EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

UNIT-1
BASICS OF OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS

1) What are the advantages of IC over discrete circuit? ( May 14)

Small size
Less weight and portable
Less power consumption
High operating speed
High reliability and ruggedness
2) What are the characteristics of ideal op amp? (May 03,05,09,17,Dec 16)
i) Infinite open loop gain
ii) Infinite input impedance
iii) Zero output impedance
iv) Infinite bandwidth
v) Infinite CMRR
3) Define CMRR (May-04,11,13,Dec 05,09,10)
Common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) is defined as rate of change of differential mode gain
with respect to common mode gain.
CMRR= ADM / ACM
So higher value of CMRR gives the better op-amp
4) What are the DC characteristics of op-amp?
i) Input bias current
ii) Input offset current
iii) Input offset voltage
iv) Thermal drift
5) Draw the basic building blocks of an operational amplifier. (Dec 2016)

6) Define slew rate. What causes the slew rate? ( May 03,04,08,14,15,Dec 11)

Slew rate is defined as maximum rate of change of output caused by a step input voltage. It is
𝑑𝑣0
usually specified in V/μs Slew rate= 𝑑𝑡 |max Causes of slew rate:

There is usually a capacitor within or outside an op-amp to prevent oscillation. It is the

capacitor which prevents the o/p voltage from responding immediately to a fast changing i/p

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

7) What is current mirror circuit? Justify its importance. (May 2017)

The circuit whose output current is the mirror image of the current sent at the input terminal is
called as current mirror circuit.
It is used to obtain low value of current at the output.
8) Define Voltage reference.
The circuit that is primarily designed for providing a constant voltage independent of changes in
temperature is called a voltage reference. The most important characteristic of a voltage reference
is the temperature coefficient of the output reference voltage
9) What are the two methods can be used to produce voltage reference?
(May 2018)
i) Using Zener diode or Avalanche diode
ii) Using transistors to design band gap voltage reference circuit

10)What is meant by input offset voltage?

Voltage required at the input for making the output voltage to zero volts is called input offset
voltage

11)What are the AC characteristics of op-amp?

i) Frequency response
ii) Bandwidth
iii) Slew rate

12)What is frequency response? What causes the gain of an op-amp roll off after certain
frequency?
At a given frequency, the gain A has certain magnitude and phase angle. The manner in which
the gain of the operational amplifier responds to different frequency is called frequency response.
Any change in the operating frequency causes variation in gain magnitude and phase angle
Causes for roll off after certain freq: There must be a capacitive component in the
equivalent circuit of an op-amp. This capacitance effect is due to the physical characteristics of the
device used and the internal construction of an op-amp.
13)An op amp has a unity gain bandwidth of 1.5 MHz for a signal of frequency 2KHz. What is the
open loop DC voltage gain?
Solution:
Given Unity gain bandwidth (UGB) =1.5 MHz
f1= 2 KHz
𝑈𝐺𝐵
The open loop dc voltage gain A0= 𝑓1
A0 = (1.5X106)/ (2X103)
A0=750

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

14)Find the maximum frequency for sine wave output voltage 10V peak to peak with an op amp
whose slew rate is 1v/µs. (May- 16)
Solution:
Vm = Vpp/2= 10/2 =5V
Slew rate =1v/µs
𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑤 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 1 𝑥 10^6
Fmax = = = 31.831 KHz
2𝜋𝑉𝑚 2𝜋𝑥5

15)Find the maximum undistorted amplitude, that a sine wave input of 10KHz can produce, at
the output of an an op amp whose slew rate is 0.5v/µs.
(Dec - 12)
Solution:
𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑤 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 0.5 𝑥 10^6
Vm = =2𝜋𝑥10𝑥10^6 = 7.957V.
2𝜋𝐹𝑚

16)What is active load? Why it is used in the differential amplifier?(Dec -10,15)

The current mirror circuit used as collector load resistance is called an active load. This circuit provided
high value of AC collector resistance which is required to achieve high differential gain. The active load has
very low DC resistance and very high AC resistance hence it doesn’t disturb DC conditions of the circuit.
The Quiescent voltage required across the current mirror is the fraction of the supply voltage and it
eliminates the need of high biasing supply voltages. Due to all these reasons, active load is used in the
differential amplifier circuit.

17)Inspect the advantages and drawbacks of basic constant current source circuit.
Advantages: Constant current source circuit is used to provide biasing to BJT and MOS amplifier
circuits to improve their performance by providing high voltage gain at low supply voltages
Drawbacks: Whenever we require low value of current at the output, the value of resistance R1
must be high which can’t be fabricated economically in the IC circuits.

18)What is frequency compensation?

Frequency compensation is defined as the technique which alters the frequency response so
that -20dB/decade of roll off rate is achieved over a broad frequency range.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

19)Give the difference between dominant poles and pole zero compensation networks

S.No Dominant pole compensation Pole zero compensation n/w

n/w
1 It contains only poles It contains poles as well as zeros
2 Here the compensated transfer Here the compensated transfer
function passes through 0dB at f1, function passes through 0dB at f2,
which is the first pole of the which is the second pole of the
uncompensated transfer function uncompensated transfer function
3 Bandwidth is less It provide better bandwidth than
the dominant pole compensation
technique

20)What are the advantages of drawbacks of Dominant pole compensation?

Advantages: Noise immunity of the system is improved since the noise frequency components
outside the bandwidth are eliminated.
Drawbacks: It reduced the open loop bandwidth drastically.

UNIT-II

APPLICATIONS OF OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS

1. Mention some of the linear applications of op amps

Adder, subtractor, voltage to current converter, current to voltage converters, instrumentation amplifier,
analog computation, power amplifier, etc are some of the linear opamp circuits.

2. Mention some of the non –linear applications of op-amps:

Rectifier, peak detector, clipper, clamper, sample and hold circuit, log amplifier, anti –log amplifier,
multiplier are some of the non –linear op-amp circuits.

3. Give some applications of Comparator. (May - 08,16)

a. Zero crossing detector b. Window detector

c. Time marker generator d. Phase detector

4. What is a Schmitt trigger?

Schmitt trigger is a regenerative comparator. It converts sinusoidal input into a square wave output. The
output of Schmitt trigger swings between upper and lower threshold voltages, which are the reference
voltages of the input waveform

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

5.What is Hysterisis? Mention its purpose in comparator. ( May-15)

Difference between upper threshold voltage and lower threshold voltage is called as Hysterisis width. This
graph indicates that once the output changes its state, it remains there indefinitely unitl the input voltage
crosses any of the threshold voltage levels.

Its purpose is to avoid false triggering of a comparator due to noise voltages. Thus the unwanted triggering
is avoided due to hysteresis.

7. Differentiate Schmitt trigger and comparator.

S.NO Comparator Schmitt Trigger

It compares the input signal with It operates between two reference
references voltage then yields the points namely UTP&LTP.
1
output
voltage
2 It need not consist of feedback It employs positive feedback
comparator output need not to be Its output is square wave.
3
square wave

8. What is precision rectifier? How it differs from conventional rectifier?

(Dec-09,12,14,May – 11,13)

In conventional rectifier, as long as input doesn’t exceed the cut in voltage of the diode, it doesn’t
conduct. Due to this, the output is distorted producing cross over distortion. For the input between ±0.7 V,
the output remains zero which is main limitation of the conventional rectifier. Hence the voltage below
0.7V cannot be rectified.

In precision rectifier the opamp is used. The open loop gain of the op amp is very large. Hence for
very small amount of the input of the order of few mV, it produced the large output which can easily make
the diode to conduct. Thus the diode conducts for very small input voltages of the order of milli volts.
Hence the precision rectifier is very precise.

9.What are the limitations of an ideal active differentiator?

At high frequency, differentiators may become unstable and break into oscillation. The input impedance i.e.
(1/ωC1) decreases with increase in frequency, thereby making the circuit sensitive to high frequency
noise.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

10. What is the need for converting a first order filter into second order filter? (May-17)

The order defines roll off rate. The second order filter has roll off rate of dB/decade hence its
filtering characteristics is better than first order. The second order filter has high input impedance and low
output impedance than first order. The second order has greater attenuation at high range and has better
frequency response and stability. Due to such reasons, there is a need for converting first order filter into
second order filter.

11.State the limitations of ideal integrator. (Dec-17)

i) The output is likely to saturate in absence of input

ii) The output may be distorted due to the error voltage

iii) The bandwidth is very small

iv) It can be used only for small range of frequencies.

12.Calculate the external resistance R G for the instrumentation amplifier IC-AD620

when the gain is 1000.

Solution:

The relation between gain and R G in AD620 is given by

49500 49500
Gain A= 1  Therefore 1000=1+ ; R G =49.5Ω
Rg Rg

13. State the important features of an instrumentation amplifier.

a) high gain accuracy b) high CMRR

c) high gain stability with low temperature co-efficient d) low dc offset

e) low output impedance

14.What is the function of phase shift circuit? (May 2017)

A phase shift circuit introduced a phase change between input and output as per requirement.

15. Write the other names for clipper circuit.

Clipper is also called as Voltage limiter or amplitude limiter.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

16. What are the advantages of active filters over the passive filters?

Active filters use amplifying elements, especially op amps, with resistors and capacitors in their feedback
loops, to synthesize the desired filter characteristics. Active filters can have high input impedance, low
output impedance, and virtually any arbitrary gain.They are also usually easier to design than passive
filters. Possibly their most important attribute is that they lack inductors, thereby reducing the problems
associated with those components.

17. What is a V to I convertor?

A transconductance amplifier (gm amplifier) puts out a current proportional to its input voltage. In
network analysis, the transconductance amplifier is defined as a voltage controlled current source (VCCS)
.For direct current, transconductance is defined as follows:

18. Draw the circuit of practical differentiator.

19. Why integrators are preferred over differentiators in analog computers?

Integrators are more linear than the differentiators and the integrators reduce the power consumption
than the high pass filter.

20.Write down the applications of precision diode.

a) Half wave rectifier
b) Full Wave rectifier
c) Peak value detector
d) Clipper
e) Clamper

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

UNIT-3
ANALOG MULTIPLIERS AND PLL
1) Define Phase Locked Loop.
Phase locked loop is a closed loop feedback system where the output signal frequency and phase are
in lock with the frequency and phase of the input signal. PLL is important block in linear system, which can
detect the phases of two input signals and reduce the difference in the presence of phase difference.

2) What are the applications of PLL? ( May-13,Dec-08,09)

a) Satellite Communication systems
b) Frequency synthesizers
c) FM Demodulator
d) Stereo Demodulator
3) Draw the block diagram of PLL.

4) Draw the relation between Capture range and Lock in range.

5) Define lock-in range of a PLL. (May-05,Dec-08,10,12,15)

The range of frequencies over which the PLL can maintain lock with the incoming signal is called the
lock-in range or tracking range. Once the PLL is locked, it can track the incoming signal frequencies. It is
expressed as a percentage of the VCO free running frequency.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

6) Define capture range of PLL. (Dec-03,08,10,11,15)

The range of frequencies over which the PLL can acquire lock with an input signal is called the
capture range. It is expressed as a percentage of the VCO free running frequency.

7) What is a voltage controlled oscillator? (May-04, 10)

Voltage controlled oscillator is a free running multivibrator operating at a set frequency called the
free running frequency. This frequency can be shifted to either side by applying a dc control voltage and
the frequency deviation is proportional to the dc control voltage.

8) Define Voltage to Frequency conversion factor. (April/May 2010)

Voltage to Frequency conversion factor is defined as, Kv = fo / Vc= 8fo /Vcc
Vc is the modulation voltage fo frequency shift

9) List out the various methods available for performing for analog multiplier.
i) Logarithmic summing technique
ii) Pulse height /width modulation technique
iii) Variable transconductance technique
iv) Multiplication using gilbert cell
v) Multiplication technique using transconductance technique
10) What is frequency synthesizing? (Nov /Dec 2013)
Frequency synthesizing is the process of producing large number of precise frequencies
which are derived from a single reference source of frequency, such as stable crystal controlled
oscillator
11) What is one quadrant, two quadrant four quadrant multipliers? (Dec-03,04,12,May-16)
In one quadrant multiplier, the polarities of both the inputs must always be positive. In two
quadrant multiplier, one input must be held positive and other is allowed to swing in both positive
and negative.
While in four quadrant multiplier both the inputs are allowed to swing in both positive and
negative directions.
12) State the applications of analog multiplier. (Dec-15)
i) Voltage squarer
ii) Square rooter
iii) Voltage divider
iv) Frequency doubler
v) Phase angle detector.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

13) How do you convert a basic multiplier by a squaring and square root circuits?
(Dec-06,08 ,May-15,17)
Multiplier circuit is converted in squaring circuit by connecting input voltage Vi to both the input
terminals of multiplier
Square root circuit is obtained by placing the multiplier in the feedback loop of the Op-amp and
output of Op-amp is applied to both the input terminals of the multiplier.
14) What are the advantages of variable transconductance technique? (Dec-11, May-13)
i) Provides very good accuracy
ii) Provides four quadrant multiplication
iii) Reduce error at least by 10 times
iv) Bandwidth of 10MHz and higher are available
15) What are the applications of PLL for AM Detection? (April/May 2015)
i) Exhibits high degree of selectivity due to the fact that PLL responds selectively to the carrier
frequencies
ii) Due to coherent detection high degree of noise immunity also achieved

16)A PLL has a free running frequency of 500 kHz and bandwidth of the low pass filter is 10 kHz.
Will the loop acquire lock for an input signal of 600 kHz? Justify your answer. Assume that
the phase detector produces 50 m and difference frequency components.
The phase detector output
fi + fc = 600 kHz + 500 kHz = 1100 kHz
fi - fc = 600 kHz + 500 kHz = 100 kHz
As both the components are outside the pass band of low pass filter, the loop will not acquire lock.
17) A PLL frequency multiplier has an input frequency of ‘f’ and a decade counter is included in
the loop. What will be the frequency of PLL output? (April/May 2013)
Under locked condition, output frequency of the PLL is N times input frequency
For decade counter N=10
Therefore, output frequency of PLL is given by, fo =10 fi

18) Why VCO is called as Voltage to Frequency converter? (April/May 2012)

VCO provides linear relationship between applied input voltage(Vc)and the output frequency(F0),
hence it is called as Voltage to frequency converter.
2(Vcc  Vc)
F0 =
CtRtVcc
19) How is frequency stability obtained in a PLL by use of VCO? (May- 2017)
In PLL, the error or control voltage applied as an input to the VCO. This error voltage forces the
VCO to change its output frequency in the direction that reduces the difference between the input
frequency and the output frequency of VCO. This is how the frequency stability is obtained in PLL.
20) What is Gilbert cell multiplier? (April-2018)
Two emitter coupled transistor pair in series with another emitter coupler transistor pair is called
as Gilbert cell multiplier.

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

UNIT-IV

ANALOG TO DIGITAL AND DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTERS.

1) Draw a sample and hold circuit. (April/May 2013)

2) What is sample and hold circuit? (Dec-07)

The circuit that samples the value of the input signal in response to a sampling command and holds
it at the output until arrival of the next command is called sample and hold (S/H) circuit. It samples
an analog input voltage in a very short period, generally in the range of 1 to 10µs, holds the sampled
voltage level for an extended period, which can range from a few milli second to several seconds.
3) Why schottky diodes are used in sample and hold circuits? (May-17)
For sample and hold circuit, we need switches that have small “On” resistance and short switching
times. We know that schottky diodes has a low forward voltage drop, (i.e)very low “On” resistance
and very fast switching action, i.e. very short switching times. Hence schottky diodes are used in
sample and hold circuits.
4) State the applications of sample and hold circuit. (Dec-07,14)
i) The primary use of the S/H circuit is to hold the sampled analog input voltage constant during
conversion time to A/D converter.
ii) It also reduced the cross talk in the multiplier.
iii) In case of multichannel ADC’s, synchronization can be achieved by sampling signals from all
channels at the same time.
5) State the principle of single slope ADC. (April/May 2013)
The is the basic idea behind single-slope ADC is that, Instead of using a DAC with a ramped
output, we use an op-amp circuit called an integrator to generate a saw tooth waveform which is
then compared against the analog input by a comparator.
6) What would be produced by DAC, whose o/p range is 0 to 10V and whose binary number is
10111100( for 8 bit DAC). (April/May 2015)
Output voltage V0= D x i/p voltage
D=(0x(1/28)+ 0x(1/27) +1x(1/26)+ 1x(1/25) +1x(1/24)+ 1x(1/23) + 0x(1/22)+ 1x(1/21) )
D=0.7343
Output voltage= 0.7343x10= 7.343 V

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

7) What is over sampling? (April/May 2015)

In signal processing, oversampling is the process of sampling a signal with a sampling
frequency significantly higher than the Nyquist rate. Theoretically a bandwidth-limited signal can
be perfectly reconstructed if sampled above the Nyquist rate, which is twice the highest frequency
in the signal.
8) State the advantage of R-2R ladder DAC. Or why is the R-2Rd ladder type DAC is better that
weighted resistor type DAC? (Dec-03,15)
i)Number of bits can be expanded by adding more sections of same R-2R values
ii)In inverted R-2R ladder DAC, node voltages remain constant with changing input binary words.
iii)Easy to build accurately as only two precision metal film resistors are required.
9) Compare binary weighted resistor type DAC with R-2R ladder type DAC. (Dec-
10)
S.No Binary Weighted Resistor Type DAC R-2R ladder Type DAC
1 It uses resistive scaling and common It uses voltage scaling and identical resistors
voltage reference
2 It uses multiple resistor values with a It use only two resistor values R and 2R
wide range of resistor values. For 8 bit
DAC, the resistor values required are
21R, 22R, 23R…….. 28R. Therefore the
largest resistor is 128 times the smallest
one.
3 It is impracticable to fabricate large Since it uses only two resistor values, it is
values of resistor in IC and for smaller easy to fabricate R/2R ladder type DAC
values of resistors,the loadinf effect may
occur. Thus, it is difficult to fabricate
binary weighted resistor DAC.

10) What are the advantages of inverted R-2R ladder (current mode) DAC over R-2R ladder
type(Voltage type) DAC? (Dec-16)
In inverted R-2R ladder DAC, node voltage remains constant with changing input binary words.
This avoids any slow down effects by stray capacitance.
11) What is the need for electronic switches in D/A converter? (May – 17)
DAC needs switches to be operated using digital signal and hence DAC requires electronic
switches.
12) Define resolution and conversion type of DAC (May-05,Dec-
08,10,11,14)
Resolution is defined as the ratio of a change in output voltage resulting from a change of 1 LSB at
the digital inputs. For an n bit DAC, it can be given as
V
Resoultion = nOFS
2 1

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

13) Define Accuracy of DAC. (May-11)

It is a comparison of actual output voltage with expected output. It is expressed in percentage.
Ideally the accuracy of DAC should be at worst, ±0.5LSB.
V
Accuracy = n OFS 2
(2  1)
14) Define Monotonicty with respect to DAC. (May-04)
A converter is said to have good monotonicty, if it doesn’t miss any step backward when stepped
through its entire range by a counter.
15) Define settling time of DAC. (April/May 2012)
It is the time required for the output of DAC to settle with ±0.5LSB of the final value for the given
digital input.

16) Which is fastest ADC? Why? (Dec-06,09,11,May-11)

Flash type ADC is fastest among all ADC’s because Analog to Digital conversion is performed
through set of comparators. So its output is available after the time equal to propagation delay
of a comparator.
Its conversion time is less than 100ns

17) For n bit flash type ADC, how many comparators and resistors are required? State the
disadvantages of flash type ADC. (Dec-04,May-13)

For n bit flash type ADC, we require 2n-1 comparators and 2n resistors are required

Disadvantages: It is not suitable for A/D conversion with more than 3 or 4 digital outputs

because of the fact that 2n-1 comparators are required for n-bit ADC and the no of comparators

required doubles for each added bit.

18) What are the advantages and disadvantages of dual slope DAC? (May-10, 13,Dec-10)
Advantages:
i)Highly accurate
ii)Cost is low
iii)It is immune to temperature caused variations in R1 and C1
Disadvantages:
Conversion time is more

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

19) Compare Single slope and Dual Slope ADC. (May-13)

S.No Single Slope ADC Dual Slope ADC
1 Resolution is high
Resolution is low
2 Does not use integrator It uses integrator
3 Accuracy is low Accuracy s is high
4 Less immune to temperature variations More immune to temperature variations
5 More sensitive to input voltage Less sensitive to input voltage variations

UNIT-IV
WAVEFORM GENERATORS AND SPECIAL FUNCTION IC’s
1) Define Line regulation. (May-04,18,Dec-14)
The line regulation is defined as the change in the regulated output load voltage for a specified
range of the line voltage. It specifies the effect of changes in the source voltage on the regulator
performance. Mathematically given by,
SR
%SR= x 100
VNOM
2) Define Load regulation. (Dec-14)

The load regulation is the change in the regulated output voltage when the load current is changed
from minimum(no load) to maximum(full load).
Mathematically given by
V  VFL
%LR= NL x 100
VFL
3) Name the various protection circuits used for the voltage regulators. (Dec-14)
i) Constant current limiting
ii) Foldback current limiting
iii) Over voltage protection
iv) Thermal Protection
4) Draw the functional block diagram of IC723. (May-15)

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

5) What is the need for voltage regulator ICs? Name few IC voltage regulators. (May-03,17
Dec-16)
In an unregulated power supply, the dc output varies as the input voltage changes the load changes.
This is undesirable. Hence to get smooth constant dc voltage, which is independent of changes in the
supply voltage and the load, the voltage regulator is necessary.
IC723, IC78XX, IC79XX, LM317, LM217 are few IC voltage regulators.
6) Distinguish the principle of linear regulator and a switched mode power supply.(May-17)
In linear regulators series pass transistor is used in linear region such that the drop across it is
controlled so as to keep the output voltage constant if there is change in load or supply. In a switching
regulator the series pass transistor is used as a switch. It is operated in either cut off region or saturation
region. In cut off region, the current is very small while in saturation region the voltage across the
transistor is very small.
7) What is switched capacitor filter? (May-08,09,12,Dec-
06)
A switched capacitor filter is a three terminal device which consists of on chip capacitor and MOS
switches with the help of which various elements are simulated. The switches are controlled by the
external clock whose frequency can be easily controlled.

8) State the advantages of switched capacitor filter. (Dec-05,08,11)

i) It requires no external reactive components line inductors and capacitors
ii) Complete active filters can be easily obtained on a monolithic IC chip.
iii) Very high value of resistors can be easily simulated using very small capacitors of the order
of pF.
iv) Accuracy is very high.

9) What is an isolation amplifier? (Dec-09,16)

An isolation amplifier is an amplifier that offers an ohmic or electrical isolation between its input
and output terminals. There are often used when there is a very large common mode voltage
difference between input and output sides of the device.
10) What is an Opto coupler? (May-04)
An optocoupler is a solidastate component in which the light emitter, light path and the light
detector are all enclosed within the component and cannot be changed from outside. Opto coupler
provides electrical isolation between two circuits, it is also called as Opto isolator.
11) Define current to transfer ration of opto coupler. (Dec-17)
The current transfer ratio refers to the ratio of the output collector current(IC) to the input forward
current(IF).
I
Current transfer ratio = C X 100
IF
12) List the characteristics of Opto coupler. (May-08)
i) Current transfer ratio
ii) Isolation voltage
iii) Response time
iv) Common mode rejection
v) Bandwidth

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE

EC8453-Linear Integrated Circuits Dept of ECE/PEC

13) Why do switching regulators have better efficiency than the series regulators?
(Dec-03,04)
In switching regulators, the transistor is operated in cut off region or saturation region. In cut off
region, there is no current and hence he power dissipation is almost zero. In the saturation region,
there is negligible voltage drop across it hence the power dissipation is almost zero. In any case, the
power dissipation in the transistor is very less and the entire power is transmitted to the load.Hence
the efficiency of the switching regulators have better efficiency than series regulators.
14) Name some LC oscillator circuits. (May-18)
i) Hartley oscillator
ii) Colpitts Oscillator
iii) Clapp Oscillator
15) State the conditions for Oscillation. (May-15)
The conditions required for producing the oscillations are given by Barkhausen Criterion which
state that:
i) Total phase shift around a closed loop is 00 or 3600
ii) Magnitude of the product of the open loop gain of the amplifier(A) and the feedback factor β
is unity
(i.e) |Aβ|=1
16) Mention the stages present in LM380 Audio power amplifier.
LM380 audio power amplifier consists of four stages.They are
i) PNP Emitter follower stage
ii) Darlington compound differential amplifier
iii) Common Emitter
iv) Quasi Complementatory emitter follower.
17) Explain how Sine wave, Sawtooth and pulse wave forms are obtained using ICL8038
function generator.
 The main part of function generator is VCO that generates Triangular and Square waveforms.
 Sine wave is obtained by passing the triangular wave through On Chip wave shaper circuit
 Sawtooth and pulse waves are obtained by the use of highly asymmetrical duty cycle of the
oscillator.
18) What are the advantages of Step down switching regulator?
i) High efficiency
ii) No Ripple Content
iii) Simple to design
iv) Large tolerance of line voltage regulator

Prepared By: E.U.Iniyan, AP/ECE