
9Introduction
In consumer electronics, an increasing demand has arisen for very high power monolithic audio amplifiers able to
match, with a low cost the performance obtained from the best discrete designs.
The task of realizing this linear integrated circuit in conventional bipolar technology is made extremely difficult by
the occurence of 2nd breakdown phenomenon. It limits the safe operating area (SOA) of the power devices, and
as a consequence, the maximum attainable output power, especially in presence of highly reactive loads.
Moreover, full exploitation of the SOA translates into a substantial increase in circuit and layout complexity due to
the need for sophisticated protection circuits.
To overcome these substantial drawbacks, the use of power MOS devices, which are immune from secondary
breakdown is highly desirable.
The device described has therefore been developed in a mixed bipolar-MOS high voltage technology called BCD
100.
9.1 Output stage
The main design task one is confronted with while developing an integrated circuit as a power operational
amplifier, independently of the technology used, is that of realizing the output stage.
The solution shown as a principle shematic by Figure 17 represents the DMOS unity-gain output buffer of the
TDA7294.
This large-signal, high-power buffer must be capable of handling extremely high current and voltage levels while
maintaining acceptably low harmonic distortion and good behaviour over frequency response; moreover, an
accurate control of quiescent current is required.
A local linearizing feedback, provided by differential amplifier A, is used to fullfil the above requirements, allowing
a simple and effective quiescent current setting.
Proper biasing of the power output transistors alone is however not enough to guarantee the absence of
crossover distortion.
While a linearization of the DC transfer characteristic of the stage is obtained, the dynamic behaviour of the
system must be taken into account.
A significant aid in keeping the distortion contributed by the final stage as low as possible is provided by the
compensation scheme, which exploits the direct connection of the Miller capacitor at the amplifier’s output to
introduce a local AC feedback path enclosing the output stage itself.
9.2 Protections
In designing a power IC, particular attention must be reserved to the circuits devoted to protection of the device
from short circuit or overload conditions.
Due to the absence of the 2nd breakdown phenomenon, the SOA of the power DMOS transistors is delimited only
by a maximum dissipation curve dependent on the duration of the applied stimulus.
In order to fully exploit the capabilities of the power transistors, the protection scheme implemented in this device
combines a conventional SOA protection circuit with a novel local temperature sensing technique which "
dynamically" controls the maximum dissipation.
TDA7294
Introduction
DS0013 - Rev 8 page 13/31