OPTIMAL GAIN ALLOCATION MAXIMIZING THE DYNAMIC RANGE OF A CASCADE NETWORK.

In hybrid technology realization, a network is usually composed of isolated cascaded subnetworks. The overall gain can be divided arbitrarily among the various subnetworks. The problem of optimal gain allocation, from the viewpoint of dynamic range maximization, is discussed. The underlying assumption is that distortion dependence on signal amplitude is of a ″threshold″ nature. The optimal gains are expressed explicitly in terms of certain extrema of the subnetwork amplitude frequency characteristics. The maximal permitted input voltage is expressed as a function of the distortion threshold voltage. Measured results are described for a specific filter. The results for two different gain allocation strategies are compared.