Voltage References

We offer many types of voltage references from multiple manufacturers.

Voltage references are accurate, temperature-compensated voltage sources that provide specific output voltage values. Voltage reference ICs may be either shunt voltage reference (two-terminal) or series voltage reference (three-terminal) types.

A shunt voltage reference is usually designed to work over a wide range of currents. It is as simple to use as a Zener diode. Series voltage references are ideal for circuits with large changes in supply voltage or load current. They are especially useful with very large load currents as there is no series resistor between the reference and supply.

Our specialist products include precision voltage references for signal-conditioning applications using a single voltage source. A particularly popular offering is the TLV431 precision voltage reference. The TLV431 is a three terminal adjustable shunt reference offering excellent temperature stability and output current handling capability up to 20mA. The output voltage may be set to any chosen voltage between 1.24V and 18V by selection of two external divider resistors. It can be used as a replacement for Zener diodes in many applications requiring an improvement in Zener performance.

Fixed, adjustable and programmable variants are available in both shunt and series configurations. Reference voltages range from 0.5V to ±10V, while temperature coefficients cover 0.3ppm/°C to ±300ppm/°C.