Current Sources

A current source is a key electronic circuit that provides a constant current independent of the voltage across it. It is commonly used to bias a transistor and act as an active load in an amplifier circuit. Some key electronic applications such as integrators and sawtooth/ramp generators cannot be built without a current source. These types of sources give us control over the current in the circuit. This capability can be extremely useful in current sensitive electronics where increase in current can damage the components for e.g. a laser diode.