2. Classification of Power Amplifiers
Power amplifiers are classified based on the Q
point
If the operating point is chosen at the middle of the
load line, it is called Class A amplifier
If the operating point is chosen at the cut-off point
it is called Class B amplifier
If the operating point is chosen beyond the cut-off
point it is called Class C amplifier
It conducts for 3600
3. Concept Preview
• Efficiency is most important in power amplifiers.
• Poor efficiency means that much of the input
power is converted to heat.
• A class A amplifier conducts for the entire signal
cycle and has the lowest efficiency.
• A class B amplifier conducts for only half of the
signal cycle.
• A class C amplifier conducts for less than half of
the signal cycle.
• A class D amplifier switches between cutoff and
saturation.
5. Efficiency
• The dc power supplied to an amplifier is
PIN = VCC xIDC
• Efficiency = POUT/PIN x 100%
• The maximum efficiency for Class A
amplifiers with a dc collector resistance
and a separate load resistance is 25%.
• Class A is usually not acceptable when
watts of power are required.
7. Class and efficiency quiz
If POUT = 100 W and PIN = 200 W, the
efficiency is _________. 50%
The efficiency of an ideal amplifier is
__________. 100%
When efficiency is poor, too much of the input
is converted to ________. heat
An amplifier that conducts for the entire cycle
is operating Class _______. A
An amplifier that conducts for half the cycle
is operating Class _______. B
8. Concept Preview
• Class A amplifiers operate at the center of the load
line and have a large quiescent current flow.
• Class B amplifiers operate at cutoff and have no
quiescent current flow.
• Class B amplifiers are usually operated in push-
pull configurations.
• Class B amplifiers have crossover distortion.
• Class AB reduces crossover distortion.
• Bridge amplifiers provide four times the output
power and eliminate the output coupling capacitor.
9. Class A amplifier
The Q point is chosen at the middle of load line
This will give equal swing on either direction
Both halves of the input comes at the output
Hence Class A will give (amplitude) distortionless
output
It can handle only small signals
Its efficiency is less
10. Ic
Vce
Ib = 60μA
Ib = 50μA
Ib = 20μA
Ib = 30μA
Ib = 40μA
10mA
2mA
4mA
6mA
8mA
24 V0 V
Q
A
B
10mA
6mA
4mA
Class A
11. A large-signal amplifier can also be called a power amplifier.
This class A amplifier has a large quiescent collector current.
C
B
E
VCC = 18 V
RL = 12 ΩRB = 1.2 kΩ
CC
β = 60
ΙΒ =
VCC
RB
18 V
1.2 kΩ
= = 15 mA
IC = β x IB = 60 x 15 mA = 0.9 A
12. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
VCE in Volts
IC in A
5 mA
0 mA
25 mA
20 mA
15 mA
10 mA
ISAT =
VCC
RL
18 V
12 Ω
= = 1.5 A
Q
This is a Class A amplifier.
PC = VCE x IC = 7.2 V x 0.9 A = 6.48 W
13. Class B amplifier
The Q point is chosen at the cut-off point
This will give swing only on one direction
Only one half of the input comes at the output
Hence Class B will give (amplitude) distorted
output
It can handle large signals
Its efficiency is high
It conducts for 1800
14. Ic
Vce
Ib = 60μA
Ib = 50μA
Ib = 20μA
Ib = 30μA
Ib = 40μA
10mA
2mA
4mA
6mA
8mA
24 V0 V
Q
10mA
0mA
Class B
15. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
VCE in Volts
IC in A
5 mA
0 mA
25 mA
20 mA
15 mA
10 mA
Q
This is a Class B amplifier.
PC = VCE x IC = 18 V x 0 A = 0 W
Its quiescent power dissipation is zero.
16. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
5 mA
0 mA
25 mA
20 mA
15 mA
10 mA
ClassB
The collector signal
is too distorted for
linear applications.
21. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
VCE in Volts
IC in A
Q
The quiescent power dissipation is moderate for class AB.
The efficiency is much better than class A.
22. Cap. required
+VCC
RL
RL
+VCC
Single-ended amplifier
A bridge-tied load provides four times the output
power for a given supply voltage and load resistance.
+VCC
2
Max.
Max. = VCC
Bridge amplifier
Max. = 2 x VCC
Max.
23. Class A, B, and AB quiz
Class A amplifiers are biased to operate near
the ________ of the load line. center
Class B amplifiers have their Q-points at
____________. cutoff
The conduction angle for class B is
_________. 180o
To reduce distortion, two class B transistors
are arranged in _____________. push-pull
Class AB is a solution for __________
distortion. crossover
24. Concept Review
• Class A amplifiers operate at the center of the load
line and have a large quiescent current flow.
• Class B amplifiers operate at cutoff and have no
quiescent current flow.
• Class B amplifiers are usually operated in push-
pull configurations.
• Class B amplifiers have crossover distortion.
• Class AB reduces crossover distortion.
• Bridge amplifiers provide four times the output
power and eliminate the output coupling capacitor.
Repeat Segment
25. Concept Preview
• Class C amplifiers are biased beyond cutoff for a
small conduction angle and high efficiency.
• Class C amplifiers used tuned tank circuits to
reduce distortion in RF applications.
• Class C amplifiers cannot be used in wideband
applications like audio.
• Class D amplifiers switch between cutoff and
saturation for very high efficiency.
• Class D amplifiers operate at a relatively high
switching frequency and often use PWM.
• Class D can be used in audio applications.
26. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
A
B
C
AB
The class of an amplifier
is determined by the bias
which establishes the Q-point.
Class C is established by reverse
biasing the base-emitter junction.
27. Class C amplifier
The Q point is chosen at the beyond the cut-off
point
This will give only a partial swing in one direction
Only a portion of the input comes at the output
Hence Class C will give (amplitude) severely
distorted output
It can handle large signals
It conducts for less than 1800
28. Ic
Vce
Ib = 60μA
Ib = 50μA
Ib = 20μA
Ib = 30μA
Ib = 40μA
10mA
2mA
4mA
6mA
8mA
24 V0 V
Q`
10mA
0mA
Class C
30. Conduction Angles
& theoretical max. efficiencies:
Class A = 360o
50 %*
Class B = 180o
78.5 %
Class AB ≅ 200o
(between A & B)
Class C ≅ 90o
100 %
*Class A amplifiers are seldom driven to
maximum output and typically provide much
less efficiency.
31. C
B
E
VCC
RB
CC
VBB
Class C amplifier
VBB reverse biases the base-emitter junction.
Tank circuit
The transistor is
off for most of
the input cycle
and the conduction
angle is small.
32. VBB
0.7 V
0 A
VBE waveform
IC waveform
VCE waveform
Class C amplifier
waveforms
(with tank circuit)
Low VCE when IC is flowing
33. C
B
E
VCC
RB
CC
Class C amplifier with signal bias
The base-emitter
junction rectifies
the input signal
and charges CC.
Signal bias increases when the input
signal increases in amplitude.
34. IB >> 0
Three transistor operating modes:
IB = 0 IB > 0
Cutoff Linear
(PC > 0)
Saturation
PC = 0 in both of these modes
35. Distortionless amplifier
Out of the 3 amplifiers, Class C is unsuitable as the
distortion is very heavy
Class A is the best, as it gives distortionless output
But Class A cannot handle large signals as
required by the Power Amplifier
Though Class B gives heavy distortion, it gives out
one half of the signal perfectly
And Class B can handle large signals
36. Class A Audio Amplifier
As we have seen out of the 3 classifications, Class
A is the best, as it does not give any distortion
Among the configurations, we know that CE is the
best as it gives maximum power gain
A CE amplifier will have high output impedance
Unfortunately for an audio amplifier, the output
device is the speaker which has a low impedance
37. Impedance Matching
The speaker impedance is typically about 4 Ω
Hence there is a mismatch between the high Zo of
the amplifier and the low impedance of the speaker
This will result in loss of gain
This can be avoided by connecting a transformer at
the output stage
The primary winding will match the high Zo of the
amplifier while the secondary will match the low
impedance of the speaker
38. Class A Audio Amplifier
270 K 5.6 K
Re
Rb1
Rb2 Ce
Rc
Vcc
270 K
Re
Rb1
Rb2 Ce
39. Drawback
The drawback of this circuit is that it cannot
handle large signals
In a Class A amplifier, the operating point is
chosen around the middle of the load line
If the signal exceeds the cut-off point, the output
current stops and any signal with a lower
amplitude will not come at the output
Similarly, if the signal exceeds the saturation
point, the output current cannot increase any
further, even if the input signal increases
40. Ic
Vce
Ib = 60μA
Ib = 50μA
Ib = 20μA
Ib = 30μA
Ib = 40μA
10mA
2mA
4mA
6mA
8mA
24 V0 V
Q
A
B Class A
41. Class B Push-Pull Amplifier
To avoid this we can use Class B which has a
greater signal handling capacity
But Class B will give only one half of the signal
Hence we can use 2 Class B amplifiers
One for one half and one for the other half
This type of amplifier is called Push-Pull
Amplifier
43. Push-Pull Circuit
TR1 and TR2 are output transistors connected
back to back, with their emitters grounded
The output transformer TR1 couples the push-pull
output to the speaker
In the Push-Pull arrangement T1 conducts for one
half of the signal & T2 conducts for the other half
Both are biased in Class B and each gives one half
of the signal & the combined output is coupled to
the speaker
44. Push-Pull Circuit
The Driver Transformer TR2 gives 2 out of phase
signals
During one half, the +ve half forward biases T1
while the –ve half reverse biases T2
Thus when T1 conducts, T2 is cut-off & vice-
versa
This way both the transistors conduct alternately
to give the full signal output
45. Class D Amplifier
During the +ve half cycle Q1 gets Forward Bias and it
conducts
During the -ve half cycle Q2 gets Forward Bias and it
conducts
Thus both the transistors conduct alternately
The amplifier works for 3600
No distortion
100% efficiency
46. During the first half T1
conducts
Ic flows from the
centre-tapping through
T1 to ground
This half is coupled to
the speaker through
TR1
Working of Push-Pull Circuit
Vcc
T1
T2
T
3
TR2
TR1
47. During the second half
T2 conducts
Ic flows from the
centre-tapping through
T2 to ground
This half is coupled to
the speaker through
TR1
Working of Push-Pull Circuit
Vcc
T1
T2
T
3
TR2
TR1
48. Drawbacks
Though this circuit functions well it has a few
drawbacks
Transformer coupling affects the quality of
output
Phase shifting circuit is a must
Both these drawbacks can be avoided if we use
one pair of PNP and NPN transistors at the
output
50. Complementary Symmetry Amplifier
This circuit uses one NPN transistor & one PNP
transistor at the output stage
During the +ve half, T1(NPN) base gets forward bias &
it conducts while T2 (PNP) gets reverse biased and does
not conduct
This gives one half of the signal at the speaker coupled
to the emitter
51. Complementary Symmetry Amplifier
During the other half, T2 gets forward bias
and conducts while T1 gets reverse biased and
does not conduct
Thus T1 & T2 conduct alternately giving a
distortionless output
This circuit does not require a phase shifter
52. Cross – over distortion
Class B Push-Pull amplifier has one limitation
As the phase of the signal changes from +ve to –ve
(or vice-versa) one transistor stops conducting
while the other begins conducting
But the transistor cannot conduct instantaneously
as it requires a minimum Vbe before it starts
conducting
Thus as the signal crosses over zero, a distortion
occurs
This is called Cross over distortion
54. Class AB amplifier
This circuit overcomes cross-over distortion
Biasing is done such that even if there is no input
signal, a small current keeps the output transistor
conducting
This circuit uses 2 diodes whose characteristics
matches with that of the BE junction of the output
transistors
Biasing resistors R1 & R2 are also identical values
56. Symmetrical components
Since R1 & D1 are identical to R2 & D2, the diode
junction as well as the output point will be at half
the supply voltage
Because of symmetry both T1 & T2 will conduct
equally
Even when there is no input signal, there will be a
current Icq = (I/2 Vcc – 0.6) / R1
This will keep the output transistors conducting
57. Elimination of cross-over distortion
Normally, during cross-over there will not be any
output till the non-conducting transistor gets the
minimum Vbe
This causes distortion
This has been eliminated here, since the 0.6 V
across the diodes keep the transistors on and gives
a continuous output signal without producing
cross-over distortion
58. Thermal stability
In addition, the two diodes also provide thermal
stability
They prevent the output transistors going to
Thermal Run Away
When the output current is high, heat dissipation is
more
The increase in temperature produces more charge
carrier in the BE junction of T1 & T2
59. This increases Ib & hence Ic
This in turn increases the power dissipation &
hence the heat
This chain goes on till too much current flows and
destroys the transistors
This is called Thermal Run Away
This is arrested by the diodes in the output circuit
60. When the charge carriers increase in the B-E
junction of T1 & T2, a similar increase takes place
in D1 & D2, due to matching characteristics
This increase in the diode current, produces more
drop across R1 & R2 and brings down the forward
bias at the base of T1 & T2
Thus the 2 diodes prevent cross-over distortion as
well as provide thermal stability
61. A switch-mode amplifier uses a
rectangular input signal to drive the
transistor rapidly between cutoff and
saturation. The efficiency is very high.
C
B
E
RB
They are also
called Class D
amplifiers.
62. If the switching frequency is a good deal higher
than the signal frequency, a Class D amplifier is
capable of linear amplification. Pulse-width
modulation and a low-pass filter are often used.
PWM Signal
Input Signal
64. Class C and D quiz
Class C amplifiers use _______ circuits to
restore sinusoidal signals. tank
The base-emitter junction in a class C
amplifier is ________ biased. reverse
The theoretical maximum efficiency for
class C is ___________. 100%
Class D amplifiers are also known as
__________ amplifiers. switch-mode
Class D amplifiers employ a varying duty-
cycle known as _________. PWM
65. Concept Review
• Class C amplifiers are biased beyond cutoff for a
small conduction angle and high efficiency.
• Class C amplifiers used tuned tank circuits to
reduce distortion in RF applications.
• Class C amplifiers cannot be used in wideband
applications like audio.
• Class D amplifiers switch between cutoff and
saturation for very high efficiency.
• Class D amplifiers operate at a relatively high
switching frequency and often use PWM.
• Class D can be used in audio applications.
Repeat Segment