Amplifier Gain Stability - Part I — Lesson 3

This lesson covers the various goals for impedance matching. It further explains the importance of output power and linearity in amplifier design. This lesson also covers the various definitions (GT, GA, GP) for the power gain. The lesson concludes with a detailed explanation of power gains, stability aspects, and the unilateral case in amplifier design.

Video Highlights

00:17 - Introduction and design goals
07:04 - Design targets.
08:53 - How to achieve maximum gain and definitions of power gain
26:20 - Stability aspect of amplifier circuits.
29:49 - Unconditional stability
34:33 - Summary

Key Takeaways

- Active circuit design involves several goals, including stability, transducer power gain, DC biasing, power added efficiency, bandwidth, noise, output power, and linearity.
- Input and output matching networks are crucial in achieving the desired impedance in a circuit.
- Power gain can be categorized into operating power gain, available power gain, and transducer power gain.
- The stability of a circuit is a critical aspect of circuit design. A circuit is unconditionally stable if it remains stable irrespective of the load or source impedance.
- Unconditional stability is not always necessary; it is sufficient if the circuit is stable at its operating frequency or power.