MAX4200–MAX4205
Ultra-High-Speed, Low-Noise, Low-Power,
SOT23 Open-Loop Buffers
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• Use surface-mount instead of through-hole compo-
nents for better high-frequency performance.
• Use a PC board with at least two layers; it should be
as free from voids as possible.
• Keep signal lines as short and as straight as possi-
ble. Do not make 90° turns; round all corners.
Input Impedance
The MAX4200–MAX4205 input impedance looks like a 
500kΩ resistor in parallel with a 2pF capacitor. Since 
these devices operate without negative feedback, there 
is no loop gain to transform the input impedance 
upward, as in closed-loop buffers. Inductive input 
sources (such as an unterminated cable) may react 
with the input capacitance and produce some peaking 
in the buffer’s frequency response. This effect can usually be minimized by using a properly terminated transmission line at the buffer input, as shown in Figure 1.
Output Current and Gain Sensitivity
The absence of negative feedback means that openloop buffers have no loop gain to reduce their effective 
output impedance. As a result, open-loop devices usually suffer from decreasing gain as the output current is 
decreased. The MAX4200–MAX4205 include local 
feedback around the buffer’s class-AB output stage to 
ensure low output impedance and reduce gain sensitivity to load variations. This feedback also produces 
demand-driven current bias to the output transistors for 
±90mA (MAX4200/MAX4203) drive capability that is relatively independent of the output voltage (see 
Typical
Operating Characteristics
).
Output Capacitive Loading and Stability
The MAX4200–MAX4205 provide maximum AC performance with no load capacitance. This is the case when 
the load is a properly terminated transmission line. 
However, these devices are designed to drive any load 
capacitance without oscillating, but with reduced AC performance. 
Since the MAX4200–MAX4205 operate in an open-loop 
configuration, there is no negative feedback to be 
transformed into positive feedback through phase shift 
introduced by a capacitive load. Therefore, these 
devices will not oscillate with capacitive loading, unlike 
similar buffers operating in a closed-loop configuration. 
However, a capacitive load reacting with the buffer’s 
output impedance can still affect circuit performance. A 
capacitive load will form a lowpass filter with the 
buffer’s output resistance, thereby limiting system 
bandwidth. With higher capacitive loads, bandwidth is 
dominated by the RC network formed by RTand CL;
the bandwidth of the buffer itself is much higher. Also 
note that the isolation resistor forms a divider that 
decreases the voltage delivered to the load.
Another concern when driving capacitive loads results 
from the amplifier’s output impedance, which looks 
inductive at high frequency. This inductance forms an 
L-C resonant circuit with the capacitive load and causes peaking in the buffer’s frequency response. 
Figure 2 shows the frequency response of the 
MAX4200/MAX4203 under different capacitive loads. 
To settle out some of the peaking, the output requires 
an isolation resistor like the one shown in Figure 3. 
Figure 4 is a plot of the MAX4200/MAX4203 frequency 
response with capacitive loading and a 10Ω isolation 
resistor. In many applications, the output termination 
resistors included in the MAX4201/MAX4202/ 
MAX4204/MAX4205 will serve this purpose, reducing 
component count and board space. Figure 5 shows the 
MAX4201/MAX4202/MAX4204/MAX4205 frequency 
response with capacitive loads of 47pF, 68pF, and 
120pF.
Coaxial Cable Drivers
Coaxial cable and other transmission lines are easily driven when properly terminated at both ends with their 
characteristic impedance. Driving back-terminated 
transmission lines essentially eliminates the line’s 
capacitance. The MAX4201/MAX4204, with their integrated 50Ω output termination resistors, are ideal for driving 50Ω cables. The MAX4202/MAX4205 include 
integrated 75Ω termination resistors for driving 75Ω 
cables. Note that the output termination resistor forms a 
voltage divider with the load resistance, thereby 
decreasing the amplitude of the signal at the receiving 
end of the cable by one half (see the 
Typical Application
Circuit)
.