Slew-rate-enhanced error amp with adaptive transconductance and single dominant pole shared by main and auxiliary amps

摘要

An error amplifier can be used to control a power regulator transistor. The error amplifier has a main amplifier, a pull-up auxiliary amplifier, and a pull-down auxiliary amplifier that all drive an output. A compensating capacitor on the output sets a single dominant pole for all amplifiers, increasing stability. High slew rates are provided by increased slew current from the auxiliary amplifiers that turn on when the differential input has an absolute voltage difference larger than an intentional offset. The intentional offset is introduced into the auxiliary amplifiers by adjusting a p-channel to n-channel transistor ratio in a leg of the auxiliary amplifiers. A source degenerated resistor in the main amplifier reduces supply headroom and increases linearity by connecting sources of two differential transistors that receive the differential input. Cascode transistors increase gain and output impedance. Reliability is increased as no positive feedback is used in the amplifiers.