TRANSISTOR-LEVEL ANALOG IC DESIGN
June 21-23, 2010
EPFL Premises, Lausanne, Switzerland

Introduction & MOS Transistors
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

What is this course about? What are p-amps? The ideal Op-amp; common- and differential mode; feedback; op-amp applications. Op-amp non-idealities: frequency behavior; time domain behavior & stability; polar diagram & bode-plots; gain- and phase margin; signal integrity; noise; distortion; dynamic range; other non-idealities: offset; power supply rejection ratio. Effects of feedback: feedback and gain; feedback and bandwidth; a slightly different schematic; feedback and impedances. Simulations: SPICE options and models; loop-gain in feedback situations; DC, AC and transient analysis; SPICE DC analysis; SPICE AC analysis; SPICE transient analysis.The MOS Transistor: regions of operation: MOST CV-curve. Calculation of the MOS current. Graphical MOST-model. A simplified model for hand-calculations. A more accurate approach: drift and diffusion; weak- and strong inversion. Improved model for hand-calculations: body-effect; current triangle-model. How to use the graphical MOST-models? Second order effects: body-effect; channel-length shortening; mobility reduction; velocity saturation; weak inversion; drain induced barrier lowering and static feedback; weak-avalanche. Example: the current-division technique; the basic principle; proof of the principle.

Single-Stage Amplifiers, part I
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

DC-behavior of single transistor amplifier. AC-behavior of single transistor amplifier: bode-plot; small-signal parameter overview. Transient behavior of single transistor amplifier: single-stage and feedback; settling behavior. Fundamental limitations of the basic gain-stage: the process-line. Cascoding: effect of cascoding on DC-gain; cascoding and AC-behavior; the process-line. MOST Ft. The gain-boosting technique: DC-behavior; cascoding once again; adding an additional stage; repetitive gain-boosting; high frequency behavior; gain as normalized impedance.

Single-Stage Amplifiers, part II
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

Simplest Structure. Simplest structure with large output swing. folded cascode structure. Fully differential structures: the common-mode problem; output common-mode control; input common-mode control; common-mode rejection ratio. Other differential op-amps: gain-boosting technique; telescopic op-amp. How to design single-stage op-amps? Noise and Vgt's; distortion? Slew-rate: limited input voltage swing; limited available output current cascode biasing; how does slewing look? How to improve the slew-rate. Cascode biasing.

gm/ld Methodology for MOS Device Sizing
Marc Pastre, EPFL

An Introduction of the gm/Id analog circuit design methodology will be presented and applied to the MOS transistor sizing.

Noise in MOS Transistors
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

Part 1: Origins and Basic Properties: thermal noise; spectrum; standard deviation; noise properties; kT/C noise; 1/f noise; how to calculate noise of a circuit? Input and output referred noise; signal-to-noise ratio; noise integration in a certain bandwidth. Part 2: Noise in Circuit Design: noise in basic gain stage; noise of basic gain stage with PMOST current source; noise of a cascode transistor; design of a cascode stage.

Distortion
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

Harmonic performance of a slightly non-linear circuit. How to calculate THD? Example: single transistor gain-stage with resistor load. Symmetrical systems. Distortion and feedback: distortion of the reciprocal relation; back to distortion and feedback; example; modulation depth; calculating HD2 at the gate; calculating HD2 at the output; distortion in multi-stage design. Distortion resume: how to calculate THD? Example without feedback (with some numbers); Example with feedback (with some numbers).

Basic Sub-Circuits
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

Basic configurations: c.s., c.g. and c.d. The differential pair: common and differential signals; large signal behavior: Iout as a function of Vin; mathematical; graphical; offset. Current sources. Biasing: voltage biasing; current biasing; replica biasing; Gm-biasing

Basic Analog Structures Design
Marc Pastre, EPFL

Basic analog topologies such as current mirror, cascode current mirrors, differential Pair, etc. will be presented as well as their design methodology using gm/Id.

Gain-Boosting and Settling Behavior
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

High-Frequency Behavior: gain as normalized impedance. Settling behavior: a closer look; doublets; how to judge op-amp settling? The problem; virtual ground signal; settling accuracy as a function of time; optimizing settling behavior in gain-boosting; what about the 2nd loop? Stability conditions. Application Example: switched-capacitor circuits: what is a switched capacitor circuit? SC-resistor; stray capacitances; SC-integrator. Process Technology: introduction. photolithography: masks; implantation and diffusion. CMOS processes: poly-gate: self-aligned structure; LOCOS; epitaxy. Matching: intrinsic transistor with small parallel transistor; dimensions; orientation; size (Pelgrom's Paper); common centroid structures. Bipolar processes: Epi and buried layer; cross-sections and top-views.

Two-Stage Amplifiers
Klaas Bult, Broadcom

Two-Stage Design: need for compensation. Miller compensation: effect on the first pole; pole splitting; the second pole. Analyzing the transfer-function: simplified expression; cload and stability; zero and nulling resistor. When would you use a Miller op-amp?

Matching of MOS Transistors in Deep-Submicron
Marcel Pelgrom, NXP Semiconductors

Orders of magnitude. Offset: electrical, technological and timing aspects. Random matching: general description, application to MOS. Deep submicron CMOS matching considerations. Modeling and simulation of MOS transistor mismatch. Design examples. Packaging effects.