EE501 Lab 4 Opamp Simulation and Measurement

Report due: Oct. 8, 2015

Objective:
1. Understand basic opamp measurement circuits.
2. Build DC, AC and transient testbench circuits for opamp measurement in Cadence.

Tasks: ( This is a two-week lab)

Op amps are very high gain amplifiers with differential inputs and single-ended outputs.
They are often used in high precision analog circuits, so it is important to measure their
performance accurately. But in open-loop measurements their high open-loop gain, which
may be as great as 107 or more, makes it very hard to avoid errors from very small voltages
at the amplifier input due to pickup, stray currents, or the Seebeck (thermocouple) effect.

The measurement process can be greatly simplified by using a servo loop to force a
null at the amplifier input, thus allowing the amplifier under test to essentially measure its
own errors.

For this lab, you need to build your own testbench to test the given opamp in Lab0.
(You need all the simulation results (DC, AC and transient) in Lab0 to compare with this
lab’s test results, if you didn’t save all the simulation results before, you may need do Lab0
again to collect those data, please watch the video to build testbench and simulation setups).

Before this lab, you need to read through the lecture slides that describe how to test
opamp (Op Amp Specs, Op Amp Test basics and Testing Op amps and Comparators). Then
you should refer to the references (other references will be posted on the webpage) to figure
out which circuits should be selected and why. Then use the test results to compare with
your simulation results, try to figure out whether there were difference and why. The
auxiliary amplifier could be downloaded from the webpage.

1. DC measurement: offset voltage, DC gain, CMRR, PSRR and total quiescent

current
Build one testbench to measure all DC parameters.
a. Offset voltage & quiescent current

An ideal op amp has zero offset voltage (Vos); that is, if both inputs are joined
together and held at a voltage midway between the supplies, the output voltage
should also be midway between the supplies. In real life, op amps have offsets
ranging from a few microvolts to a few millivolts—so a voltage in this range must
be applied to the input to bring the output to the midway potential.

The example circuit is shown in Fig.1. Try to figure out how to measure the offset
voltage and total quiescent current.
 TP1 Vdd

V1
Vss

Fig. 1

b. DC gain
The testbench could be the same as in Fig.1 or your own designed testbench.
The method is shown as below.
1) Force V1 to 1V.(Vout(+)=1V)
2) Measure the voltage of TP1. Then calculate the Vin(+):
𝑇𝑃1(1)
Vin(+) = − Vos
1001
3) Force V1 to -1V.(Vout(-)=-1V)
4) Measure the voltage of TP1. Then calculate the Vin(-):
𝑇𝑃1(2)
Vin(−) = − Vos
1001
5) Calculate DC gain:
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡(+) − 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡(−)
Adc = 20 ∗ log⁡(
Vin(+) − Vin(−)

c. CMRR & PSRR

Refer to the materials from EE501 homepage to figure out how to test CMRR
and PSRR with the same testbench you designed above. (Hint: Read thoroughly
both slides, then try to figure out how to measure CMRR by changing supply
voltage)
2. AC measurement: bode plot(AC gain and GBW), AC PSRR, AC CMRR
Build one testbench to measure AC parameters
a. Bode plot
The sample circuit is shown in Fig.2.
 Fig 2

To measure AC gain, apply a sine wave signal in the input node and the input
frequency should be in the range from 500Hz~10MHz, measure the voltage in TP2, then
calculate the AC gain at certain frequency. Collect the data to draw the bode plot and
calculate the GBW of opamp.

To stabilize the test circuit, the compensation capacitor (C1) should be calculated as
shown in slides (Testing Op Amps and Comparators).

You should select the input amplitude and resistance value to make sure that the
amplitude of TP2 is not out of range.

The sample schematic is shown below. Notice that you should put the proper load at the
output node of opamp.

b. AC CMRR & AC PSRR

 To test AC CMRR and AC PSRR, the testbench could be the same as above, only
difference is that the ac input is adding to supply. As shown below (Not exactly
same as above)

AC CMRR measurement

AC PSRR measurement

3. Transient mearsurement
The testbench for measuring slew rate and settling time is the same as simulation
testbench you built in Lab2.

For testing settling time, just make the Vstep 100mV. The sample simulation
result is shown below.

To test THD (Total harmonic distortion), add a sine wave signal at the input node
(you can select the input frequency and amplitude), then run transient simulation.
Go to “Measurements” -> “Spectrum”, as shown below.
Harmonic number

Window type

Harmonic number
 Outputs

Test THD with different input level (different output level) and different input frequency,
tabulate your results. (You can choose 3 to 5 input level begin with small signal to out of
range and 3-5 different frequency from DC to GBW).