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  3. stb results different when iprobe placed at different location...

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stb results different when iprobe placed at different location of the loop

a048
a048 23 days ago

Hello, 

I ran into this issue where I got very different stb results when placing iprobe at node 1 (output of a single stage differential to single-ended OTA) as case 1, and node 2 as case 2, inside of a patented Kevin Scoones bandgap structure as attached (please ignore startup circuit on the left if they don't affect broken loop characteristics). Gain plots look not exactly the same and phase plots are drastically different, where case 1 (blue) has a down-shift of 180 deg phase and case 2 (red) has a up-shift of 180 deg indicating loop instability?)

Can someone please help me understand what have cause such a big difference?

One explanation I can find online is "The iProbe's placement can affect the impedance seen by the rest of the circuit. If the loop is broken at a point where the output impedance of a preceding stage interacts with the input impedance of the following stage, different iProbe placements can yield different results, especially at lower frequencies." but I'm not sure how it works in this particular bandgap circuit.

Thanks and regards

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  • a048
    a048 23 days ago

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  • JankoK
    JankoK 21 days ago in reply to a048

    My wild guess: When you place it at 1 (usual place), you are pretty sure that you are including all the loops. When you place it at 2, perhaps there are secondary loops that you are not including. For instance, there is that loop to your startup circuit. I am not sure how is that implemented in reality and whether that loop is completely shut for small signals... 

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  • Frank Wiedmann
    Frank Wiedmann 21 days ago in reply to a048

    Although that case is different from yours, taking a look at https://designers-guide.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1294178255 might give you some further insights.

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