Power stage attenuation

The overall ability of a power supply to attenuate disturbances at its input is expressed as its PSRR (power supply rejection ratio). In graphs, PSRR is usually plotted as a function of frequency. We will invariably find that the rejection ratio is very low at higher frequencies. One reason for this is that the Bode plot cannot really help because the open-loop gain is very small at these frequencies. The other reason is, even a tiny stray parasitic capacitance (e.g., across the power switch and inductor) presents such a low impedance to noise frequencies (whatever their origin) that almost all the noise present at the input migrates to the output unimpeded. In other words, the power stage attenuation (which we had earlier declared to be Vo/Rin) is also nonexistent for noise (and maybe even ripple) frequencies. The only noise attenuation comes from the LC filter (hopefully). 

The addition of this stage of filtering will bring the very high-frequeney attenuation under eontrol and further attenuate any differential-mode noise on the earth ground lead. It will also produee a eombined attenuation of -36 dB at the switehing frequency of the power supply. 

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