS FOUND THAT THE INTERCEPT IS POSITIONED AT
Vz =
EK A N + 1/(A-1)
ANALOG DEVICES
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PRACTICAL REALIZATION
Progressive-compression log amps have been implemented in many different technologies. In the past this included discrete and monolithic BJT and GaAs embodiments. Today, one can use deep sub-micron CMOS to build log amps for operation up to several GHz. In this presentation, well illustrate some design techniques using monolithic bipolar processes.
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ANALOG DEVICES
tanh as LIMITER
tanh (VIN / 2VT)
+1 IDEAL A/0 FUNCTION
VIN 2VT
-1
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ANALOG DEVICES
An A/0 AMPLIFIER USING tanh

LARGE-SIGNAL FUNCTION:
RG
RG VOUT
VOUT = IGRG tanh (VIN/2VT)

SMALL-SIGNAL GAIN (VIN=0)
A0 = RL/re = IGRG/2VT
INCREMENTAL GAIN
VIN VOUT / VIN = IG
FOR VIN= 0 re = 2VT/IG
A0 sech 2 (VIN/2VT)
where VT = kT/q
ANALOG DEVICES
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tanh as LIMITER
tanh (VIN / 2VT)
+1 PEAK SLOPE IS sech2 (VIN / 2VT ) IDEAL A/0 FUNCTION
VIN 2VT
-1
98
EK
ANALOG DEVICES
Barrie Gilbert
CASCADE OF tanh AMPLIFIER CELLS

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE N
AVX VX
A2VX etc.
VLIM = AN VX
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ANALOG DEVICES
LOW SUPPLY VOLTAGE

1.4V 0.2VP ~EG
VX etc. VLIM
0.4VP
BIAS
0.2VP
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ANALOG DEVICES
BUT AS ALWAYS IN PRACTICE, THE DEVILS IN THE DETAILS.

. SCORES OF THEM . SUCH AS THE EFFECTS OF FINITE DC AND AC BETA; CHOICE OF T-SHAPES; OHMIC RESISTANCES; FINITE INERTIA; etc.
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ANALOG DEVICES
AUXILIARY gm CELLS
SUM IN CURRENT-MODE
VX
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
gm
USEFUL SECONDARY FUNCTION: gm CELLS ISOLATE GAIN STAGES
IW
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ANALOG DEVICES
AUXILIARY gm CELLS: STILL USE THE A/0 IDEA

IOUT
+ IR
MAXIMUM gm IS (IR/2VT )sech2(VIN/2VT)
VIN 2VT
- IR
103
gm
ANALOG DEVICES
Barrie Gilbert
AUXILIARY gm CELLS
IOUT = IR tanh (VOUT/2VT)
RG
RG VOUT
VIN IR
IG SETS GAIN AND IS PTAT
104
IG
Barrie Gilbert
IR SETS SLOPE & IS T-STABLE

ANALOG DEVICES
DIFFERENT FIRST STAGE

IOUT = IR tanh (VIN/2VT)
RG
RG VOUT
VIN
IR
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IG
ANALOG DEVICES
A TRANSLINEAR AMPLIFIER
TEN CASCADED STAGES, 150pH INDUCTORS

CASCODES: VCS=2.28V, VCM=3.3V, VPS = 4.45V; EF's are 5um; Uppers = 4.75um -cascade of ten stages with inductors included. f_3dB for the single stage is 42.7GHz, nominal, 47.1GHz FAST and 36.5GHz SLOW, sigma=3 7.5 5 vdb(out)
dB
2.5 0
-3dB
NOMINAL: 42.7GHz
-2.5 -5 -7.5 8 vdb(out) -1:vdb(out) -2:vdb(out) 3
dB
6 4 2
FAST: 47.1GHz
SLOW: 36.5GHz
1 23
-3dB
Frequency, Hertz
0 1e9 1e10 freq, Hertz 1e11
A FOUR-STAGE EXAMPLE
VX A/0
gm gm
AVX A/0
A2VX A/0
gm
A3VX A/0
gm
A4VX VLIM
gm
IW
CURRENT-MODE SUMMATION
FOR SMALL INPUTS, SYSTEM IS A LINEAR AMPLIFIER
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ANALOG DEVICES
EK/A4 A/0
gm gm
EK/A3 A/0
EK/A2 A/0
gm
EK/A A/0
gm
EK VLIM
gm
IW
THE FIRST TRANSITION NOW OCCURS WHEN THE INPUT TO THE FINAL gm CELL REACHES EK AT THIS POINT THE INPUT IS EK/A4 AND THE OUTPUT CURRENT IW = IR( 1 + A-1 + A-2 + A-3 + A-4 )
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ANALOG DEVICES
EK/A3 A/0
gm gm
EK/A2 A/0
gm
EK/A A/0
gm
EK A/0 VLIM
gm
IW
WHEN THE INPUT IS A TIMES HIGHER, AT EK/A3, THE OUTPUT IS IW = IR( 2 + A-1 + A-2 + A-3 )
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ANALOG DEVICES
EK/A2 A/0
gm gm
EK/A A/0
gm
EK A/0
gm
EK VLIM
A/0
gm
IW
WHEN THE INPUT IS A TIMES HIGHER, AT EK/A2, THE OUTPUT IS IW = IR( 3 + A-1 + A-2 + A-3 ) etc. etc.
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ANALOG DEVICES
DETERMINATION OF SLOPE
THE OUTPUT CHANGES from to IW = IR (1 + A-1 + A-2 + ....... A-N ) IW = IR (2 + A-1 + A-2 + ....... A-(N-1) ) for an input of VX = EK/A-N, for an input of VX = EK/A-(N-1). The output changes by IR(1 A-N) IR as the INPUT changes by the RATIO A
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ANALOG DEVICES
DETERMINATION OF SLOPE
WE NEED NOT PROCEED FURTHER: THE LOG FUNCTION DEVELOPS IN A SIMILAR FASHION TO THAT DETERMINED EARLIER FOR THE MORE IDEALIZED CASE.
THE LOG SLOPE NOW IN CURRENT FORM IS SIMPLY
IW
IR lgt (A)
WHICH IS FULLY DECOUPLED FROM EK

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ANALOG DEVICES
ELIMINATION OF PTAT EK
SPECIALIZED PTAT CELL DETERMINES THE GAIN A GAIN BIAS
A/0 gm
A/0 gm
0 to EK 0 to IR
IR
VOLTAGE REFERENCE SETS ACCURATE BIAS IR
114
SLOPE BIAS
ANALOG DEVICES
Barrie Gilbert
OUTPUT CURRENT OF THE gm CELL CHANGES BY IR FOR A CHANGE IN RATIO OF A AT THE AMPLIFIERS INPUT CONVERTED TO A VOLTAGE USING A TRANSRESISTANCE OUTPUT STAGE, OF VALUE RY THUS, THE CHANGE IN VW IS IRRY FOR EVERY FRACTION lgt(A) AT THE MAIN INPUT
GAIN BIAS
A/0 gm
0 to EK
IR
SLOPE BIAS
RY
VW
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ANALOG DEVICES
THE NEW SLOPE IS
GAIN BIAS
VY =
IRRY lgt (A)

A/0 gm
0 to EK
THE DEPENDENCE ON A PTAT EK HAS THUS BEEN ELIMINATED
IR
SLOPE BIAS
RY
VW
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ANALOG DEVICES
THE NEW SLOPE IS
GAIN BIAS
VY =
IRRY lgt (A)

A/0 gm
THE DEPENDENCE ON THE PTAT EK HAS THUS BEEN ELIMINATED

SLOPE BIAS
RY
VW
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ANALOG DEVICES
COMPLETE A/0 LOG-AMP

GAIN BIAS
VX
A/0 gm gm A/0 gm A/0 gm A/0 gm
VLIM
RY
SLOPE BIAS
VW
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ANALOG DEVICES
HOWEVER, THE INTERCEPT IS STILL DEPENDENT ON EK
Vz =
EK A N + 1/(A-1)
and EK in the natural system comprising the log amp backbone is inherently PTAT. The next few steps demonstrate how this can readily be compensated, to provide a stable intercept versus temperature.
ANALOG DEVICES
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INTERCEPT MANIPULATION
VW
VW = 5VY VW = 4VY VW = 3VY VW = 2VY VW = VY VW = 0
INTERCEPT LOWERED
BY ADDING OFFSET VA TO OUTPUT VA log VX

VX = 104 VO + 80dBc VX = 106 VO + 120dBc
ANALOG DEVICES
VO
120
VZ
Barrie Gilbert
INTERCEPT MANIPULATION
VW = = = VY log (VX/VZ) VY log (VXVO / VZVO)
VY log (VX/VO) + VA
where VA = VY log (VO / VZ)
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ANALOG DEVICES
INTERCEPT POSITION IS EASILY ALTERED

VW
VW = 5VY VW = 4VY VW = 3VY VW = 2VY VW = VY
LOWERS THE INTERCEPT
ADDING AN OFFSET TO THE OUTPUT
log VX
VW = 0 VX = 10-2VZ - 40dBc VX = VZ 0dBc VX = 102 VZ + 40dBc VX = 104 VZ + 80dBc
ANALOG DEVICES
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AUXILIARY gm CELLS
SUM IN CURRENT-MODE
VX
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
A/0
x
gm
2 A/0
gm
gm
FOR DEMODULATION WE MUST CONVERT THE gm CELLS INTO RECTIFIERS (DETECTORS) PREFERABLY FULL-WAVE 123
IW
ANALOG DEVICES
Barrie Gilbert
SQUARE-LAW DETECTOR
IOUT
2RG
e 2e
RG VOUT RG
ID SETS SLOPE & IS T-STABLE
ANALOG DEVICES
VIN
IG SETS GAIN AND IS PTAT

124
IG
Barrie Gilbert
ID
DEMODULATING LOG-AMP
GAIN BIAS
VX
x2
A/0 x2
A/0 x2
A/0 x2
A/0 x2
VLIM
RYh(s)
SLOPE BIAS
VW
THE OUTPUT I-V CONVERTER IS NOW ALSO A FILTER

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ANALOG DEVICES
APPROXIMATION RIPPLE
THE LOG CONFORMANCE ERROR WHEN USING tanh GAIN CELLS NOW TAKES ON AN ESSENTIALLY SINUSOIDAL FORM. FOR A = 4 THE RIPPLE IS CLOSE TO 0.2dB. SMALL ADJUSTMENTS ARE MADE TO THE WEIGHTING OF THE gm CELLS TO IMPROVE ACCURACY OF THE LOGARITHMIC FIT
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ANALOG DEVICES
3 2.5 2 1.5 1 .5 0 2 1.5 1 .5
v(log) -1:v(log) -2:v(log)
DC INTERCEPT AT 10V Sinewave intercept at amplitude of 20V = -84dBm
USING THE TRANSLINEAR AMPLIFIER CELLS, f3dB = 43GHz

71dB range over temptr LOG ERROR
v(log)/vy-20*log10(vin/vz) -1:v(log)/vy-20*log10(vin/vz) -2:v(log)/vy-20*log10(vin/vz) -1 1
60VDC
215mVDC T = 30C T= -30C T= 90C
dB 0
-.5 -1 -1.5 -2 1e-5 10V 1e-4 100 V .001 .01 10mV 1mV vin, from 2e-05 to 0.6 dec 80 VIN (DC) .1 100mV
0.1dB
1 1V
DYNAMIC RANGE ISSUES

RECALL THAT A BASIC REQUIREMENT OF A LOG-AMP IS THAT IT MUST HAVE VERY ZERO-SIGNAL GAIN, TO ACCURATELY RESPOND TO VERY SMALL INPUTS. CHAINED A/0 AMPLIFIERS HAVE A GAIN OF AN. FOR EXAMPLE, FOR A = 4 (12dB) & N=8, THE GAIN IS 65,500 (~96dB).
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ANALOG DEVICES
FOR A MODEST OVERALL BANDWIDTH OF 3.2 GHz, AND THIS GAIN OF 65,000, THE GAIN-BANDWIDTH PRODUCT IS IS AN ASTRONOMICAL 208,000 GHz
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ANALOG DEVICES

THE DYNAMIC RANGE OF A LOG-AMP IS LIMITED BY ITS FIRST-STAGE NOISE (say, 1nV/ Hz) & BY THE PEAK INPUT AT WHICH IT REMAINS LOGARITHMIC, ROUGHLY 2EK. THIS IS ABOUT 74dB.
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ANALOG DEVICES
SOLUTIONS
ONE SOLUTION IS TO LOWER THE BANDWIDTH, BUT THIS MAY NOT BE PERMISSIBLE. ANOTHER IS TO LOWER THE NOISE; THATS HARD. A BETTER SOLUTION IS TO RAISE TOP END OF THE DYNAMIC RANGE BY USING AN AUXILIARY LOG-AMP
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ANALOG DEVICES
WIDE RANGE LOG-AMP

VX
A/0 gm gm A/0 gm A/0 gm A/0 gm
GAIN BIAS
VLIM
RY
ATTEN
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
A/0
gm
SLOPE BIAS
VW
ATTENUATION RATIO MUST BE AK WITH K INTEGER

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ANALOG DEVICES
WIDE RANGE LOG-AMP

VW = 7VY VW = 6VY VW = 5VY VW = 4VY VW = 3VY VW = 2VY VW = VY VW = 0 VX = VZ VX = 102 VZ VX = 104 VZ VX = 106 VZ
ANALOG DEVICES
VW AUXILIARY
MAIN PATH log VX
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WIDE RANGE LOG-AMP

USING THIS TECHNIQUE, A DYNAMIC RANGE OF >100dB CAN BE ACHIEVED, EVEN AT WIDE BANDWIDTHS. WITH 1nV/Hz AND f = 400MHz, THE NOISE VOLTAGE IS 20V RMS; THE LARGEST INPUT MAY BE LIMITED ONLY BY BVCBO, SAY, 4V, ABOUT 2.8V RMS. THIS IS A DYNAMIC RANGE OF 103dB.
ANALOG DEVICES
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APPROXIMATION ERROR FOR NON-IDEAL (tanh) CELLS (DC)

+1dB 0.2dB
A=4 N=6
0
12dB
-1dB
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ANALOG DEVICES
WIDE RANGE LOG-AMP

GAIN BIAS
VX
A/0 x2
A/0 x2
A/0 x2
VLIM
A/0 x2
RYh(s)
x2
ATTEN
x2 A/0 A/0
x2
VW
A/0
SLOPE BIAS
THE OUTPUT I-V CONVERTER IS NOW ALSO A FILTER

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ANALOG DEVICES
REMOVING DC OFFSET
VIN
A A A A
VOUT
VIN - vOS C R fHP A4 = 2CR
To avoid breaking the chain, while at the same time cope with DC offsets a global feedback path can be used to stabilize the operating point (null the offset)
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ANALOG DEVICES
REMOVING DC OFFSET
VIN
A A A A
VOUT
VIN - vOS C
This current is zero when input offset is fully nulled
fHP
A3g = 2C
This method is often useful in coping with DC offset since it forms an integrator that fully nulls the error.
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ANALOG DEVICES
REMOVING DC OFFSET
40dB A = 3.16 20dB
R-feedback HF roll-off
0dB g-feedback
10kHz 100kHz 1MHz 10MHz 100MHz 1GHz
ANALOG DEVICES
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REMOVING DC OFFSET
Peaking at the transition due to time delay in forward-path
40dB A = 3.16 20dB

R-feedback HF roll-off
0dB g-feedback
10kHz 100kHz 1MHz 10MHz 100MHz 1GHz
ANALOG DEVICES
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AD8310: Fast, Lo-Z Voltage Out

2.7-7.5V
4.7
N.C.
10nF
SIGNAL INPUT -73dBm to +17dBm (-86dBV to +4dBV)
INHI OFLT ENBL VPOS
8ns envelope response
AD8310
INLO COMM INBF VOUT
N.C.
LOG OUTPUT 0.3 to 2.3V
20mV/dB
ANALOG DEVICES
Logarithmic Conformance of AD8307 (from Data Sheet)

2.5 10 MHz 100 MHz 2 Error in dB 1 0 -1 -2 0.5 17dBm = 4dBV 0 = 2.2V 20
ANALOG DEVICES
OUTPUT
2 1.5 Output Voltage
500 MHz
-73dBm = -86dBV
= 49V
RMS
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
10
Equivalent Input Power in dBm (50 termination)
120+ dB MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

50 INPUT -105dBm to +15dBm
R1 432k R2 64.9k 0.65V
GPOS VPOS VOUT VNEG FDBK
10.7MHz BANDPASS FILTER*
VP , 5V
4.7 0.1F
N.C.
L1 750nH
R3 330 R4 464 VR1 5k Intercept Adjust 5dB
INP VPS ENB INT
GNEG VINP
AD603
COMM
AD8307
INM COM OFS OUT
C1 150pF
0.3-2.3V
N.C.
VN , -5V
R5 100k
1nF
R7 80.6k
Exponential feedback
R6 20k
OUTPUT
* E.g., Murata SFE10.7MS2G-A
10mV/dB
ANALOG DEVICES
EFFECT OF WAVEFORM
THESE ANALYSES HAVE BEEN FOR DC INPUTS ONLY AN AMPLITUDE-SYMMETRIC PULSE OR SQUAREWAVE INPUT WOULD PRODUCE THE SAME RESULT FOR STANDARD WAVEFORMS, IT IS EASY TO CALCULATE THE EFFECT ON THE CALIBRATION
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ANALOG DEVICES
EFFECT OF WAVEFORM
WAVEFORM HAS NO EFFECT ON THE SLOPE CALIBRATION, VY IT AFFECTS ONLY THE INTERCEPT
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ANALOG DEVICES
EFFECT OF WAVEFORM
FOR A SINUSOIDAL INPUT ESsint THE OUTPUT WILL BE THE SAME AS THAT FOR A DC INPUT OF ES/2 THAT IS, INTERCEPT VALUE FOR SINE IS EFFECTIVELY DOUBLED
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Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
RF Power Detectors
Direct RF Detection using AD8313

ANALOG DEVICES
Power Amplifier Analog Control Loop
~ ~ ~
VOUT
AD8313
VSET
ADC
Digital Control Loop
Up to 2.5 GHz input
Direct RF Detection to >2.5 GHz 70 dB total dynamic range + 1dB accuracy over central 62dB 8 pin Micro-SOIC Provides RSSI at antenna frequency Released August 1998
ANALOG DEVICES
AD8314 Low Cost 40dB Log Amp

ANALOG DEVICES
V_UP
+
CURRENTS from LOG DETECTORS
I-V V-I
+
VSET
+2
V_DN
EXT FLTR CAP BAND-GAP REFERENCE
V_DN = 2.4V - 2*V_UP
1.2V
Output Interface of AD8314

ANALOG DEVICES
AD8314 40dB Log-Amp is a Detector & Controller

2.5V
V_UP, V_DN
Output for PA control
2.0V 1.5V 1.0V
Output for measurement
0.5V 0.0V
ANALOG DEVICES
-60dBm -50dBm -40dBm -30dBm -20dBm -10dBm 0dBm
AD8314 in Measurement Mode

ANALOG DEVICES
f <= 2.5GHz
COUPLER
2mV to 360mV Chip enable
RFIN
VPOS
3V N.C.
0.1 to 1.2V
AD8314
ENBL VSET FLTR
V_DN V_UP COMM
ADC
Use to extend the averaging interval
Output is 0.5 log10 (VIN in mV)

ANALOG DEVICES
AD8314 in Controller Mode

ANALOG DEVICES
f <= 2.5GHz
COUPLER
2mV to 360mV Chip enable Set-point control voltage 0.1 - 1.2V
RFIN
VPOS
3V
0.2 to 2.5V
AD8314
ENBL VSET FLTR
V_DN V_UP COMM
RF VGA
Sets loop response
V_UP not used as an output in this mode
but is needed to set the loop bandwidth
One-chip Network Analyser
AD8302: A GAIN/PHASE DETECTOR

A Network Analyser on a Chip! - Almost! VGAIN = VG log (VA/VB ) VPHS = VP ( 1 - 2 ) Operates from LF to >3 GHz Applications
Power Amplifier Phase/Gain Control .... independent of actual power level Monitoring of System Gain/Loss (e.g. Return Loss) System Diagnostics Linear Phase Demodulator
ANALOG DEVICES
VG = 30mV/dB VP = 10mV/deg
COMPLETE GAIN/PHASE DETECTOR

COMM 7 detectors IN_A BS_A
RIN ~ 1k
CLP
FLGN
10dB
10dB 6 stages
10dB
VOGN
0 -1.8V 30mV/dB
gm COS DC-OFFSET NULLING LOOP
FBGN
2
VPOS
BIAS SYSTEM AND SCALING REFERENCE

DC-OFFSET NULLING LOOP COS gm
ENBL
BS_B IN_B
RIN ~ 1k
FBPH
CLP
10dB
6 stages 10dB 7 detectors
10dB
CLP
VOPH
0 -1.8V 10mV/deg
COMM
FLPH
Gain/Phase Detector: General Scheme

ANALOG DEVICES
TRUE GAIN MEASUREMENT

VA
L L
V1 = VY log ( VA / VX ) A
+
VB
VY log ( VA / VB )
B V2 = VY log ( VB / VX )
By subtracting the output of the B-channel log-amp from that of the A-channel log-amp, the intercept VX is eliminated and the resulting difference is a measure of the RATIO of VA / VB
ANALOG DEVICES
CANCEL PACKAGE RESONANCES
VA
A= VAg(f) B= VBg(f)
L L
A VOUT = VY log B = VY log VA g(f) VB g(f)

VA = VY log VB
VB
Both channels have the same HF resonances and other HF transmission effects g(f), but these are canceled in taking the difference which remains a measure of the RATIO of VA / VB
ANALOG DEVICES
LOW NOISE-INDUCED ERRORS

Internal noise sources in IC
VA
EN
A= VA + EN B= VB + EN
EN
L L
A VOUT = VY log B
VA + EN = V log Y VB + EN VA (VB - VB ) = VY log 1 + EN VAVB VB
VB
Both channels have the same additive noise at input but its effect is reduced in the output. For example, if VA = 3 EN and VB = 2 EN the measurement error of ratio is only 1.3dB
ANALOG DEVICES
PHASE MEASUREMENT LF-3GHz
VA
L L
V1 = VY log ( VA / VX ) A
PHASE
OUTPUT
VY log ( VA / VB )
VB
V2 = VY log ( VB / VX )
Logarithmic amplifiers also provide very high gain and limiting action: using a special type of analog multiplier between the limiter outputs, phase measurements can be made up to 3GHz
ANALOG DEVICES
APPLICATIONS
ANALOG DEVICES
RF signal to be measured
L L

Low-frequency reference carrier
log(A/B)
In this case, a low-frequency carrier provides a very high calibration reference for the intercept
ANALOG DEVICES
APPLICATIONS
ANALOG DEVICES
Modulated RF signal
L L

Baseband modulation
log(A/B)
Here, the reference is provided by the baseband modulation & system measures conversion gain
ANALOG DEVICES
APPLICATIONS
ANALOG DEVICES
OUT
SYSTEM BLOCK
L L

B
IN
log(A/B)
True gain of system block is measured independent of the actual power levels
ANALOG DEVICES
APPLICATIONS
ANALOG DEVICES
LOAD
COUPLERS
L L
SOURCE
log(A/B)
Measurement of return loss independent of power level

ANALOG DEVICES
SYNCHRONOUS LOG AMP
SYNCHRONOUS LOG AMP

AN SLA IS DUAL LOG-AMPS ACTING IN PARALLEL INSTEAD OF SQUARE-LAW DETECTORS IT USES ANALOG MULTIPLIERS BETWEEN CORRESPONDING NODES AS SIGNALS PROGRESS DOWN THE CASCADE CURRENT-MODE OUTPUTS OF ALL MULTIPLIERS IS SUMMED, AND THIS VARIABLE IS CONVERTED BACK TO THE VOLTAGE DOMAIN NUMEROUS APPLICATIONS: LOWER EFFECTIVE INPUT NOISE; TUNABLE TO SINGLE FREQUENCY; sinh-1; etc
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ANALOG DEVICES
SYNCHRONOUS LOG AMP

STAGE 1A
t STAGE 2A
A/0
STAGE 3A
STAGE NA
VA
A/0
A/0
A/0
A/0
STAGE 1B
A/0
STAGE 2B
A/0
STAGE 3B
VW A/0
STAGE NB
VB
2 N STAGES, N IS TYPICALLY 12
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ANALOG DEVICES
FIRST APPLICATION
t
en1
VIN
en2
VOUT
NOISE SOURCES eN1 and eN2 ARE UNCORRELATED SO THEIR CROSS-PRODUCT AVERAGES TO ZERO
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ANALOG DEVICES
SECOND APPLICATION
VIN VDC VOUT
THE FIXED VOLTAGE VDC TURNS THIS LOG AMP INTO A NON-DEMODULATI NG sinh-1 MACHINE
168
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7
asinh(x)
It therefore provides a very accurate and useful compression function ahead of A/D
0 80 160 -480 -400 -320 -240 -160 -80 x, from -500 to 500
240
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Barrie Gilbert
+
x
320 400 480
ANALOG DEVICES
sinh-1 very closely approximates the bipolarity logarithm and is continuous through the origin
PRE-A/D COMPRESSION
SIGNAL / SENSOR SOURCE LOGARITHMICALLY COMPRESSED AND SCALED SIGNAL
ADC
SCALING VOLTAGE Adapt as needed to application DATA NOW, EACH LSB REPRESENTS A FIXED NUMBER OF DECIBELS (e.g., 0.1dB/LSB)
ANALOG DEVICES
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Barrie Gilbert
THIRD APPLICATION
t
VIN VOUT VCLOCK
THE CLOCK VOLTAGE TURNS THIS LOG AMP INTO A SYNCHRONOUS DEMODULATOR
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ANALOG DEVICES
FOURTH APPLICATION
t
VIN VOUT
PHASER
THE CLOCK VOLTAGE IS RECOVERED FROM THE LAST LIMITER OUTPUT: SYSTEM BECOMES A SELF-CLOCKED HOMODYNE 172
Barrie Gilbert
ANALOG DEVICES
DLVA
A PRIMITIVE SCHOTTKY DETECTOR

RG VG sin t RL CL VOUT
The great appeal of this Schottky-diode detector is its inherently wide bandwidth, passing effortlessly through the SHF band (3-30GHz) and still working very well into the EHF band (30-300GHz). However, it suffers from extremely poor sensitivity, severe nonlinearity, and temperature dependence. Thus, the challenge is to find ways to persuade some form diode detector to be free of these limitations, with the aim of providing dynamic range of at least 50dB.
ANALOG DEVICES
AMPLITUDE RESPONSE, fsin = 1GHz, 1mV to 1.58V in 1-dB steps

1 out(jj) out_1(jj) out_2(jj)
.1
VOUT
.01
Pre-bias of 300mV VSIN = 1mV
.001
Pre-bias of 150mV No pre-bias: come-alive corner is at VSIN = 158mV
1e-4
1e-5
VSIN = 1mV*10**( ( j j-1)/20 )
1e-6
10
15
20 25 30 35 40 45 jj, from 1 to 65 by 1
50
55
60
65
ANALOG DEVICES
FREQUENCY RESPONSE, Vsin = 300mV, 1GHz to 316GHz

.8 .4 0 -.4 -.8 -1.2 -1.6 -2 -2.4 3 20*log10(out_50(jj))+20 1 20*log10(out_0(jj))+20
RG = 0; f3dB = 128GHz Normalized plot: 0dB = 100mV out

2
dB
-2.8 -3.2 -3.6 -4 -4.4 -4.8 -5.2 -5.6 -6 -6.4 -6.8 0
RG = 50; f3dB = 107GHz
fsin = 1GHz
fsin = 1GHz*10**( ( j j-1)/20 )

5 10 15 20 25 30 jj, from 1 to 46 by 1 35 40 45
DLVA: BASIC BLOCK DIAGRAM

POST-ENVELOPE RMS CONVERTER
RMSI COMM RFIN COMM LINEARIZED and TEMP-COMPENSATED SCHOTTY-DIODE ENVELOPE-FOLLOWER
RMSO
VENV
LOGI Multiple operational modes
POST-ENVELOPE and/or POST-RMS LOG CONVERTER
LOGO
ANALOG DEVICES
THE FRONT-END
2IB IB
There are 8 diodes in a X-quad layout
CL
GROUND PLANE
VPOS
RFIN
LOW-CAP RESISTOR
ZIN
VMID both inputs
VENV
VENV ranges
from +4.7mV to +1.5V *
VRF
4.7mV to 1.5V pk amplitude*
IIN 0
Nonlinear amplifier corrects for square-law detection response at low VRF
COMM
Detector front-end is actually a voltagedoubling circuit
CL
2IB IB
* When using a
3-V supply; the input and output range can be 4dB higher using a 5-V supply
ANALOG DEVICES
FRONT-END PROCESSING
COMM NEGATIVE-FOLLOWING ENVELOPE DETECTOR POSITIVE-FOLLOWING ENVELOPE DETECTOR
R +
RFIN
x2
R R
VENV
COMM
Because the input detectors provide voltage-doubling, the gain of the output section is 0.5. The square-rooting cell is a particular sort of translinear circuit, having the double-amplitiude differential voltage applied to its ultra-low-offset transconductance stage and the resulting current is used to generate the needed correction current to the output amplifier. To maintain fast response time, this current is kept fairly high and then attenuated in the resistor string.
ANALOG DEVICES
10
out_2(jj)
LINEAR REGION
OUTPUT OF DETECTOR UNIT (V)

.01
.1
4.74mV SQUARELAW REGION
50dB
fsin = 3GHz
1.500V
.001
VSIN = 4.74mV*10**( ( j j-1)/20 )

1e-4 0 5 10 15 35 20 25 30 jj, from 1 to 51 by 1 40 45 50
ANALOG DEVICES
An overnight run of March 20-21, 2010, checking temperature error at fsin = 500MHz, after small adjustment to SQRT scaling. Using inputs from 4.74mV to 1.500V (=50.006dB). 10 1 .1 .01 .001 .8 .6 .4 .2 0 -.2 -.4 -.6 -.8 -1 out_m30c(jj) out_90c(jj) out_30c(jj) 4.74m*10**((jj-1)/10)
VSIN = 4.74mV
VSIN = 1.50V
20*log10(out_m30C(jj)/(4.74m*10**((jj-1)/10))) 20*log10(out_90c(jj)/(4.74m*10**((jj-1)/10))) 20*log10(out_30c(jj)/(4.74m*10**((jj-1)/10)))
T = -30C T = 30C T = 90C

0 2 4 6 8
VSIN = 4.74mV*10**( ( j j-1)/10 )

10 12 14 16 jj, from 1 to 26 by 1 18 20 22 24 26 ANALOG DEVICES
tanh
sech
TRUST THE MATHEMATICAL TRANSISTOR

182
cosh
Barrie Gilbert
sinh
ANALOG DEVICES
log

Logarithmic Amplifiers

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Logarithmic Amplifiers

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Barrie Gilbert ADI Northwest Portland, Oregon

INP VPS ENB INT

LOG OUTPUT 0.3 to 2.3V

SO HERES THE PLAN.

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

WHAT DO LOG AMPS DO?

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

W is the X ..... Y ..... Z .....

Output variable Input variable Slope parameter Log Intercept

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

is the ..... ..... .....

Output voltage Input voltage Slope voltage Intercept voltage

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

is the Output current . . . . . Input current . . . . . Slope current . . . . . Intercept current

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

is the Output voltage . . . . . Input current . . . . . Slope voltage . . . . . Intercept current

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

THE BASIC LOGARITHMIC RELATIONSHIP

VW = 5VY VW = 4VY VW = 3VY VW = 2VY VW = VY VW = 0

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

REGION NEAR ZERO

THE INCREMENTAL GAIN OF A LOG-AMP SHOULD APPROACH INFINITY AS VX 0

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN VX < 0 ?

VW = sgn (VX) VY log ( |VX| / VZ)

1 sinh (u) & log(2u)

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

PRACTICAL LOG AMP TYPES

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

A widely used formulation is

The Saturation Current IS(T)

-EGO k 3 3 = 32( memh ) T exp exp kT h k

The Saturation Current IS(T)

High-Accuracy Current Source 1pA to 100mA

kT IC log VBE (T,IC ) = q IS(T)

kT 10 IC pA log VBE (T,IC ) = q IS(T) 10pA

VBE vs. TEMPERATURE

c:/AD/ADL5304/New and Improved/basic_bjt_logger.ckt Temperature: 126.85 Degrees Celsius v(out)-1:v(out) -2:v(out)

DATA FOR ACTUAL L28 TRANSISTOR 10 units, each 10 2u 1u emitters

ELIMINATING THE VERTICAL SHIFT

ELIMINATING THE CHANGE IN SLOPE

VBE = VK log IC1 / IC2

VLOG = VY log10 INUM / IDEN

VK log INUM / IDEN

VY log10 INUM / IDEN

FLT2 VREF COMM ACOM SHF1 SHF2

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

VOUT = 0.4V lgt (INUM/IZ) IZ = 56.23 femtoamps

1010 range of current 0.05dB

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

250 300 350 400 time, x1e-9 Seconds

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

1e3 1e4 freq, Hertz

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

LOG-AMP BASED ON EXPONENTIAL AGC

LOG-AMP BASED ON EXPONENTIAL AGC

VA = VX A0 exp (-VW / VY) VR

VW = VY log (VX / VZ)

LOG-AMP BASED ON EXPONENTIAL AGC

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010

LOG-AMP BASED ON EXPONENTIAL AGC

BIW-10, Santa Fe, May 2010