DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

EXAM
Amplifiers and Instrumentation (EE1C31)
April 18, 2017, 9.00 - 12.00 hr

This exam consists of four questions, each with a number of sub-questions. The number of
points per question is indicated. The total number of points in the exam amounts to 40.

During this exam you are allowed to use P.P.L. Regtien, “Electronic Instrumentation”
and the reader J. Hoekstra, “Versterkerschakelingen”
– only in their original form: no print-out, photo-copy or any other material is allowed.

The use of a (graphical) calculator is allowed.

Examiners / reviewers: Dr. ir. Michiel Pertijs, Dr. Jaap Hoekstra

Good luck!

________________________________________________________________

For each sub-question, please provide a short motivation for your answer.

Start EVERY QUESTION on a NEW ANSWER SHEET.

Write on each answer sheet your name and student number.

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Question 1 – Op amp as a nullor implementation

With an operational amplifier (op amp) various amplifiers can be built. In these amplifiers, the op
amp is an implementation of the circuit element “nullor”.

a) Write down the chain matrix of the nullor. (1 pt)

b) Is it possible to define the impedance matrix for the nullor? Give a brief motivation of your
answer. (2 pt)
c) Now, we consider the non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit with an op amp. The op amp can
be considered ideal; meaning: it has an infinite amplification, a zero input conductance, and a
zero output resistance. Give an expression for the closed-loop gain. (1 pt)
d) Again, we consider the non-inverting voltage amplifier circuit. As soon as the amplification is
not infinite, but A, the op amp is non-ideal. Give an expression for the open-loop gain in case
of a non-ideal op amp with amplification A, a zero input conductance, and a zero output
resistance. (2 pt)
e) In reality, the op amp will have amplification A, an input conductance Gin, and an output
resistance Ro. Determine the K-matrix for this non-ideal op amp. (4 pt)

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Question 2 – Op amp built using bipolar transistors
(new answer sheet please)

The figure below shows a very simple op amp amplifier circuit.

T1 and T2 are NPN transistors having both a hFE of 100; T3 is a PNP transistor also having a hFE of 100.
All three transistors are biased in such a way that the absolute value of the current through them is
1 mA in the operating point.

Answer the following subquestions:

a) What kind of amplifier circuit is shown in the above figure? (1 pt)

b) What is the amplification factor, assuming that the nullor is ideal? (1 pt)
c) Calculate the gm of transistor T2. (2 pt)
d) Calculate the voltage at the base of T3 in the operating point. (2 pt)
e) The output of the differential pair is taken as a single-ended signal from T1. Because of
symmetry the output signal is the input signal multiplied by gmRC/2. Calculate the total
amplification of the op amp nullor, where you can neglect the effect of the load of the nullor.
(If you do not have an answer for the value of gm, take gm=1). (4 pt)

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Question 3 – Battery current measurement
(new answer sheet please) RS Vs
As shown in the circuit diagram on the right, the current IL provided
by a battery to a load is measured by measuring the voltage drop VS Vbat IL
across a resistor RS in series with load.
load
Given: 2.7 V ≤ Vbat ≤ 3.3 V
IL ≤ 1.0 mA
RS = 100 Ω

a) The voltage VS is measured using a multi-meter. Determine the maximum error in the measured
load current if one calculates the load current based on the reading of the multi-meter without
taking into account that the multi-meter has an internal resistance of 1 MΩ. (2 pt)

As shown below, the voltage VS is now measured using an instrumentation amplifier with a voltage
gain of 100. The output of this amplifier is fed into an ADC to digitize the measurement result.

instr. digital
RS Vs ADC output
amplifier signal

Vbat IL
Vout
load

b) Assume that the instrumentation amplifier is ideal, except that it has offset. Calculate the
maximum equivalent input offset voltage for which the resulting error in the measured current
is less than ±1.0 µA. (1 pt)

c) Assume that the instrumentation amplifier is ideal, except that it has finite CMRR. The finite
CMRR causes Vout to change as Vbat drops from 3.3 V (fully charged) to 2.7 V (almost empty),
even if IL is constant. Assume for simplicity that IL = 0. Determine the minimum CMRR for which
the drop in Vout is equivalent to an error in the measured current of less than ±1.0 µA. (3 pt)

d) The instrumentation amplifier has a bandwidth of 1.0 MHz and an equivalent input noise voltage
spectral density of 3 nV/√Hz. Calculate the rms noise voltage at the output of the
instrumentation amplifier due to the combination of the thermal noise of the resistor RS and the
noise added by the instrumentation amplifier. Assume 4kT = 1.6 ⋅ 10-20. (3 pt)

e) De reference voltage of the ADC has been chosen such that the full scale of the digital output
signal corresponds to the maximum load current of 1.0 mA. The ADC has a resolution of 12 bits.
What is the maximum error in the measured current (in µA) due to the quantization in the ADC?
(1 pt)

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Question 4 – Capacitive displacement sensor
(new answer sheet please)
movable plate

A capacitive displacement sensor consists of a fixed bottom Cx

plate and a movable top plate. At a distance x = 1.0 mm, the x
capacitance Cx is 1.0 nF. fixed plate

Together with a resistor R of 10 kΩ, the sensor forms an

RC filter that is driven by a sinusoidal voltage source Ub R
+
with a peak amplitude of 1.0 V and a frequency of U Cx Uo
b
1.0 MHz. When Cx changes due to a displacement of the --
movable plate, the filter’s corner frequency changes, and
hence the displacement can be detected as a change in
the amplitude of the output voltage Uo.

a) Determine the sensitivity of Uo (in V/mm) for small displacement around x = 1.0 mm. (2 pt)
b) The output is connected to an oscilloscope using a coax cable with a capacitance of 50 pF.
The oscilloscope has an input impedance of 1 MΩ // 20 pF. Determine for x = 1.0 mm the
relative error (in %) in the amplitude of the output signal due to the loading by the cable and
the oscilloscope. (2 pt)

Next, the circuit shown below is used to read out the sensor. The voltage source Ub still has an
amplitude of 1.0 V and a frequency of 1.0 MHz. Assume for the remaining questions that Cx has a
nominal value of 1.0 nF and a sensitivity of 100 pF/mm.

CF

+ Cx
Ub
-- Uo

c) Determine the value of the feedback capacitance CF for which the sensitivity of the output
voltage Uo equals 10 mV/mm. Assume that the opamp is ideal. (2 pt)
d) The feedback capacitor has a temperature coefficient of 5.0 · 10-4 K-1. The other components
can be assumed to be temperature independent. The sensor is calibrated at 25°C by
measuring the output amplitude at x = 1.0 mm. Determine the maximum error in the
measurement of x (in µm) for x = 1.0 mm if the sensor is used in the temperature range from
-50°C to 125°C. (2 pt)
e) In practice, the circuit above will not work well due to the opamp’s bias current of 10 nA.
Propose a change to the circuit that will solve the problem caused by the bias current. If you
add any components, indicate how you would choose their value. (2 pt)
--- end of the exam ---

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