Rail-to-Rail: Railroading and the Electronics of Op Amps

Abstract: Railroads have had rail-to-rail components for years that were, in fact, nearly rail to rail. Op amps employ the same nearly rail-to-rail tradition. This application note discusses rail-to-rail op amps, and explains why some inputs and outputs can be less than, nearly, or slightly more than the power rails.
Maxim > App Notes > Amplifier and Comparator Circuits
Keywords: rail to rail, op amps, input, output, signal swings, beyond the rails, MOS, bi-polar, CMOS, P input pair, N common-mode, supply Sep 28, 2009
bias, current changes, sign magnitude, crossover, distortion, NPN, PNP, impedance, match phase, reversal, latch up, overdrive

APPLICATION NOTE 4428
Rail-to-Rail: Railroading and the Electronics of Op Amps
By:Bill Laumeister, Strategic Applications Engineer


Abstract:Railroads have had rail-to-rail components for years that were, in fact, nearly rail to rail. Op amps employ the same
nearly rail-to-rail tradition. This application note discusses rail-to-rail op amps, and explains why some inputs and outputs can be
less than, nearly, or slightly more than the power rails.


Introduction
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