phase inverter

phase inverter [′fāz in‚vərd·ər]

(electronics)

A circuit or device that changes the phase of a signal by 180°, as required for feeding a push-pull amplifier stage without using a coupling transformer, or for changing the polarity of a pulse; a triode is commonly used as a phase inverter. Also known as inverter.

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Phase inverter

A circuit having the primary function of changing the phase of a signal by 180°. The phase inverter is most commonly employed as the input stage for a push-pull amplifier. Therefore, the phase inverter must supply two voltages of equal magnitude and 180° phase difference. A variety of circuits are available for the phase inversion. See Push-pull amplifier

Overall fidelity of a phase inverter and push-pull amplifier can be adversely affected by improper design of the phase inverter. The principal design requirement is that frequency response of one input channel to the push-pull amplifier be identical to the frequency response of the other channel.

The simplest form of phase-inverter circuit is a transformer with a center-tapped secondary. Careful design of the transformer assures that the secondary voltages are equal. The transformer forms a good inverter when the inverter must supply power to the input of the push-pull amplifier. The transformer inverter has several disadvantages. It usually costs more, occupies more space, and weighs more than a transistor circuit. Furthermore, some means must be found to compensate for the frequency response of the transformer, which may not be as uniform as that which can be obtained from solid-state circuits. See Transformer

An amplifier that provides two equal output signals 180° out of phase is called a paraphase amplifier. If coupling capacitors can be omitted, the simplest paraphase amplifier is shown in the illustration. Approximately the same current flows through R_L and R_E, and therefore if R_L and R_E are equal, the ac output voltages from the collector and from the emitter are equal in magnitude and 180° out of phase.