Maxim Integrated Products

Three-op-amp instrumentation amplifiers have long been the industry standard for precision applications that require high gains and/or high CMRR. However, these amplifiers have serious limitations when operating from the single-supply voltage rails required in many modern applications. This application note explains the limitations of the conventional three-op-amp architecture for instrumentation amplifiers, and introduces Maxim's patented indirect current-feedback architecture that offers specific advantages for single-supply operation of instrumentation amplifiers. Detailed analysis is supported by laboratory waveforms.