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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default overvoltage on audio circuits

Ralph Barone wrote:

I was under the impression that electromigration was only an issue in
modern microprocessors and other ICs built using nanometer scale
transistors. I would assume that an op amp is built with huge transistors
(and huge traces) in order to achieve low noise, and would therefore be
relatively immune to electromigration damage.


I think it's a matter of scale and voltage. So it's an issue at low voltages
with tiny transistors, but at higher voltages (and really 15V isn't that
high) with larger transistors. I think it's also a matter of the shape of
the metallization traces, with sharp angles promoting migration.

That said, if it were that big a problem I'd be seeing LM709s and LM301s
starting to fail by now, right?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."