
This is particularly advantageous in the context of IC design because it eliminates the need for bulky DC-blocking capacitors.
Differential amplification also suppresses common-mode signals-in other words, a DC offset that is present in both input signals will be removed, and the gain will be applied only to the signal of interest (assuming, of course, that the signal of interest is not present in both inputs). This means that a differential amplifier naturally eliminates noise or interference that is present in both input signals.
Differential amplifiers apply gain not to one input signal but to the difference between two input signals. But the practical value of single-ended amplifier configurations is a different story-the fact is, differential amplifiers dominate modern analog ICs. This is certainly a worthy endeavor in the context of becoming familiar with transistor operation, small-signal analysis, and amplifier characteristics. Introductory studies of active circuits generally devote a significant amount of time to standard single-ended amplifier configurations-e.g., common-source, common-gate, emitter-follower. Insulated-Gate Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET).
Discrete Semiconductor Circuits: Simple Op-Amp. Discrete Semiconductor Circuits: Differential Amplifier. In this article, we’ll examine the most straightforward version of this foundational integrated-circuit amplifier topology.