Bode plots by example

Andrea Pacelli
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
SUNY at Stony Brook
pacelli@ece.sunysb.edu
First edition, February 2001
Copyright c 2001 Andrea Pacelli
All Rights Reserved

Poles and zeros

A transfer function can be usually written in the form

 

 

   
 ! "!#
$ are called zeros and the !#$ are the poles of the transfer function.
where
the
quantities

% is called the low-frequency or dc gain.
For simplicity, we will consider only real poles and zeros. Poles of stable systems are
always negative. Only unstable systems (e.g., oscillators) have positive poles (or more
precisely, complex poles with a positive real part). Zeros can be positive or negative. Zeros in passive structures (e.g., connections of resistors and capacitors) are always negative,
however active circuits (e.g., with transistors) can have positive zeros.
The Bode plot can be quickly found if one remembers the following golden rules:
1. A negative pole contributes a slope of
%)*(+ .
of

'&(

dB/decade to the magnitude, and a phase

&(

dB/decade to the magnitude, and a phase

&(

dB/decade to the magnitude, and a phase

2. A negative
zero contributes a slope of ,
*
)
(
+
of ,
.
3. A positive
zero contributes a slope of ,
%

*
)
(
+
of
.

We will illustrate the above rules by a number of& - examples. In all cases we express
frequencies in radians per second, to get rid of the
and thus save a lot of printer ink.

2.1

Examples
A single negative pole

./0 4 (5
,213

Magnitude [dB]

10

-10

-10

-20
-30

-20

-40

-30

-50

-40

-60

-50
-60
-70
101

Phase [degrees]

-70
Magnitude
Phase
102

6 ( 5

-80
103
104
Frequency [rad/s]

105

-90
106

'&(

The pole at 3
causes the magnitude
plot to point downward at
dB/decade. The
%

*
)
(
+
phase starts out at zero, then shifts to
the pole frequency. Note how the transition
( + )( + takes about three decades ofat frequency.
from to

./06 ,213 4 ( 5

70

90

60

80

50

70
60

40

50

30

40

20

30

10

20

0
-10
101

7 ( 5

Phase [degrees]

A single negative zero

Magnitude [dB]

2.2

Magnitude
Phase
102

103
104
Frequency [rad/s]

105

10
0
106

&(

The zero at 3
causes the magnitude plot to climb upward at ,
dB/decade. The
)*(*+ at the zero frequency. The transfer
phase starts out at zero, then shifts to ,
function
tends to infinity at high frequency, which is very unusual. In practice, there will always
be some pole somewhere up there in the high frequency range to catch the magnitude
and bring it down to reasonable values (as in example 2.5).

One negative pole and one negative zero

./0 2
, 13 44  ((85
,213

Magnitude [dB]

10

-10

-10

-20
-30

-20

-40

-30

-50

-40

-60

-50
-60
-70
101

Phase [degrees]

2.3

-70
Magnitude
Phase
102

6 ( 5

-80

103 104 105 106

Frequency [rad/s]

107

-90
108

'&(

The pole at 3
causes the magnitude plot to point downward at
dB/decade. The
8
9



(
zero at 3
catches the curve and restores the magnitude to ( zero
5 6:( Between
8 4 ( slope.
the pole and the zero
the
curve
has
suffered
a
total
attenuation
of
dB. The

(
+
%

*
)

(
+
*
(
+
phase starts out at , shifts to
at the pole frequency, then goes back to at the zero
frequency.
Two negative poles

./ 6 ( 8 
, 13 4 ( 5 ; 2
2
, 13 4 ( 8 
140

0
Magnitude
Phase

120

-20
-40

Magnitude [dB]

100

-60

80

-80

60

-100

40

-120

20

-140

-160

-20
102

103

104
105
106
Frequency [rad/s]

107

Phase [degrees]

2.4

-180
108

(<8=> &(

The transfer function starts out at dc with a gain of

Each subsequent pole
&( dB/decade, anddB.
%)*( + .
bends the slope of the magnitude down %
by?*(
shifts the phase
by
@ A*( + .
Note that the final slope of the curve is
dB/decade, and the final phase is

One negative zero and one negative pole

70

90

60

80

50

70
60

40

50

30

40

20

30

10

20

0
-10
101

Phase [degrees]

./0 2
, 13 44  (( 58
,213

Magnitude [dB]

2.5

Magnitude
Phase
102

103 104 105 106

Frequency [rad/s]

10
107

0
108

Like in example 2.3, but with the pole and the zero interchanged. The positive slope
imparted by the zero is canceled by the later pole. Same (<for
the
phase.
Between the zero
5

8
B



(


*
:
(
and the pole, the transfer function climbs by a factor of
dB.
Two negative poles, one negative zero

2

./ 6 ( 8 
,4 ( 5 1;3  4 (*C 4 ( 8 
, 13
2
,213
140

0
Magnitude
Phase

Magnitude [dB]

120

-20

100

-40

80

-60

60

-80

40

-100

20

-120

-140

-20
102

103

104 105 106 107

Frequency [rad/s]

D ( C

108

Phase [degrees]

2.6

-160
109

As in example 2.4, but at a frequency 3

a zero corrects the effect of the second pole,
&( dB/decade
%)*(E+ . Note,
so that the final slope of the curve is
and the final phase is
however,
that
with
respect to the case of a single pole, there is an additional attenuation


(
4




(
%
8
6


&
(
C
of
the second pole and the zero (note the zig-zag of the curve
( 8 and dB
(*C between
%?*( dB/decade). Also note that, due to the
between
, with a short section at
close
of the second pole
@ A*( + proximity
@ Fand
(+ . the zero, the phase does not even get close to
, in fact it does not exceed
4

Two negative poles, one positive zero

140

200

120

150

100

100

80

50

60

40

-50

20

-100

0
-20
102

-150

Magnitude
Phase
103

Phase [degrees]

  13 4 ( C

./ 6 ( 8 
, 13 4 (5"; ,213 4 ( 8 
2

Magnitude [dB]

2.7

104 105 106 107

Frequency [rad/s]

108

-200
109

As in example 2.6, but the positive zero shifts the phase even further, all the way to
&*G( +H , )*( + .
One negative pole, one positive zero

./    13 44  ((85

, 13
2

Magnitude [dB]

10

-20

-10

-40
-60

-20

-80

-30

-100

-40

-120

-50
-60
-70
101

Phase [degrees]

2.8

-140
Magnitude
Phase
102

-160

103 104 105 106

Frequency [rad/s]

107

-180
108

Another example of positive zero. Positive zeros are typically associated with changes in
the sign of the transfer function. Note how the gain starts out as real and positive, and
@ A*( + phase). Real examples are typically of the opposite
ends up as real and negative (
kind, with the transfer function starting out as negative (as in an inverting amplifier) and
ending up as positive, due to an input-output capacitive coupling.

One zero in the origin, two negative poles

0 
1  3 
5
4



(
, 13
2
, 13 4 ( 8 
2

80

100

70

80
60

Magnitude [dB]

60

40

50

20

40

30

-20
-40

20
10
0
101

Phase [degrees]

2.9

-60
Magnitude
Phase
102

-80

103 104 105 106

Frequency [rad/s]

107

-100
108

The zero in the origin makes the transfer function vanish at low frequencies. One can
imagine the zero being located&(somewhere off the left edge of the plot. The magnidB/decade, then flattens out at the first pole frequency
tude starts
by climbing at ,
( 5 . out
J (*8 , the magnitude dives again and decreases at
3 &I
At
the
second
pole
at
3
( dB/decade. This is a typical bandpass function. The important feature of the transfer
function is the plateau between the two poles, where the phase is close to zero and the
input is simply transmitted to the output. The value of the transfer function at the plateau
can be found as follows. On the plateau,
higher than the first pole, but
4 ( 5LK the
, 3 frequency
4 (8NM .isTherefore,
lower than the second pole: i.e., 3

./0 
1  3 
*1  3 ( 5 ;  D ( 5 Q:*(
5
4



(

B


(


P

B

8
, 13
O
, 1*3
O
1*3

dB R

The above can be more directly seen if one writes the transfer function as

./ 6 ( 5  ( 5   
,
1 3 2
, 13 4 ( 8 

Note that even though the two poles are spaced by three decades of frequency, the phase
is not very flat on the plateau. This could cause serious problems if phase accuracy is
desired, e.g., in a digital communication system.

2.10 One pole in the origin, one negative zero, one negative pole

./0S ( 8  2
, 13 4 4( T ( 8 
13 ,213

100

-10

Magnitude [dB]

-30
-40

60

-50
40

-60
-70

20

-80

Magnitude
Phase
0
101

Phase [degrees]

-20
80

102

103 104 105 106

Frequency [rad/s]

107

-90
108

Like the zero in the previous example, the pole in the origin can be seen as sitting some&( dB/decade
where off the left edge %
of)*(the
plot.
The
magnitude
starts
with
a
slope
of
+ . At the zero frequency of ( T , there is a compensation, the
and the phase starts at
(*+
slope becomes flat and the phase gets closer to . However, a second pole restores both
the slope and the phase to their
initial
values, leaving only a small plateau
of
the
magni


(
T



(
8


E
(

8
4




(
H
T
U

?E( dB.
tude in the frequency range
to
. The magnitude at the plateau is