Note: A temperature-stable low-noise transimpedance amplifier for microcurrent measurement
Abstract
Temperature stability and noise characteristics often run contradictory in microcurrent (e.g., pA-scale) measurement instruments because low-noise performance requires high-value resistors with relatively poor temperature coefficients. A low-noise transimpedance amplifier with high-temperature stability, which involves an active compensation mechanism to overcome the temperature drift mainly caused by high-value resistors, is presented. The implementation uses a specially designed R-2R compensating network to provide programmable current gain with extra-fine trimming resolution. The temperature drifts of all components (e.g., feedback resistors, operational amplifiers, and the R-2R network itself) are compensated simultaneously. Therefore, both low-temperature drift and ultra-low-noise performance can be achieved. With a current gain of 1011 V/A, the internal current noise density was about 0.4 fA/√Hz, and the average temperature coefficient was 4.3 ppm/K at 0-50 °C. The amplifier module maintains accuracy across a wide temperature range without additional thermal stabilization, and its compact size makes it especially suitable for high-precision, low-current measurement in outdoor environments for applications such as electrochemical emission supervision, air pollution particles analysis, radiation monitoring, and bioelectricity.
- Publication:
-
Review of Scientific Instruments
- Pub Date:
- February 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.4974741
- Bibcode:
- 2017RScI...88b6101X