ADA4898-1

Rev. 0 | Page 15 of 16

NOISE

To analyze the noise performance of an amplifier circuit,

identify the noise sources, and then determine if each source

has a significant contribution to the overall noise performance

of the amplifier. To simplify the noise calculations, noise spectral

densities were used rather than actual voltages to leave bandwidth

out of the expressions (noise spectral density, which is generally

expressed in nV/√Hz, is equivalent to the noise in a 1 Hz

bandwidth).

The noise model shown in Figure 44 has six individual noise

sources: the Johnson noise of the three resistors, the op amp

voltage noise, and the current noise in each input of the amplifier.

Each noise source has its own contribution to the noise at the

output. Noise is generally specified referred to input (RTI), but

it is often simpler to calculate the noise referred to the output

(RTO) and then divide by the noise gain to obtain the RTI noise.

GAIN FROM

B TO OUTPUT

= – R2

R1

GAIN FROM

A TO OUTPUT

=

NOISE GAIN =

NG = 1 + R2

R1

R1

R2

R3

4kTR2

4kTR1

4kTR3

B

A

R2

2

R1 + R2

R1 × R2

2

+ 4kTR2

R1

2

R1 + R2

R1 + R2

RTI NOISE =

RTO NOISE = NG × RTI NOISE

+

Figure 44. Op Amp Noise Analysis Model

All resistors have a Johnson noise that is calculated by

)

(4kBTR

.

where:

k

B

is the bandwidth in Hertz.

T

is the absolute temperature in Kelvin.

R

is the resistance in ohms.

A simple relationship that is easy to remember is that a 50 Ω

resistor generates a Johnson noise of 1 nV/√Hz at 25°C.

In applications where noise sensitivity is critical, care must be

taken not to introduce other significant noise sources to the

amplifier. Each resistor is a noise source. Attention to the

following areas is critical to maintain low noise performance:

design, layout, and component selection. A summary of noise

performance for the amplifier and associated resistors can be

seen in Table 6.

CIRCUIT CONSIDERATIONS

Careful and deliberate attention to detail when laying out the

ADA4898-1 board yields optimal performance. Power supply

bypassing, parasitic capacitance, and component selection all

contribute to the overall performance of the amplifier.

PCB LAYOUT

Because the ADA4898-1 can operate up to 65 MHz, it is

essential that RF board layout techniques be employed. All

ground and power planes under the pins of the ADA4898-1

should be cleared of copper to prevent the formation of parasitic

capacitance between the input pins to ground and the output pins

to ground. A single mounting pad on a SOIC footprint can add

as much as 0.2 pF of capacitance to ground if the ground plane

is not cleared from under the mounting pads.

POWER SUPPLY BYPASSING

Power supply bypassing for the ADA4898-1 has been optimized

for frequency response and distortion performance. Figure 42

shows the recommended values and location of the bypass

capacitors. Power supply bypassing is critical for stability,

frequency response, distortion, and PSR performance. The

0.1 μF capacitors shown in Figure 42 should be as close to the

supply pins of the ADA4898-1 as possible. The 10 μF electrolytic

capacitors should be adjacent to but not necessary close to the

0.1 μF capacitors. The capacitor between the two supplies helps

improve PSR and distortion performance. In some cases, additional

paralleled capacitors can help improve frequency and transient

response.

GROUNDING

Ground and power planes should be used where possible. Ground

and power planes reduce the resistance and inductance of the

power planes and ground returns. The returns for the input

be kept as close to the ADA4898-1 as possible. The output load

ground and the bypass capacitor grounds should be returned to

the same point on the ground plane to minimize parasitic trace

inductance, ringing, and overshoot and to improve distortion

performance.

The ADA4898-1 package features an exposed paddle. For

optimum electrical and thermal performance, solder this paddle to

ground. For more information on high speed circuit design, see

A Practical Guide to High-Speed Printed-Circuit-Board Layout

at

www.analog.com.