An ideal operational amplifier has infinite input impedance and open-loop gain, zero output impedance and no offsets or response limits. Its input currents vanish. Stable operational-amplifier negative feedback, a finite output and unsaturated linear operation then imply a virtual short, . Real amplifiers have finite frequency-dependent gain, input bias currents, offset voltage, output loading, finite bandwidth, slew rate and supply-rail limits. Equal input voltages cannot be assumed in an open-loop or saturated circuit.
Here the noninverting input is grounded. In the ideal-feedback limit the inverting node is a virtual ground, so the resistor current charges the feedback capacitor:
The initial capacitor charge fixes the integration constant. This is an op amp integrator, with .
A tiny direct-current input, input bias current or offset can drive the output towards saturation. A parallel feedback resistor provides a direct-current return path, giving ; choose over the intended integration band. A reset switch sets initial charge; low-offset components and suitable signal amplitude reduce drift and saturation. The useful band must also remain below the amplifier's bandwidth and slew-rate limits.
For the stipulated finite but constant real gain , infinite input impedance and negligible output impedance, write the inverting-node voltage as . With phasors proportional to ,
Therefore
The low-frequency gain is . The corner is ; above it the amplitude falls as and the phase approaches . phase and describe the same low-frequency inversion. This finite-gain circuit is a low-pass response with an integrating high-frequency regime, not an ideal integrator down to zero frequency. A genuinely frequency-dependent would introduce additional high-frequency limitations beyond this specified model.
Figure 1.
Finite-gain integrator response
. Details.
An ideal operational amplifier draws no current at either input. With stable operational-amplifier negative feedback in its unsaturated linear range, infinite open-loop gain also gives a virtual short, . The amplifier adjusts its output to enforce that equality; it is not a conducting connection between the inputs. Here , so the ideal summing node is a virtual ground. Kirchhoff's current law gives , hence the ideal gain is .
For the finite-input-resistance inverting amplifier let the inverting-node voltage be , and continue to neglect output impedance. The controlled output and node-current balance are
Eliminating gives
Dividing the denominator by gives the requested resistance-sum form. The ideal result follows whenever ; taking alone is insufficient if is small. At finite frequency and the gain are phasor ratios, subject to feedback stability.
With equal resistors and sufficiently large loop gain, . This gives a controlled sign reversal or 180-degree phase inversion, useful for subtraction and opposite-phase signal paths, with amplitude set by a resistor ratio rather than uncertain open-loop gain. The source still sees approximately , so this is not a high-input-impedance voltage follower. For the ideal-input, single-pole model, the noise gain of an operational amplifier is two and the closed-loop bandwidth is approximately half the gain-bandwidth product. Output swing, slew rate and load constraints must also permit linear operation.
In an operational-amplifier negative feedback loop, an operational amplifier has large open-loop gain , with . Feeding a fraction back to the inverting input opposes an output increase. For a non-inverting signal input,
Its sensitivity to open-loop gain changes is reduced by . Thus resistor ratios can set a reproducible gain despite device variation; feedback also suppresses internal distortion and reduces output impedance. Gain is traded for usable bandwidth, subject to the amplifier's frequency response.
For the non-inverting connection, place between output and inverting input and between that input and ground. Then , giving gain . For an inverting connection, ground the non-inverting input, inject the signal through and return from output to the inverting node. Small differential input and negligible input current then give gain . The near-zero node is a virtual ground, not a physical ground connection.
The feedback must remain stable at the frequencies where loop gain matters. Extra phase lag can turn the intended opposition into oscillation; adequate phase margin, supply headroom, input common-mode range, output-current capability and slew rate are required. Feedback neither prevents clipping nor removes all input noise.[ref]