AD8506/AD8508

Rev. A | Page 13 of 20

THEORY OF OPERATION

The AD8506/AD8508 are unity-gain stable CMOS rail-to-rail

input/output operational amplifiers designed to optimize

performance in current consumption, PSRR, CMRR, and zero

crossover distortion, all embedded in a small package. The

typical offset voltage is 500 μV, with a low peak-to-peak voltage

noise of 2.8 μV p-p from 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz and a voltage noise

density of 45 nV/√Hz at 1 kHz.

The AD8506/AD8508 are designed to solve two key problems

in low voltage battery-powered applications: battery voltage

decrease over time and rail-to-rail input stage distortion.

In battery-powered applications, the supply voltage available to

the IC is the voltage of the battery. Unfortunately, the voltage of

a battery decreases as it discharges itself through the load. This

voltage drop over the lifetime of the battery causes an error in

the output of the op amps. Some applications requiring precision

measurements during the entire lifetime of the battery use voltage

regulators to power up the op amps as a solution. If a design

uses standard battery cells, the op amps experience a supply

voltage change from roughly 3.2 V to 1.8 V during the lifetime

of the battery. This means that for a PSRR of 70 dB minimum in

a typical op amp, the input-referred offset error is approximately

440 μV. If the same application uses the AD8506/AD8508 with

a 100 dB minimum PSRR, the error is only 14 μV. It is possible

to calibrate out this error or to use an external voltage regulator

to power the op amp, but these solutions can increase system

cost and complexity. The AD8506/AD8508 solve the impasse

with no additional cost or error-nullifying circuitry.

The second problem with battery-powered applications is the

distortion caused by the standard rail-to-rail input stage. Using

a CMOS non-rail-to-rail input stage (that is, a single differential

for normal operation is commonly over 1 V, a single differential

pair input stage op amp greatly restricts the allowable input

voltage range when using a low supply voltage. This limitation

restricts the number of applications where the non-rail-to-rail

input op amp was originally intended to be used. To solve this

problem, a dual differential pair input stage is usually implemented

(see Figure 41); however, this technique has its own drawbacks.

One differential pair amplifies the input signal when the common-

mode voltage is on the high end, whereas the other pair amplifies

the input signal when the common-mode voltage is on the low

end. This method also requires a control circuitry to operate the

two differential pairs appropriately. Unfortunately, this topology

leads to a very noticeable and undesirable problem: if the signal

level moves through the range where one input stage turns off

and the other one turns on, noticeable distortion occurs (see

Figure 42).

Q2

Q3

Q1

Q4

Figure 41. A Typical Dual Differential Pair Input Stage Op Amp

(Dual PMOS Q1 and Q2 Transistors Form the Lower End of the Input Voltage

Range Whereas Dual NMOS Q3 and Q4 Compose the Upper End)

0

–300

–100

100

300

1.5

3.5

5.0

1.0

0.5

2.5

4.5

4.0

3.0

2.0

–200

–150

–250

–50

0

50

150

200

250

Figure 42. Typical Input Offset Voltage vs. Common-Mode Voltage

Response in a Dual Differential Pair Input Stage Op Amp (Powered by 5 V

Supply; Results of Approximately 100 Units per Graph Are Displayed)

This distortion forces the designer to come up with impractical

ways to avoid the crossover distortion areas, therefore narrowing

the common-mode dynamic range of the operational amplifier.

The AD8506/AD8508 solve this crossover distortion problem

by using an on-chip charge pump to power the input differential

pair. The charge pump creates a supply voltage higher than the

voltage of the battery, allowing the input stage to handle a wide

range of input signal voltages without using a second differential

pair. With this solution, the input voltage can vary from one

supply extreme to the other with no distortion, thereby restoring

the op amp full common-mode dynamic range.