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Analog Engineer's Circuit

Amplifiers

Design Goals
Input Output Supply
ViMin ViMax IoMin IoMax Vcc Vee
0V 2V 0mA 100mA 5V 0V

Design Description
This single-supply, low-side, V-I converter delivers a well-regulated current to a load which can be connected
to a voltage greater than the op-amp supply voltage. The circuit accepts an input voltage between 0V and 2V
and converts it to a current between 0mA and 100mA. The current is accurately regulated by feeding back the
voltage drop across a low-side current-sense resistor, R3, to the inverting input of the op amp.
Vcc

Vcc 5 +
Rload 5 V
Vload
T1 SI2304D

+ + U1 TLV9062

- R1 500
+

Vi

C1 100p

R2 500k
R3 20
Iout

Design Notes
1. A device with a rail-to-rail input (RRI) or common-mode voltage that extends to GND is required.
2. R1 helps isolate the amplifier from the capacitive load of the MOSFET gate.
3. Feedback components R2 and C1 provide compensation to ensure stability during input or load transients,
which also helps reduce noise. R2 provides a DC feedback path directly at the current setting resistor (R3)
and C1 provides a high-frequency feedback path that bypasses the MOSFET.
4. The input bias current will flow through R2, which will cause a DC error. Therefore, ensure that this error is
minimal compared to the offset voltage of the op amp.
5. Use the op amp in a linear operating region. Linear output swing is usually specified under the AOL test
conditions provided in the op amp data sheet.

SBOA327A – DECEMBER 2019 – REVISED AUGUST 2021 Voltage-to-current (V-I) converter circuit with MOSFET 1
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Design Steps
1. Determine the transfer function.
V
Io = R i
3

2. Calculate the sense resistor, R3.

3. Calculate the maximum power dissipated into the sense resistor, R3, to ensure the resistor power ratings are
not exceeded.
2
V 2V2
PR3 = iMax
R3 = 20Ω = 0.2W

4. See the Design References section, [2] for the design procedure on how to properly size the compensation
components, R1, R2, and C1.

2 Voltage-to-current (V-I) converter circuit with MOSFET SBOA327A – DECEMBER 2019 – REVISED AUGUST 2021
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Design Simulations
DC Simulation Results
100m

75m

Iout 50m

25m

0
0 500.0m 1.0 1.5 2.0
Input voltage (V)
Loop Stability Simulation Results
140
120 LoopGain
Loop ˜
Gain(Aol.Beta)
(Aol

100
Gain (dB)

80
60
40
1/Beta
20
0
-20 Phase
Phasemargin:
margin:70.68
70.68
180 at frequency (Hz): 7.64M
135
Phase [deg]

90

45
0

-45

-90
1 10 100 1k 10k 100k 1M 10M 100M
Frequency (Hz)

SBOA327A – DECEMBER 2019 – REVISED AUGUST 2021 Voltage-to-current (V-I) converter circuit with MOSFET 3
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Step Response
50.44m

Iout

49.94m
1.01

Vi

1.00
0 250u 500u 750u 1m
Time (s)

Compliance Voltage
Set output to full-scale (100 mA) and test the maximum load resistance.
100m

95m Rload = 29.45 ohms

Iout 90m

85m

80m
0 10 20 30 40
Input resistance (ohms)

4 Voltage-to-current (V-I) converter circuit with MOSFET SBOA327A – DECEMBER 2019 – REVISED AUGUST 2021
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Design References
1. See Analog Engineer's Circuit Cookbooks for TI's comprehensive circuit library.
2. TI Precision Labs
Design Featured Op Amp
TLV9062
Vss 1.8 V to 5.5 V
VinCM Rail-to-rail
(Vcc + 60mV) to (Vee – 60mV) at
Vout
RL = 2kΩ
Vos 1.6mV
Iq 0.538mA
Ib 0.5pA
UGBW 10MHz
SR 6.5V/µs
#Channels 1, 2, 4
www.ti.com/product/TLV9062

Design Alternate Op Amp

Vss 1.2V to 5.5V 4.5V to 36V

VinCM Rail-to-rail (Vee – 0.1V) to (Vcc – 2.5V)

Vout Rail-to-rail Rail-to-rail

Vos ±0.6mV ±0.45μV

Iq 0.01mA 0.85mA

Ib ±1pA ±50pA

UGBW 350kHz 5MHz

SR 0.2V/µs 10V/μS

#Channels 1,2,4 2

www.ti.com/product/TLV9042 www.ti.com/product/OPA2182

SBOA327A – DECEMBER 2019 – REVISED AUGUST 2021 Voltage-to-current (V-I) converter circuit with MOSFET 5
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