Overview

The LM741 (µA741) is a historic single general-purpose operational amplifier IC originally designed by Fairchild Semiconductor and produced by Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, and ON Semiconductor. It is one of the most famous integrated circuits in electrical engineering history and a staple of university electronics labs.

Featuring internal frequency compensation, output short-circuit protection, and input offset voltage nulling pins, the LM741 operates over a wide split supply range of ±5V\pm 5\text{V} to ±18V\pm 18\text{V} (or single supply up to 36V36\text{V}). Although largely superseded by modern op-amps in commercial applications, it remains widely referenced in textbooks and introductory circuits.

Quick reference

Channels1 (Single Operational Amplifier)
Supply Voltage (Split Rail)±5 V\pm 5\text{ V} to ±18 V\pm 18\text{ V} DC
Supply Voltage (Single Rail)10 V10\text{ V} to 36 V36\text{ V} DC
Gain Bandwidth Product1.0 MHz1.0\text{ MHz}
Slew Rate0.5 V/μs0.5\text{ V}/\mu\text{s}
Input Offset Voltage1.0 mV1.0\text{ mV} typical (6.0 mV6.0\text{ mV} max, nullable via pins 1 & 5)
Input Bias Current80 nA80\text{ nA} typical (500 nA500\text{ nA} max)
Package8-pin DIP / SOIC-8

Pinout (DIP-8 Package)

text
             ┌───┴───┐
     OFFSET1 1│ 1   8 │ NC (No Connection)
      IN-    2│       │ 7 V+ (VCC)
      IN+    3│ LM741 │ 6 OUT
   V- (GND)  4│       │ 5 OFFSET2
             └───────┘
PinNameTypeDescription
1OFFSET1Analog InputOffset Null Pin 1 (Connect to 10kΩ10\text{k}\Omega potentiometer wiper to V−V-)
2IN-Analog InputInverting Input
3IN+Analog InputNon-Inverting Input
4V-PowerNegative Supply (V−V- or GND)
5OFFSET2Analog InputOffset Null Pin 2
6OUTAnalog OutputOp-Amp Output
7V+PowerPositive Supply (V+V+ or VCCV_{CC})
8NCUnusedNo Internal Connection

Specifications

ParameterSymbolMinTypMaxUnitConditions
Supply Voltage (Split)VCC±V_{CC\pm}±5\pm 5±15\pm 15±18\pm 18VDual power rails
Unity Gain BandwidthGBWGBW0.41.0—MHzVCC=±15VV_{CC} = \pm 15\text{V}
Slew RateSRSR0.30.5—V/µsVCC=±15V,RL=2kΩV_{CC} = \pm 15\text{V}, R_L = 2\text{k}\Omega
Input Bias CurrentIIBI_{IB}—80500nATA=25∘CT_A = 25^\circ\text{C}
Input Offset VoltageVIOV_{IO}—1.06.0mVTA=25∘CT_A = 25^\circ\text{C}
Quiescent Supply CurrentICCI_{CC}—1.72.8mAVCC=±15VV_{CC} = \pm 15\text{V}, no load

Typical Applications

Inverting Amplifier (Gain = -10)

text
                       ┌─── R_feedback (100kΩ) ───┐
                       │                          │
  Audio Input ───[10k]─┴─── [Pin 2: IN-]          │
                                LM741 ────────────┼─── Output Voltage
  GND ───────────────────── [Pin 3: IN+]          │

Common mistakes

  • Attempting single-supply operation near Ground (0V0\text{V}): The LM741 does NOT have rail-to-rail inputs or outputs. Its common-mode input voltage range extends only to within ∼3V\sim 3\text{V} of the power rails. Input signals near 0V0\text{V} when powered from a single 0V…12V0\text{V} \dots 12\text{V} supply will distort. Use an LM358 for single-supply low-voltage applications.
  • Assuming high slew rate for high-frequency AC signals: With a slow 0.5 V/μs0.5\text{ V}/\mu\text{s} slew rate, full-power bandwidth is limited to ∼10 kHz\sim 10\text{ kHz}. Audio or high-frequency signals will suffer slew-induced distortion.

Notes

  • LM741 vs LM358 vs TL071: LM741 is a legacy single op-amp; LM358 is a dual op-amp capable of single-supply operation down to ground; TL071 is a low-noise JFET single op-amp with fast 13 V/μs13\text{ V}/\mu\text{s} slew rate.

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