Lock-in amplifiers

http://www.lockin.de/

Signals and noise

Frequency dependence of noise

Low frequency ~ 1 / f

Total noise in 10 Hz bandwidth

example: temperature (0.1 Hz) , pressure (1 Hz), acoustics (10

-- 100 Hz)

Signal at DC

High frequency ~ constant = white noise

Total noise depends strongly on signal freq
worst at DC, best in white noise region

Problem -- most signals at DC

1/f noise

log(Vnoise)

example: shot noise, Johnson noise, spontaneous emission

noise

10 Hz

White noise

0.1

Noise amplitude

White noise

log(Vnoise)

1/f noise

log(Vnoise)

White noise
10 Hz

10 100 1kHz

log(f )

Signal at 1 kHz

1/f noise

0.1

10 100 1kHz

log(f )

0.1

10 100 1kHz

log(f )

Lock-in amplifiers

Shift signal out to higher frequencies

Approach:
Modulate signal, but not noise, at high freq
no universal technique -- art
example: optical chopper wheel, freq modulation

Detect only at modulation frequency

Noise at all other frequencies averages to zero
Use demodulator and low-pass filter

Demodulation / Mixing

Multiply input signal by sine wave

Sum and difference freq generated
Compare to signal addition -- interference
Signal frequency close to reference freq
low freq beat
DC for equal freq sine waves
DC output level depends on relative phase

Product

Two sine waves

Sum

Signal freq approaches ref freq

Beat frequency approaches DC as signal freq approaches ref freq

Reference
Signal freq
vs ref freq

Mixer outputs

1
1.05
1.1
1.15
1.2
1.25

Phase sensitive detection

Signal freq matches reference freq
Reference = sin(2ft)
Signal = sin(2ft + )

is signal phase shift

Product = cos() - cos(2ft)

DC part
Reference wave
Product waveforms
-- signal times reference

Signal
phase
shift
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8

Removes noise
Example -- modulate above 1/f noise

Low pass filter

noise slow compared to reference freq

noise converted to slowly modulated sine wave
averages out to zero over 1 cycle

Low pass filter integrates out modulated noise

leaves signal alone

Demodulated signal
After mixer

Lock-in amplifier
Mixer
Buffer

After mixer & low pass

Voltage

Input

Low pass
filter
Output

Reference

time

Typical LIA low pass filters

For weak signal buried in noise
Ideal low pass filter blocks all except signal
Approximate ideal filter with cascaded low pass filters
Ideal

6 db/oct

12 db/oct

log
gain

18 db/oct
frequency

Phase control

Reference has phase control

Can vary from 0 to 360
Arbitrary input signal phase
Tune reference phase to give maximum DC output
Mixer
Input

Output

Reference
Phase
shift

Reference options

Option 1 -- Internal reference

System

best performance
stable reference freq

Lock-in amplifier
Signal

Mixer

Option 2 -- External reference

System generates reference

Reference

ex: chopper wheel

Lock internal ref to system ref

use phase locked loop (PLL)
source of name lock-in amplifier

System

Lock-in amplifier
Signal

Reference

Mixer

VCO

PLL

Integrate

Analog mixer

Multiplying mixer

Direct multiplication
accurate
not enough dynamic range
weak signal buried in noise

Switching mixer
big dynamic range
but also demodulates harmonics

Harmonic content of square wave

1

1/3

1/5

1/7

1/9

Switching mixer

Switching mixer design

Sample switching mixer
Back-to-back FETs
example: 1 n-channel & 1 p-channel
feed signal to one FET, inverted signal to second FET

Apply square wave to gates

upper FET conducts on positive part of square wave
lower FET conducts on negative part

Switching mixer circuit

n-channel FET
bias
source

drain
gate
n
p
Signal
voltage

Signals with harmonic content

Option 1: Use multi-switch mixer

approximate sine wave
cancel out first few harmonic signals

Option 2: Filter harmonic content from signal

bandpass filter at input
Q > 100
Lock-in amp with input filter

Digital mixers

Digitize input with DAC

Multiply in processor
Advantages:
Accurate sine wave multiplication
No DC drift in low pass filters
Digital signal enhancement

Problems:
Need 32 bit DAC for signals buried in noise
Cannot digitize 32 bits at 100 kHz rates

Digital mixers
Good for slow signals
High signal to noise or low accuracy

Lock-in amps in servos

Lock to resonance peak

Servos only lock to zero
Need to turn peak into zero

Take derivative with lock-in

Take derivative of lineshape

modulate x-voltage
F(x)-voltage amplitude like derivative

Use lock-in amp to extract amplitude of F(x)

No fundamental
only 2 f signal

DC part of mixer output

filter with integrator, not low-pass

F(x)

Lock-in amps for derivative

Lock-in turns sine wave signal into DC voltage

At peak of resonance
no signal at modulation freq
lock-in output crosses zero

Input signal

Discriminant
use to lock
F(x)

Zero crossing
at resonance

Lock-in
output
(derivative)

Fabry-Perot servo

Lock to peak transmission of high Q Fabry-Perot etalon

Use lock-in amp to give discriminant
No input bandpass -- or low Q < 2
Bandpass rolloff usually 2-pole or greater

No low pass filter -- replace with integrator

Low pass filter removes noise
Need noise to produce correction

Design tips
reference freq must exceed servo bandwidth by factor of ~ 10
but PZT bandwidth is servo limiter
use PZT resonance for modulation

Fabry-Perot
Laser

PD
Acoustic noise

LIA
reference

Sum
& HV

Digital mixers in servos

May be okay for low precision, medium speed servo

Not for fast servos -- ex: laser frequency stabilization
Not for high accuracy -- ex: laser gyro

Should be excellent for slow servos

Ex: tele-medicine, temperature controllers
Digital processing can compensate for system time delay