4.

Active Loads and IC MOS Amplifiers

ECE 102, Winter 2011, F. Najmabadi
Reading: Sedra & Smith: Chapter 7 (MOS portions)
Progress towards an IC relevant amplifier
Resistors and capacitors take a lot of space on ICs:
o Minimize (i.e., very few) R & C and small sizes (e.g., nF or smaller)
o Get rid of coupling capacitors by
direct coupling between stages
(makes biasing design complicated)
o Replace Rs with a current source
o Still need to get rid of Cs!
o What to do about RD?
Current mirrors are the principle method
for biasing in ICs
Identical MOS: Same k
n
and V
t
Q1 is always in saturation
V
DS1
= V
GS
> V
GS
V
t
Q2 has to be in saturation for
current mirror to work
V
DS2
> V
GS
V
t
ref o
I
L W
L W
I
1
2
) / (
) / (
=
Small signal model of Current Mirrors
Small signal response of an ideal current source is an open circuit!
However, Current mirrors are NOT ideal current sources as we used
v
DS
<< 1 in our bias analysis
Bias Model Small Signal Model
Real Circuit
ref o
I
L W
L W
I
1
2
) / (
) / (
=
Small signal model of Current Mirrors
0
in flows : D1 at KCL
1 1 1
1 1
= = =
gs o gs m gs D
o gs m
v r v g v v
r v g
Real Circuit
Small Signal Model
2 o
r R =
circuit open is source current 0
2 gs m gs
v g v =
Current source
becomes open circuit
But what happens if we replace I
ref
current source with practical elements?
Not a Practical Circuit
Practical Circuit
Would practical elements that fix I
ref
change the
small signal response?
Small signal response of a practical
current mirror
Practical Circuit
0 ) || (
|| in flows : D1 at KCL
1 1 1
1 1
= = =
gs D o gs m gs D
D o gs m
v R r v g v v
R r v g
2 o
r R =
circuit open is source current 0
2 gs m gs
v g v =
Generalized Small signal Model of
Current Mirrors
Any circuit that
fixes I
ref
V . .
) 1 ( ) ( ) / ( '
2
1
saturation in Q1
.
G 1
1
2
1 1 1
1 1
1
= = =
+ =
=
= =
G G GS GS
DS tn GS n D
GS DS
ref D
v const v const v v
v V v L W k i
v v
const i i

Small Signal Model

Summary of Current Mirrors
Bias Model Small Signal Model
ref o
I
L W
L W
I
1
2
) / (
) / (
=
Bias current
goes through
this leg
Signal current
goes through
this leg
( capacitor)
It is sufficient to consider
only Q2 in circuit calculations
PMOS Version:
Summary of Current Mirrors
NMOS Version:
Intuitive Model
It is sufficient to consider
only Q2 in circuit calculations
Biasing a CS Stage: Can we place a current
mirror in the source circuit?
Typical bias of a
discrete CS amplifier
Placing a current mirror in the source circuit will not Work!
Current mirror
Bias works fine!
o A large R in the source circuit for small signal
reducing the gain by (1+ g
m1
r
O2
)
Bias
Small Signal
We need to Bias a CS Stage by placing a
current mirror in the drain circuit!
Signal
Current mirror
provides R
D
!
Current mirror sets I
D
= I
o
However, a precise bias
voltage should be applied
to the Gate (corresponding
to the I
D
set by the current
source)
Several ways to do this
Bias
Basic gain cell in IC
NMOS Version:
PMOS Version:
) || (
2 1 1 o o m v
r r g A =
Bias point of CS amp with current mirror
| |
2 2
2
tp SG OV
G DD SG
V V V
V V V
=
=
2
2 2
2
) / ( '
2
1
OV
V L W k I
p D
=
2 2 2
1 1 1
1 1 1
/
/
/ 2
D A o
D A o
OV D m
I V r
I V r
V I g
=
=
=
2 / 1
1
1
1
2 1
) / ( '
2

=
=
L W k
I
V
I I
n
D
OV
D D
Ignore Channel Width Modulation,
o Fast and relatively accurate
method to find g
m1
, r
o1
and r
o2
o Cannot find V
DS1
and V
DS2
Bias point of CS amp with current mirror
Include Channel Width Modulation,
o Lengthy Analysis
o Gives V
DS1
and V
DS2
o See S&S Example 7.2 (pp500-504)
o Can gain insight with load-line analysis
i
D2
v
DS2
Bias point of CS amp with current mirror
1 2 DS SD DD
v v V + =
Setting V
ss
= 0 (For simplicity), the load line (or
load curve!) equation for Q1 is (note i
D1
= i
D2
)
Biasing CS amp with current mirror allows
a very large R
D
without increasing V
DD
Q
2
in triode Q
2
in saturation
Load line for a discrete
resistor of value r
o2
Needed V
DD
Biasing a Source Follower in ICs
Current mirror
Bias works fine! Small signal OK
Common-Drain (Source Follower) stages are biased with
current mirror in the source circuit (as above)
Common-Gate stages are biased with current mirror in the
drain circuit similar to CS amplifier.
PMOS version of Basic gain cell in IC
NMOS CS Amp PMOS CS Amp NMOS CD Amp PMOS CD Amp
Implementation of CS and Follower
configurations on IC
Cascode Amplifiers and Current Mirrors
Cascode amplifier is a two-stage,
CS-CG configuration
Cascode Configuration
CG stage
CS stage
signal
bias
Cascode amplifier is a two-stage,
CS-CG configuration
Cascode Configuration
CG stage
CS stage
Small Signal Model
Small Signal Model configured as two-stage amplifier
Open-Loop gain of a Cascode amplifier
1 2 2
) 1 ( v r g v
o m o
+ =
2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1
) 1 (
o m o m o m o m
i
o
vo
r g r g r g r g
v
v
A + = =
Node Voltage Method:
0
1 2
2
1
=

v g
r
v v
m
o
o
Node v
o
:
0 0
1
1
1
= + +
i m
o
v g
r
v
Node v
1
:
i o m
v r g v
1 1 1
=
By KCL around Q2
Open Loop Gain
(R
L
, i
o
= 0):
Output Resistance of a Cascode amplifier
1 1 2 2
) 1 (
o o m o o
r r g r R + + =
R R g r
m o
+ + ) 1 (
2 1 2 2 1

o o m o o o
r r g r r R + + =
Exercise: Compute R
o
from the small signal circuit of the previous slide
(Attach a voltage source v
x
to the output and compute i
x
, see S&S pp 509-510)
R
Amplifier models*
Voltage Amplifier
Current Amplifier
Transconductance Amplifier
0 for = =
o i vo o
i v A v
A
vo
: Open-Loop
voltage gain
0 for = =
o i m o
v v G i
G
m
: Short-circuit
transconductance
0 for = =
o i is o
v i A i
A
is
: Short-circuit
current gain
Ideal Amplifier
R
i

R
o
= 0
R
i

R
o

R
i
= 0
R
o

* See S&S pp 26-27
Amplifier models
Voltage Amplifier
Current Amplifier
Transconductance Amplifier
is i o vo
i m is
o m vo
A R R A
R G A
R G A
) / ( =
=
=
From the point of view of circuit analysis:
amplifier models are identical
(The output stages are
Thevenin/Norton Equivalent)
o m vo
o i m i vo o
R G A
R v G v A v i
=
= = =

0 For
0
A
vo
, A
is
, and G
m
are related to each other
Amplifier models*
Voltage Amplifier
Transconductance Amplifier
0 for = =
o i vo o
i v A v
0 for = =
o i m o
v v G i
Alternate method to compute A
vo
:
1. Set R
L
= 0 (short output)
2. Compute G
m
= i
o
/v
i
3. A
vo
= G
m
R
o
o m vo
R G A =
Example: CS amplifier gain from G
m
gs m o
v g i =
o o
r R =
o m o m vo
r g R G A = =
gs m i m o
v G v G i = =
gs m gs m
v g v G =
m m
g G =
CS Amplifier
Alternate method to compute A
vo
:
1. Set R
L
= 0 (short output)
2. Compute G
m
= i
o
/v
i
3. A
vo
= G
m
R
o
Short circuit
Transconductance Amplifier
G
m
= g
m
because current source is flipped
0
Cascode amplifier gain from G
m
1
1
1
1
1
1 1

o
i m
o
gs m o
r
v
v g
r
v
v g i = =
2 1 2 2 1
2 2 1 1
) 1 (
o o m o o
o m o m
i
o
m
r r g r r
r g r g
v
i
G
+ +
+
= =
2 1 2 2 1

o o m o o o
r r g r r R + + =
2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1
) 1 (
o m o m o m o m o m vo
r g r g r g r g R G A + = =
1 2 1
and v v v v
gs i gs
= =
Node equation at v
1
i
m o o o o
m o o
i m m
o o
o
gs m gs m
o
v
g r r r r
g r r
v
v g v g
r r
r
v
v g v g
r
v
2 2 1 2 1
1 2 1
1
1 1 2
2 1
2
1
2 2 1 1
1
1

1 1
0
+ +
=
=

+ +
= + +
KCL at D1
Insight into operation of Cascode amplifier
For simplicity assume r
o1
= r
o2
= r
o
and g
m1
= g
m2
= g
m
CG section has kept G
m
the same (i.e., since G
m
= i
o
/v
i
, same
current is passed through) but has increased R
o
substantially
resulting in a large increase in overall open-loop voltage gain!
CG section acted as a current buffer!
Cascode amplifier needs a large load!
m
o m
o m o m
o o m o o
o m o m
m
g
r g
r g r g
r r g r r
r g r g
G =
+ +
+
=
2
2 1 2 2 1
2 2 1 1
) ( ) 1 .(
2
2 1 2 2 1
) 2 (
o m o m o o o m o o o
r g r g r r r g r r R + = + + = Cascode amplifier:
o o m m
r R g G = = and
1
CS amplifier (1
st
stage of cascode):
Distribution of the gain in a Cascode Amp.
) || (
2 2 2 L o m v
R r g A =
2 2 2 2 2
2
2 1

1
1
o m
L
m o m
L o
i L
r g
R
g r g
R r
R R +
+
+
= =
) || (
2 1 1 1 i o m v
R r g A =
2 1 v v v
A A A =
CG stages reduces the load seen by the
CS stage by g
m2
r
o2
CG Stage
CS Stage
Cascode Amplifier needs a large load
) || (
2 2 2 L o m v
R r g A =
2 2 2 2 2
2
2 1

1
1
o m
L
m o m
L o
i L
r g
R
g r g
R r
R R +
+
+
= =
) || (
2 1 1 1 i o m v
R r g A =
For simplicity assume r
o1
= r
o2
= r
o
and g
m1
= g
m2
= g
m
g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
(g
m
r
o
)
2
(g
m
r
o
) r
o
= R
o
r
o
0.5g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
0.5(g
m
r
o
)
2
r
o
2/g
m
2 0.5 g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
R
L
R
i2
= R
L1
A
v1
(CS) A
v2
(CG) A
v
= A
v1
A
v2
Max. Gain
Same gain
as a CS Amp.
Practical
Gain
Cascode amplifier is a two-stage,
CS-CG configuration
Cascode Configuration
CG stage
CS stage
Small Signal Model
Small Signal Model configured as two-stage amplifier
Cascode Amplifier needs a large load
) || (
2 2 2 L o m v
R r g A =
2 2 2 2 2
2
2 1

1
1
o m
L
m o m
L o
i L
r g
R
g r g
R r
R R +
+
+
= =
) || (
2 1 1 1 i o m v
R r g A =
For simplicity assume r
o1
= r
o2
= r
o
and g
m1
= g
m2
= g
m
g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
(g
m
r
o
)
2
(g
m
r
o
) r
o
= R
o
r
o
0.5g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
0.5(g
m
r
o
)
2
r
o
2/g
m
2 0.5 g
m
r
o
g
m
r
o
R
L
R
i2
= R
L1
A
v1
(CS) A
v2
(CG) A
v
= A
v1
A
v2
Max. Gain
Same gain
as a CS Amp.
Practical
Gain
Cascode amplifier needs a large load to
get a high gain
R
L
= r
o3
A
v
g
m
r
o
Gain did not increase compared to a CS
amplifier.
This is still a useful circuit because of its
high gain-bandwidth (we see this later).
To get a high gain, A
v
= 0.5(g
m
r
o
)
2
,
we need to increase the small-signal
resistance of the current mirror to
(g
m
r
o
) r
o
o Cascode current mirror
Current
Mirror
Cascode
Cascode Current mirror
Identical MOS: Same k
n
and V
t
,
and
Usually: (W/L)
1
= (W/L)
3
and
(W/L)
2
= (W/L)
4
1
2
3
4
) / (
) / (
) / (
) / (
L W
L W
L W
L W
=
Q1 and Q3 are always in saturation
Q2 and Q4 have to be in saturation
for current mirror to work
V
DS2
> V
GS
V
t
V
DS4
> V
GS
V
t
Straight forward to show
ref o
I
L W
L W
I
1
2
) / (
) / (
=
Exercise: For V
SS
= 0, show that a single current mirror (no cascoding) works only if
V
D2
> V
OV
and a cascode current mirror requires V
D4
> V
t
+ 2V
OV
Small signal resistance of a cascode
current mirror is quite large
Equivalent
circuit
Small-signal
circuit
2 2 4 4
) 1 (
o o m o o
r r g r R + + =
Cascode amplifier with a
cascode current mirror
Cascode
amplifier
Cascode
current mirror
Signal
Bias
Cascode amplifier with a
cascode current mirror
A high gain, A
v
0.5(g
m
r
o
)
2
, high gain-bandwidth circuit.
Draw-back: Low voltage headroom because 4 MOS should be in
active for a given VDD
Cascode
amplifier
Cascode
current mirror
4 4 3 3
) 1 (
o o m o
r r g r + +
Folded Cascode increases voltage overhead
PMOS CG stage
NMOS CS stage
Biased with I
1
I
2
Exercise: Draw the small-signal circuit of a folded cascode and show that it is exactly
the same as a regular cascode.