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Category: Analog ICs
Finalist: CLC1001 ultralow-noise amplifier (Cadeka Microcircuits)
 Op amps are the quintessential analog component. So any time a new op amp with remarkable specs is introduced, it is a notable achievement. When the part comes from the resurrected brand of a highly regarded company, the achievement is all the more special. Cadeka has reintroduced the Comlinear brand of op amps. The CLC1001 is a high-speed op amp with the remarkable flat-band noise specification of 0.6nV/√Hz while consuming the same amount of current that amplifiers exhibiting noise performance of 1 nV/√Hz. The part also features 12 bit distortion levels and has 130mA output drive to allow the use of low-valued feedback resistors, which will reduce system noise compared to higher valued resistors.
In the ongoing march of semiconductor process advancements, Moore’s Law has conditioned us to expect a doubling of speed or halving of power every 18 months. It creates an expectation that each new generation of parts will be smaller or faster. What is far more elusive is achieving good noise performance. Quantum effects and surface contaminates that cause semiconductor noise are pernicious enemies for IC designers to overcome, and each new benchmark in amplifier noise is big news. Getting under a nanovolt per root Hertz is a big deal, but achieving such low noise at reasonable power consumption levels is a stellar achievement of Cadecka with their new Comlinear parts.
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