Forrest Mims Engineer's Notebook

LINEAR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

INTRODUCTION

THE OUTPUT OF A LINEAR IC IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE SIGNAL AT ITS INPUT. THE CLASSIC LINEAR IC IS THE OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER. THIS GRAPH SHOWS THE LINEAR INPUT–OUTPUT RELATIONSHIP OF A TYPICAL OP-AMP CIRCUIT:

MANY NON-DIGITAL ICs—INCLUDING OP-AMPS – CAN BE USED IN BOTH LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR MODES. THEY ARE SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS ANALOG ICs.

LINEAR ICs GENERALLY REQUIRE MORE EXTERNAL COMPONENTS THAN DIGITAL ICs. THIS INCREASES THEIR SUSCEPTABILITY TO EXTERNAL NOISE AND MAKES THEM A LITTLE TRICKIER TO USE. ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME LINEAR ICs CAN DO ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING AS A NETWORK OF DIGITAL CHIPS. ...