Feedback Amplifier

Feedback is the fundamental concept in the design of a stable amplifier and an unstable oscillator circuit.
• Feedback is one of the fundamental processes in electronics. It is
defined as the process whereby a portion of the output signal is fed to the input
signal in order to form a part of the system-output control.

• Feedback is used to make the operating point of a transistor

insensitive to both manufacturing variations in as well as temperature.

• There is another type of feedback called positive or regenerative

feedback in which the overall gain of the amplifier is increased. Positive feedback
is useful in oscillators.
 Advantage of Feedback System:

• The feedback system has many advantages especially in the control

of impedance levels, bandwidth improvement, and in rendering the circuit
performance relatively insensitive to manufacturing as well as to environmental
changes.

• These are the advantages of negative or degenerative feedback in

which the signal feedback from output to input is 180 out of phase with the
applied excitation. It increases bandwidth and input impedance, and lowers the
output impedance.
 CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
BLOCK DIAGRAMS:

• The block diagram of a basic feedback amplifier consists of

five basic elements.
These are:
1. Input signals
2. Output signals
3. Sampling Network
4. Comparison or Summing Network.
5. Basic Amplifier
Block diagram of a basic
feedback amplifier
 Basic elements of feedback amplifier:

 Input Signal:
The signal source is modeled either by a voltage source Vs in series with a resistance Rs , or by a
current source Is in parallel with a resistance Rs.

 Output Signal:
The output can either be the voltage across the load resistance or the current through
it. It is the output signal that is desired to be independent of the load and insensitive to parameter
variations in the basic amplifier.

 Sampling Network:
The function of the sampling network is to provide a measure of the output signal, i.e., a
signal that is proportional to the output. This configuration is called shunt connection.
If the output current is sampled and the output port of the feedback network is
connected in series with the load. This is a series connection.
Measurement of the output voltage & current:
• Comparison or Summing Network:

• The circuit shown is a series connection and it is used to compare the

signal voltage Vs and feedback signal Vf .
• The amplifier input signal Vi is proportional to the voltage difference Vs -Vf
that results from the comparison. A differential amplifier is used for comparison as
its output voltage is proportional to the difference between the signals at the two
inputs.
• A shunt connection is shown in Fig. 9-3(b) in which the source current Is
and feedback current If are compared. The amplifier input current Ii is proportional
to the difference Is-If .
PROPERTIES OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK:
Negative feedback has the following advantages:

(i) Negative feedback increases the input impedance of the voltage

amplifier.
(ii) The output impedance of the voltage amplifier can be further lowered by
negative feedback.
(iii) The transfer gain Af of the amplifier with a feedback can be stabilized
against the variations of h or hybrid parameters of the transistors, or the parameters
of the other active devices used in the amplifier.
(iv) Negative feedback increases the frequency response and the bandwidth
of the amplifier.
(v) Negative feedback increases the linear range of operation of the
amplifier.
(vi) Negative feedback causes reduction in noise.
(vii) Phase distortion is reduced.
Block diagram of ideal feedback amplifier:
Voltage amplifiers with voltage-
series feedback:
• The input voltage Vi of the basic amplifier is the algebraic sum of input
signal Vs and the feedback signal Vo , where Vo is the output voltage.
Current-Series or Series-Series
Feedback:
• Trans-conductance feedback amplifier provides an output current Io
which is proportional to the input voltage Vs . The feedback signal is the voltage Vf ,
which is added to Vs at the input of the basic amplifier.
Current amplifi ers with current-
shunt feedback
• The current-shunt feedback amplifier, supplies an output current Io which
is proportional to the input current Ii . This makes it a current amplifier.
• The feedback signal is the current if the input current of the basic
amplifier is Ii = Is + If and the output current is Io = I L.
Voltage-Shunt or Shunt-Shunt
Feedback
• The voltage-shunt or shunt-shunt feedback amplifier provides an output
voltage Vo in proportion to the input current Is. The input current Ii of the basic
amplifier is the algebraic sum of Is and the feedback current If .
Table of Signals and transfer
ratios in feedback amplifiers:
02/05/24
SENSITIVITY:
• The sensitivity of transfer gain of the feedback amplifier AF with respect to the
variations in the internal amplifier gain A is defined as the ratio of the fractional change in gain
with the feedback to the fractional change in gain without the feedback.

• The gain sensitivity S of the feedback amplifier is given by:

where, dAf /Af = fractional change in gain with the

feedback; dA/A = fractional change in gain without the feedback.
SENSITIVITY &
DESENSITIVITY:

The inverse or reciprocal of sensitivity is called De-Sensitivity.

De-Sensitivity (D) indicates the

fraction by which the voltage gain has
been reduced due to feedback.
BANDWIDTH
STABILITY:
BANDWIDTH
STABILITY:
BANDWIDTH STABILITY:
 METHOD OF IDENTIFYING FEEDBACK TOPOLOGY AND
FEEDBACK FACTOR
STEP 1:IDENTIFY TOPOLOGY(TYPE OF FEEDBACK)
1.To find the type of sampling network
(i) By shorting the output if feedback signal becomes zero, then it is called “Voltage
Sampling”.
(ii) By opening the output loop if feedback signal becomes zero, then it is called “Current
Sampling”.
2.To find the type of mixing network
(i) If the feedback signal is subtracted from the externally applied signal as a voltage in
the input loop, it is
called “series mixing”.
(ii) If the feedback signal is subtracted from the externally applied signal as a current in
the loop, it is
called “shunt mixing”
STEP 2:To find the input circuit
(i) For voltage sampling, the output voltage is made zero by shorting the output.
(ii) For current sampling, the output current is made zero by opening the output loop.
STEP 3:To find the output circuit
(i)For series mixing, the input current is made zero by opening the input loop.
(ii) For shunt mixing, the input voltage is made zero by shorting the input.
STEP 4:Replace each active device by its h-parameter model at low frequency.
STEP 5:Find, A, the open loop gain (gain without feedback) of the amplifier.
STEP 6:Indicate Xf (feedback voltage or feedback current) and Xo (output voltage or output
current) on the circuit and evaluate b = Xf /Xo.
STEP 7:From A and b, find D, Af , Rif, Rof and R’of .
Voltage amplifiers with voltage-
series feedback:
• The input voltage Vi of the basic amplifier is the algebraic sum of input
signal Vs and the feedback signal Vo , where Vo is the output voltage.
Gain:
If there is no feedback (Vf=0),open loop gain is given
by

If the feedback signal ,Vf is connected in series

• Input impedance
Output Impedance
Practical example-Emitter
follower(VOLTAGE series amplifier)

The output voltage developed across RE is fully

applied back to input port so that this
feedback voltage VF is in series opposition
with the input voltage Vs (the emitter voltage
follows the variations in the input signal
voltage and hence known as emitter follower).

The feedback factor

Current-Series or Series-Series
Feedback:
• Trans-conductance feedback amplifier provides an output current Io
which is proportional to the input voltage Vs . The feedback signal is the voltage Vf ,
which is added to Vs at the input of the basic amplifier.
• Input impedance with feedback is given by Rif = Vs /Ii .

• where Gm represents the short-circuit transconductance without feedback and GM

indicates the transconductance without feedback taking the load RL into account.
Output impedance
• For finding Rof, RL is disconnected (i.e., RL = •), the external source
signal is made zero (i.e., set Vs = 0) and Vo is replaced with V.
 Practical circuit
The circuit is a common emitter transistor
amplifier with the difference that the emitter
resistor RE is not decoupled with A.C.
signals by using the bypass capacitor CE.
This means that the emitter is not
grounded even for A.C. signals. Since the
resistor RE is common for both the input
and the output circuits, it contributes or
provides feedback. Since the output
current flows through RE the sampling of
the parameter is the current sampling at
the output port.
This current IE flowing through the emitter
resistor R E develops a voltage I E.R E
with the emitter terminal positive compared
to the ground terminal n
The voltage across RE , that is, IE* RE=V RE (Feed back voltage)
,Vf; that opposes the voltage, VBN across R2 and feedback to
the input port of the amplifier.
The actual signal input VBE or VIN to the amplifier will be VBN -
IE* RE or (VS - IE* RE ) that is, the input signal voltage VS minus
the feedback voltage Vf.
Thus, the sampling is series sampling of the current at the
output port and coupling is series type of feedback voltage at
the input port of the amplifier for introducing negative
feedback into the circuit.
Hence, the circuit is a current series feedback amplifier. The
circuit is also known as series sampled-series feedback
amplifier
 Current Shunt Feedback Amplifier
• Current shunt feedback amplifier is a two-stage amplifier with the emitter
resistance RE2 of the second stage amplifier unbypassed and a resistor R F is
connected between the emitter E2 of transistor T2 and the base of the transistor
T to provide current sampling
• Between the output voltage V OUT_ 1 of transistor T 1 and the input voltage VIN of
transistor T1there is phase shift of 180° (CE amplifier).
• Between the input voltage VIN_2 of transistor T2 and the output voltage V OUT_2 at
the emitter terminal of the transistor T2 there is no phase shift (emitter follower).
• Hence, if a part of IC2 from the emitter of T2 is fed back at the base of T1 through
RF; it means current sampling and shunt connection with phase shift of 180°
between the feedback signal and the input signal to the first stage. Thus
satisfying the condition for negative or degenerative feedback.
Voltage Shunt feedback amplifier
Effect of negative feedback