8.2 Typical Application

Operational amplifiers are commonly used as unity-gain buffers. Figure 46 shows the schematic for an amplifier configured as a unity-gain buffer. If the input signal range to the amplifier is very close to the rails or includes the rails, a rail-to-rail amplifier must be used. However, regular rail-to-rail amplifiers introduce significant distortion to the signal. This design compares the distortion introduced by a typical CMOS input amplifier with that of the OPAx325 (a zero-crossover amplifier).

Figure 46. The OPAx325 Configured as a Unity-Gain Buffer Amplifier