ADL5315 Analog Devices, ADL5315 Datasheet - Page 9

• Manufacturer Part Number: ADL5315
• Description: Precision Wide Range (3 nA to 3 mA) High-Side Current Mirror
• Manufacturer: Analog Devices

THEORY OF OPERATION
The ADL5315 addresses the need for precision high-side
monitoring of photodiode current in fiber optic systems and is
useful in many nonoptical applications as well. It is optimized
for use with ADI’s family of translinear logarithmic amplifiers,
which take advantage of the wide input current range of the
ADL5315. This arrangement allows the anode of the photo-
diode to connect directly to a transimpedance amplifier for the
extraction of the data stream without the need for a separate
optical power monitoring tap. Figure 19 shows the basic
connections for the ADL5315.
2.2nF
At the heart of the ADL5315 is a precision 1:1 current
mirror with a voltage following characteristic that provides an
adjustable bias voltage at the mirror input. This architecture
uses a JFET input amplifier to drive the bipolar mirror and
maintain stable V
current at the INPT pin. The current sourced by the low
impedance INPT pin is mirrored and sourced by the high
impedance IOUT pin.
BIAS CONTROL INTERFACE
The voltage at the INPT pin, V
voltage applied to VSET by the mirror-biasing loop. The V
voltage range extends down to ground, allowing the ADL5315
to be used as a voltage-to-current converter with a single resistor
from INPT to ground. This capability allows dark current to be
minimized in PIN photodiode systems by maintaining a small
voltage bias. The VSET control also allows V
approximately equal to the load voltage at IOUT. Balancing
the mirror voltages in this way provides inherently superior
linearity over the widest current range independent of the
supply voltage. Only leakage currents from the JFET op amp
and ESD devices remain as significant sources of nonlinearity
at very low currents. The voltage at VSET can also be used to
shield the highly sensitive INPT pin and its board trace from
leakage currents, because the two pins operate at approximately
the same potential. Care must be taken to provide a low noise
V
and is transformed by the input compensation network into
current noise.
SET
signal, since voltage noise at VSET also appears at INPT
4kΩ
390pF
4
3
2
1
COMM
SREF
VSET
INPT
INPT
Figure 19. Basic Connections
ADL5315
voltage, while offering very low leakage
VPOS
RLIM
IOUT
NC
INPT
, is forced to be equal to the
5
6
7
8
CURRENT
MIRROR
OUTPUT
0.1μF
R
LIM
INPT
0.01μF
to be set
VOLTAGE
SUPPLY
SET
Rev. 0 | Page 9 of 20
The ADL5315 provides a setpoint reference pin, SREF,
which can be connected to VSET for standard 2-port
mirror operation. V
temperature and is independent of input current. When using
SREF to set the input voltage, a capacitor should be placed
between SREF and ground to filter noise from SREF as well
as improve power supply rejection over frequency. A value of
2.2 nF, for example, combined with the 20 kΩ output resistance
at SREF, creates a pole at approximately 3 kHz.
The voltage at the SREF pin can be lowered to a desired fixed
value with the use of a single external resistor from SREF to
ground. Mismatch between on-chip and external resistors
limits the accuracy of the resultant voltage. In addition, internal
clamping to protect the precision bias limits the range. Figure 20
shows an equivalent circuit model of the SREF biasing. The
Schottky diode clamp protects the 50 μA current source when
SREF is pulled to ground. When V
50 μA current flows to the SREF pin. The current is shunted
away and does not appear at the SREF pin for V
The transition region is between 0.6 V and 1.2 V with a large
uncertainty in the pull-down current. It is recommended that a
2-resistor divider from VPOS (with no connection to SREF) or
another external bias be used to bias VREF in this transition
region.
Equations for the SREF voltage with an external pull-down R
follow:
where the 20 kΩ is the process-dependent internal resistor.
V
V
Figure 20. Model of SREF Bias Source with External Pull-Down
SREF
SREF
=
=
R
R
EXT
EXT
ADL5315
R
R
+
+
EXT
EXT
SREF
2
2
0
0
kΩ
kΩ
is maintained 1.0 V below V
0.9V
20kΩ
V
(
V
POS
V
POS
POS
,
VSET
SREF
50μA
−
V
1
SREF
SREF
0 .
V
is 1.2 V or higher, the
≤
)
,
0
6 .
V
C
SET
SREF
V
SREF
≥
R
ADL5315
EXT
1
< 0.6 V.
POS
2 .
V
over
EXT