Mismatch Oriented Circuit Design and Its Application to Nuclear Electronics

Abstract

Consistent application of mismatch between source and load is shown to lead to the design of feedback amplifiers, whose characteristics closely approach those of idealized black boxes exhibiting zero or infinite input and output impedance levels. The resulting configurations are shown to employ enhancing combinations between four kinds of basic amplifiers and series or shunt feedback applied to their input and output, respectively. Depending upon the signal parameter employed, the input and output terminals of the black boxes will operate in the voltage or in the current mode, each emerging in its own rights as the preferable technique if employed under proper conditions. Enhancing combinations result in greater flexibility of usable gain values and functions, and in reduced noise contribution to the preceding stage. Further extension of mismatch to active circuit design makes it possible to employ a greatly simplified transistor model, and restricts the dominant poles to those which are unavoidably introduced by the active elements. The resulting circuits are readily reproducible by conventional manufacturing methods, and further improvement of their performance is predicted through the application of microcircuit techniques. The design of a high resolution spectrometer is described, which employs enhancing combinations of such standard circuits. The choice of the most suitable circuit for each stage depends on the preferred signal parameter, noise considerations, and gain requirements.