Opamps protected against output short circuit to ground?

[ocset]

Is it true that all opamps, eg the MCP6001U, are deisgned to withstand their output being indefinitely short circuited to ground? 

MCP6001U opamp datasheet.
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/21733h.pdf

..it just seems so very conscientious of the semiconductor fraternity to do this ‘charitable’ thing. 
I mean suppose one puts 5V into the noninverting input of the MCP6001U opamp when its connected as a unity gain buffer on 5V single supply. The output is short circuit protected against any damage. 
 

[dmills]

Some of the big power opamps have SOA limits, but most of the jellybean stuff is pretty close to short circuit proof, you do sometimes have rather nasty differential input voltage limits and sometimes get weird things if you exceed those limits.

If you are doing analogue on silicon it costs only an extra small transistor or two and a couple of extra resistors to limit the output current, so it costs basically nothing.
 
One other thing to watch is that some parts have funny latchup states if power sequencing is wrong, the NE5532 springs to mind for some reason.

Regards, Dan.

[Audioguru]

ALL opamps are different so simply read their datasheets.

The MCP6001U opamp is a low power one with a fairly low maximum allowed supply voltage and a fairly low output current. Therefore at 5V its output current is only about 21mA which when shorted produces only 0.105W of heat.

An ordinary opamp with a 30V supply and 40mA max output current would heat with 1.2W and probably smoke and burn.

[T3sl4co1l]

There are most definitely op-amps without controlled limits.

Most general purpose amps do have controlled limits, or they aren't controlled as such, but the worst-case current is still low enough to survive a continuous short, under normal conditions (op-amp mounted to FR-4 board, in still air, etc.).

There are most definitely op-amps without thermal limits.  I can't think of one offhand that has a thermal limit.  A general purpose amp might be okay into a short circuit for some time, but not under all conditions: high ambient temperature, poor thermal conductivity, unusual circumstances (e.g., mounted on a Teflon board in a vacuum chamber -- basically no thermal conductivity).  Rely on that property too much, and you'll screw yourself sooner or later.

Op-amps are not power supply regulators.  For that, there are regulators, proper!  Regulators almost always have a thermal limit (and whether they have a controlled or gross current limit depends on the design, usually HDO is good vs. LDO sucks).

Tim