Physics 343 Lock-In Amplifier Lab

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Lab 6 — Lock-In Amplifier

A lock-in amplifier is able to measure a small signal even in the presence of a lot
of noise. It does this with the help of some signal processing. If the signal we
are looking at is
` v in = V0 sin( ωt)
and we multiply it by a square wave which has a Fourier series of
4 1 1 
vsq =  sin (ω t ) + sin ( 3ω t ) + sin ( 5ω t ) + … 
π 3 5 

we get
2V0  2 2 2 
vout = 1 − cos(2ωt ) − cos(4ωt ) − cos(6ωt )…
π  3 15 35 
Notice that output has a DC level proportional to the input voltage.

To perform this operation we can use a switch which gates through vin when vsq is
high and gates through - vin when vsq is low. This is shown below.

vsq is derived from a reference signal. This signal needs to be converted to a

square wave. This is done with a comparator. In this lab we will use the LM339
comparator.

1) Determine how to implement the CMOS switch using the 4066 (replacement
for obsolete 4016) switch and the LM339 comparator.
2) Construct the circuit. Note, for a bipolar input signal, both the CMOS 4066
switch and the LM339 comparator should be powered from the ±5V power
supplies. Note also that the LM339 outputs are open-collector outputs, thus a
10KΩ pullup resistor, connecting LM339 output to +5V is needed.
3) Test the circuit using vin = vref = 1VAC

Revised 4/2003.
Copyright  1999. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Physics 343 Lock-In Amplifier Lab
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4) Use the DMM to measure the DC component of the output.

Is it what you expect?
Does the output DC level vary with frequency and should it vary with
frequency ?

In the first section you built a phase sensitive rectifier which is the signal
processing element of a lock-in amplifier. Your design should have been similar
to the one below where the switches are the analog switches in the 4066. If your
design was different, reconstruct it to match the circuit shown. Again, note for a
bipolar input signal, both the CMOS 4066 switch and the LM339 comparator
should be powered from the ±5V power supplies. Note also that the LM339
outputs are open-collector outputs, thus a 10KΩ pullup resistor, connecting
LM339 output to +5V is needed.

This is called a phase sensitive rectifier because the circuit rectifies vin in phase
with vref (or vsq). If there is a phase shift between vin and vref the DC level is the
projection of vin on vref (vsq) or if
v in = V0 sin ( ωt + θ)
then the DC component of the output is
2V0
Vout = cos( θ) .
π
A better way to visualize phase is to think of vin as a complex voltage. Using this
idea the DC output is the real part (i.e. in-phase) of the vin. Using a scheme
shown below it is possible to measure the imaginary part (i.e. 90° out of phase) of
vin.

Revised 4/2003.
Copyright  1999. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Physics 343 Lock-In Amplifier Lab
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If we add a phase shifter (θ) then vsq is no longer in phase with vref. The output
level is then the projection of vin on vsq as shown in a) in the diagram below. In a
typical application vin will have a phase shift relative to vref. To measure a
maximum output level, θ is adjusted until vsq is in phase with vin.

Therefore, if we set θ = 90°, then the projection of vin on vsq is the imaginary part
of vin. We then measure a complex voltage by measuring the output voltage with
θ = 0° to get the real part and then again measure the output voltage with θ =
90° to get the imaginary part.

Phase Shifters

There are two circuit which we have see that will give us a phase shift. The
simplest is a 180° phase shifter which is simply an inverter. The next circuit we
have used is an integrator which gives a phase shift of 90°.

The most useful circuit is a 0-180° phase shifter.

Determine the phase shift for this circuit in terms of R, C, and R1. Note that
R is a variable resistor and C and R1 have fixed values.

Revised 4/2003.
Copyright  1999. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Physics 343 Lock-In Amplifier Lab
Page 4/5 Physics Department, UIUC

In general the 0-180° and 180° phase shifters work the best. The fixed 90° phase
shifter has a problem of developing a DC offset and it is possible that the signal
never crosses ground resulting in a bad output.

Complex Voltage Measurement

We are now going to use our lock-in amplifier to measure the complex voltage at
node v2. Use the procedure below to measure this voltage.

1) Design a 0-180° phase shifter with the operating point around 10 KHz. When
you choose your components, remember that when you use a potentiometer,
you are limited to a certain range of R. Therefore think about what values of
R and C corresponds to a 90° shift at 10 KHz.
2) Set v1 to 1V at 10KHz.
3) Apply this signal to vin and to vref.
4) Adjust the phase shifter so that the DC output is 0 (on the DMM). You
should also look at the output on the scope. When the DC output is 0, vsq has
a 90° shift. Why?
5) Now construct the test circuit above and attach v2 to vin.
6) Measure the real part of v2 by connecting vref to the comparators (no phase
shift)
7) Measure the imaginary part of v2 by including the 90° phase shifter.
8) Using the value of v2 you measured, calculate the impedance between v1 and
v2. Does this impedance match the values you used ?

Rejection of Noise

The test of a lock-in is its ability to filter out all signals except those within a
bandwidth roughly 1 RC time constant of the reference frequency. We will use the
photo-detector circuit to test the noise rejection of your lock-in. The signal of
interest will be a train of light pulses from an LED while the noise will be 60 Hz
pickup from the overhead fluorescent lights. We want the lock-in to detect the RMS
voltage from the photo-detector that is due to the LED and to reject everything else.
A test circuit for noise rejection of lock-in is shown below.

Revised 4/2003.
Copyright  1999. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Physics 343 Lock-In Amplifier Lab
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+15 V
+15 V

1M
3K
Lock-in
−
LM339 IN

−
LED + REF
741
1M
+

As in all lock-in measurements, you need to make your desired signal vary at
the reference frequency. Use a comparator (LM339- the specs are on your bench-
book) to turn the LED on and off synchronously with the lock-in reference. At a low
enough frequency you can see the LED blink on and off. Next, wire up the photo-
detector with an MRD500 or VTP1188S photodiode and a current amplifier. Attach
a couple of long leads to the LED so that you can move it around relative to the
photo-detector. Watch the current amp output on the scope and look for the signal
from the LED as you bring it close to the photodiode. You should be able to see the
LED signal when it is within a few inches of the photodiode. (The diode is more
sensitive to red than green.)

Now, as you monitor with the scope, send the current amp output to your
lock-in and try to detect the RMS level due to the LED. Choose an operating
frequency far from 60Hz (maybe 500 Hz). Vary the phase shifter setting to
maximize the signal. Move the LED farther and farther away to test how small a
signal the lock-in can detect in the presence of noise. (You can block the LED with
your hand to see if the lock-in output is coming from it and not some other source.)
Obtain a rough measure of the minimum signal to noise ratio that the lock-in can
detect at its input with a 1 second time constant. Vary the frequency of the signal to
see how close to 60 Hz you can get and still distinguish signal from noise. Briefly
describe your test with your data.

Revised 4/2003.
Copyright  1999. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.