2002 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS21669B-page 13
MCP6041/2/3/4
3.7.2
COMPONENT PLACEMENT
Separate digital from analog and low speed from high
speed. This helps prevent crosstalk.
Keep sensitive traces short and straight. Separate
them from interfering components and traces. This is
especially important for high frequency (low rise time)
signals.
Use a 0.1 μF supply bypass capacitor within 0.1”
(2.5 mm) of the V
DD
pin. It must connect directly to the
ground plane.
3.7.3
SIGNAL COUPLING
The input pins of the MCP6041/2/3/4 family of op amps
are high impedance, which allows noise injection. This
noise can be capacitively or magnetically coupled. In
either case, using a ground plane helps reduce noise
injection.
When noise is coupled capacitively, the ground plane
provides shunt capacitance to ground for high fre-
quency signals. Figure 3-6 shows the equivalent cir-
cuit. The coupled current, I
M
, produces a lower voltage
(V
TRACE 2
) on the victim trace when the trace to ground
plane capacitance (C
SH2
) is large and the terminating
resistor (R
T2
) is small. Increasing the distance between
traces, and using wider traces, also helps.
FIGURE 3-6:
capacitive coupling between traces on a PC
board (with ground plane).
Equivalent circuit for
When noise is coupled magnetically, ground plane
reduces the mutual inductance between traces. This
occurs because the ground return current at high fre-
quencies will follow a path directly beneath the signal
trace. Increasing the separation between traces makes
a significant difference. Changing the direction of one
of the traces can also reduce magnetic coupling.
If these techniques are not enough, it may help to place
guard traces next to the victim trace. They should be on
both sides of the victim trace and be as close as possi-
ble. Connect the guard traces to ground plane at both
ends, and in the middle, for long traces.
3.8
Typical Applications
3.8.1
BATTERY CURRENT SENSING
The MCP6041/2/3/4 op amps’ Common Mode Input
Range, which goes 300 mV beyond both supply rails,
supports their use in high side and low side battery
current sensing applications. The very low quiescent
current (0.6 μA, typ) help prolong battery life while the
rail-to-rail output allows you to detect low currents.
Figure 3-7 shows a high side battery current sensor cir-
cuit. The 10
resistors are sized to minimize power
losses. The battery current (I
DD
) through the 10
resistor causes its top terminal to be more negative
than the bottom terminal. This keeps the common
mode input voltage of the op amp
≤
V
DD
, which is within
its allowed range. The output of the op amp can reach
V
DD
- 0.1 mV (see Figure 2-32), which is a smaller
error than the offset voltage.
FIGURE 3-7:
Sensor.
High Side Battery Current
3.8.2
INSTRUMENTATION AMPLIFIER
The MCP6041/2/3/4 op amp is well suited for condition-
ing sensor signals in battery-powered applications.
Figure 3-8 shows a two op amp instrumentation
amplifier, using the MCP6042, that works well for appli-
cations requiring rejection of common mode noise at
higher gains. The reference voltage (V
REF
) is supplied
by a low impedance source. In single supply
applications, V
REF
is typically V
DD
/2.
FIGURE 3-8:
Instrumentation Amplifier.
Two Op Amp
V
TRACE 1
R
T2
C
M
C
SH2
C
SH1
V
TRACE 2
I
M
V
DD
10
MCP604X
100 k
1 M
V
DD
I
DD
+2.5 V
to
5.5 V
V
SS
V
REF
MCP6042
R
1
R
G
V
OUT
R
1
R
1
R
1
V
2
V
1
MCP6042
V
OUT
V
1
V
2
–
(
)
1
R
1
R
2
-----
2R
1
G
-R
+
+
V
REF
+
=