Amplifier-Oscillator

An amplifier-oscillator, also known as an oscillator-amplifier or simply an oscillator, is an electronic device that combines the functions of an amplifier and an oscillator.

An amplifier is a device that increases the amplitude of an electrical signal, while an oscillator is a device that generates a periodic waveform, such as a sine wave or a square wave.

By combining these two functions into a single device, an amplifier-oscillator can both amplify an input signal and generate an output signal with a specific frequency and waveform. This makes it useful in various applications, such as in radio transmitters, audio equipment, and electronic test and measurement instruments.

Amplifier-oscillators can be implemented using different circuit configurations, such as common-emitter or common-base configurations for transistor-based designs, or op-amp-based designs. The choice of circuit configuration depends on the specific requirements of the application and the desired performance characteristics of the device.