CHAPTER 4

MULTISTAGE AMPLIFIER

1. Introduction
The basic purpose of multistage amplifier is

to increase the overall voltage gain.

Multistage amplifier is used when power
gain or voltage gain of single stage amplifier
is not sufficient
A cascade amplifier is any amplifier
constructed from a series of amplifiers,
where each amplifier sends its output to the
input of the next amplifier
The output of one stage serves as input of
the next stage

 The overall voltage gain, Av, of cascaded

amplifiers, is the product of the individual
voltage gains.

Av = Av1 Av2 Av3 . . . . . . Avn

n= number of stages
Av1

Input
Output

Av2

Av3

Avn

 When the voltage gain is expressed in decibels (dB), then the overall

decibel gain of the multistage amplifier is equal to the sum of the dB

gains of the individual stage.
Av(dB) = Av1(dB) + Av1(dB) +.. + Avn(dB)
Example
A certain cascaded amplifier arrangement has the following voltage
gains: Av1 = 10, Av2 = 15, Av3 = 20. What is the overall voltage gain?
Also express each gain in decibels (dB) and determine the total
voltage gain in dB.
Solution: Av = Av1 Av2 Av3 = (10)(15)(20)= 3000
Av1(dB) = 20 log 10 = 20.0 dB
Av1(dB) = 20 log 15 = 23.5 dB
Av1(dB) = 20 log 20 = 26.0 dB
Av1(dB) = 20.0 dB + 23.5 dB + 26.0 dB = 69.5 dB

2. Feedback Amplifier
A feedback amplifier is one that provides a

path from the amplifier output back to the

input.
The purpose of this path is to feed a portion
of the output signal back to the amplifier input.

Feedback Amplifier Block Diagram

 With the feedback network (circuit or path)

connecting the output of the amplifier back to the

output, a small portion of the output signal is fed at
the amplifier input.
The effect that this feedback signal has on the
amplifier depends on the type of feedback used.
There are 2 basic types of feedback:
i) Negative feedback
Ii) Positive feedback
NEGATIVE feedback also called DEGENERATIVE
feedback is provided when the feedback signal is
180 out of phase with the input signal. Negative
feedback is frequently used in amplifier circuits.
POSITIVE feedback also called REGENERATIVE
feedback is provided when the feedback signal is in
phase with the input signal. Positive feedback is used
mostly in a special type of circuit called an oscillator.

 The difference between these two types is whether the feedback

signal is in phase or out of phase with the input signal.

Positive feedback occurs when the feedback signal is in phase with

the input signal. Notice that the feedback signal is in phase with the
input signal. This means that the feedback signal will add to or
"regenerate" the input signal. The result is a larger amplitude output
signal than would occur without the feedback.
Negative feedback occurs when the feedback signal is out of phase

with the input signal. This means that the feedback signal will
subtract from or "degenerate" the input signal. This results in a
lower amplitude output signal than would occur without the
feedback.

For

an ordinary amplifier i.e. one without

feedback, the voltage gain is given by the ratio
of the output voltage Vo and input voltage Vi.
As shown in the block diagram below, the input
voltage Vi is amplified by a factor of A to the
value Vo of the output voltage.

A = Vo /Vi
This gain A is often called open-loop gain.

 Suppose a feedback loop is added to the amplifier.

If Vo is the output voltage with feedback, then a

fraction * of this voltage is applied to the input
voltage which, therefore, becomes (Vi Vo)
depending on whether the feedback voltage is in
phase or anti phase with it.
Assuming positive feedback, the input voltage

will become (Vi + Vo). When amplified A times,

it becomes A(Vi + Vo).

 The term A is called feedback factor whereas is

known as feedback ratio. The expression (1 A) is called

loop gain. The amplifier gain A with feedback is also
referred to as closed loop gain because it is the gain
obtained after the feedback loop is closed.

(a) Negative Feedback

The amplifier gain with negative feedback is given by
Obviously, A < A because |
1 + A | > 1.
Suppose, A = 90 and = 1/10 = 0.1
Then, gain without feedback is 90 and with negative
feedback is

 As seen, negative feedback reduces the amplifier gain.

That is why it is called degenerative feedback. A lot of

voltage gain is sacrificed due to negative feedback. When |
A | 1, then

It means that A depends only on . But it is very stable

because it is not affected by changes in temperature,

device parameters, supply voltage and from the aging of
circuit components etc.
Since resistors can be selected very precisely with almost

zero temperature-coefficient of resistance, it is possible to

achieve highly precise and stable gain with negative
feedback.

(b) Positive Feedback

The amplifier gain with positive feedback is given by

Suppose gain without feedback is 90 and = 1/100 = 0.01,

then gain with positive feedback is

Since positive feedback increases the amplifier gain. It is

called regenerative feedback. If A = 1, then

mathematically, the gain becomes infinite which simply
means that there is an output without any input!
However, electrically speaking, this cannot happen. What
actually happens is that the amplifier becomes an
oscillator which supplies its own input. In fact, two
important and necessary conditions for circuit oscillation
are
i) The feedback must be positive,
ii) Feedback factor must be unity i.e. A = +1.

Advantages and disadvantages of

negative
DISADVANTAGE feedback
The primary disadvantage of using negative feedback is that is

reduces the effective gain of the amplifier

ADVANTAGES
Stabilized the gain of amplifier
Increases bandwidth of the amplifier so that it provides

nearly constant gain for large frequency range of the input

signal.
Reduce the noise / distortion in the amplifier output
Series negative feedback increases the input resistance of
the amplifier. This avoid loading of the source of the amplifier.
Voltage negative feedback decrease the output resistance
of the amplifier. This avoid loading of amplifier itself when
driving on output load.
Negative feedback also stabilizes operating point.

Feedback Concept
Gain Stability

The voltage amplifier gain with negative

feedback is given by,

Reduction in noise and non linear distortion

The amount of noise signal (such as power supply

hum) and non linear distortion are reduced by a

factor of
when negative feedback is used.
This is because the feedback network feed back only

a portion of the output voltage, but also a portion of

the distortion in the opposite phase, which appears
in the output after amplification and reduces the
amount of the distortion present in the output. The
distortion after negative feedback is expressed as

Where D is the distortion without feedback.

Bandwidth Extension
When negative feedback is applied, the
frequency response of an amplifier is increased.
The lower half power frequency f1 is decreased by
a factor of
,
the upper half-power
frequency f2 is increased by a factor of
.
Hence, these two frequencies with feedback are
given by

Hence, the bandwidth of the amplifier f1f - f2f increases by

negative feedback as shown below.

3. Multistage Amplifier
Analysis
Amplifier Coupling
All amplifiers need some coupling network.

Even a single-stage amplifier has to be coupled

to the input and output devices. In the case of
multistage systems, there is interstage
coupling.

The type of coupling used determines the

characteristics of the cascaded amplifier. In fact,
amplifiers are classified according to the
coupling network used.

3.1 Resistance Capacitance (RC)

Coupling

 Figure

below shows a two-stage RC-coupled

amplifier which consists of two single-stage
transistor amplifiers using the CE configuration. The
resistors R2 and R3 and capacitor C2 form the
coupling network. R2 is collector load of Q1 and R4 is
that of Q2. Capacitor C1 couples the input signal
whereas C3 couples out the output signal. R1 and R3
provide dc base bias.

Circuit Operation
The input signal

is amplified by Q1. It is phase reversed (usual

with CE connection);

The amplified output of Q1 appears across R2;

The output of the first stage across R2 is coupled to the input at R3

by coupling capacitor C2. This capacitor is also sometimes

referred to as blocking capacitor because it blocks the passage
of dc voltages and currents;

The signal at the base of Q2 is further amplified and its phase is

again reversed; the ac output of Q2 appears across R4;

The output across R4 is coupled by C3 to load resistor R5;

The output signal v0 is the twice-amplified replica of the input

signal vi. It is in phase with vi because it has been reversed

twice.

Direct Coupled Amplifier

These amplifiers operate without the use of

frequency-sensitive components like capacitors,

inductors and transformers etc. They are especially
suited for amplifying:
(a) ac signals with frequencies as low as a fraction of
a hertz,
(b) change in dc voltages.

Circuit Operation
Amplifier which uses two similar transistors each

connected in the CE mode. each connected in the CE

mode. Both stages employ direct coupling.
Collector of Q1 is connected directly to the base of Q2 and

load resistor R2 is connected to the collector of Q2.

The resistor R1 establishes the forward bias of Q1 and

also indirectly that of Q2. Any signal current at the base of

Q1 is amplified 1 times and appears at the collector of Q1
and becomes base signal for Q2.

Hence, it is further amplified 2 times. Obviously, signal

current gain of the amplifier

Transformer-Coupled amplifier

TRANSFORMER COUPLING uses a transformer to couple the

signal from one stage to the next. Transformer coupling is very

efficient and the transformer can aid in impedance matching.

T1 is the coupling transformer whereas T2 is the output

transformer. C1 is the input coupling capacitor whereas C2, C3

and C4 are the bypass capacitors. Resistors R1 and R2 as well
as R4 and R5 form voltage divider circuits whereas R3 and R6
are the emitter-stabilizing resistors

Circuit Operation
When input signal is coupled through C1 to the base of

Q1, it appears in an amplified form in the primary of T1.

From there, it is passed on to the secondary by

magnetic induction. Moreover, T1 provides dc isolation
between the input and output circuits.

The secondary of T1 applies the signal to the base of Q2

which appears in an amplified form in the primary of

T2.

From there, it is passed on to the secondary by

magnetic induction and finally appears across the

matched load R7.

Darlington Pair
The Darlington Amplifier is a special-case emitter follower

that uses two transistor to increase the overall values of

circuit current (Ai) and input impedance (Zin). The two
transistors are connected as shown below.
The emitter of the first is tied to the base of the second, and

the collector terminals are tied together.

 It is the name given to a pair of similar

transistors so connected that emitter of one is

directly joined to the base of the other.
Obviously, the emitter current of Q1 becomes
the base current of Q2.

Darlington pairs are commercially mounted in

a single package that has only three leads :

base, collector and emitter. It often forms a
double CC stage in multistage amplifiers. It
is so because a Darlington connection can be
considered equivalent to two cascaded
emitter followers.