DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER

1. Need for Differential Amplifier

2. Concept of Half Circuit
3. Common Mode Gain
4. Differential Mode Gain
5. CMRR
6. Mismatch effects
 ECG: Electrocardiogram
• Display electrical activity of heart muscle
• Shape of waveform related to health of heart
 ECG: Electrocardiogram

• Shape of waveform related to health of heart

• Amplitude: mV range
• Problem: Can’t contact VH directly
• Access only to voltage waveform on surface of body
 Voltage waveform
on surface

• 60Hz inteference: body acts as 60 Hz antenna!

• How to recover signal?
 Frequency
domain

Signal of interest: information 1 Hz - 100 Hz

Can't filter
Alternative approach

• VS1 = 60Hz
+ Desired Signal

• Second electrode
far from heart

• VS2 = 60Hz
 Subtract Waveforms

VS1 = 60Hz + Desired Signal VS2 = 60Hz

VS1 - VS2= Desired Signal (60Hz subtracted out)
 Differential Amplifier Function

• Desired signal is small (mV range)

• Required function: Vout = AV(diff)[VS1 - VS2]
• AV(diff): "Differential Gain"
• Difference amplified
• Common mode rejected (subtracted out)
 Op-Amp

• Differential input
• Single-ended
(ground referenced) output
• Function: Vout = A0[V+ - V-]
• A0: "Open Loop Gain"
Why are Differential Amplifiers popular?

➢ They are much less sensitive to noise (CMRR>>1).

➢ Biasing: Relatively easy direct coupling of stages:
o Biasing resistor (R SS ) does not affect the differential gain
(and does not need a by-pass capacitor).
o No need for precise biasing of the gate inICs
o DCamplifiers (no coupling/bypass capacitors).
➢ …
 Why is a large CMRRuseful?
➢ A major goal in circuit design is to minimize the noise level (or improve
signal-to-noise ratio). Noise comes from many sources (thermal, EM,…)
➢ A regular amplifier “amplifies” both signal andnoise.
v1 = vsig +vnoise

vo = Av1 = Avsig + A vnoise

➢ However, if the signal is applied between two inputs and we use a

difference amplifier with a large CMRR, the signal is amplified a lot more
than the noise which improves the signal tonoise ratio.*

v1 = −0.5vsig + vnoise & v2 = +0.5vsig +vnoise

vd = v2 − v1 =vsig & vc = vnoise

Ad
vo = Ad  vd + Ac  vc = Ad  vsig + v
CMRR noise

* Assuming that noise levels are similar to both inputs.

 Differential Amplifier
➢ Identical transistors.
➢ Circuit elements are symmetric about the mid-plane.
➢ Identical bias voltages at Q1 & Q2 gates (V G1 = V G2 ).
➢ Signal voltages & currents are different because v 1  v2.

Load RD: resistor, current-

mirror, active load, …
Q1 & Q2 are in CS-like
configuration (input at
the gate, output at the
drain) but with sources
connected to eachother.
RSS: Bias resistor, current
source (current-mirror)

o For now, we keep track of “two” output, v o1 and v o2 , because there

are several ways to configure “one” outputfrom this circuit.
 Differential Amplifier – Bias

Since VG1 = VG 2 =VG

ID
and V S1 = VS 2 = V S
ID

VGS1 = VGS 2 = VGS

VOV 1 = VOV 2 = VOV
I D1 = I D 2 = I D
ID ID
V DS1 = VDS 2 = VDS
2I D
Also: g m1 = g m 2 = g m
ro1 = ro 2 = ro
This is correct even if channel-width
modulation is included because
ID1RD +VDS1 = I D 2RD +VDS 2
Differential Amplifier – Gain
➢ Signal voltages & currents are
different because v 1  v 2
➢ We cannot use fundamental
amplifier configuration for
arbitrary values of v 1 andv2.
➢ We have to replace each NMOS
with its small-signal model.
 Differential Amplifier – Gain
vgs1 = v1 − v3
vgs2 = v2 − v3

Node Voltage Method:

Node vo1: vo1 + vo1 −v3 + g (v − v ) = 0

m 1 3
RD ro
Node vo2: vo2 +v
o2 − v3
+ gm (v2 − v3 ) = 0
RD ro
v3 v3 − vo2 v3 − vo1
Node v 3 : + + − gm (v1 − v3 ) − gm (v2 − v3 ) = 0
RSS ro ro
Above three equations should be solved to find v o1 , v o2 and v 3 (lengthy calculations)

➢ Because the circuit is symmetric, differential/common-mode

method is the preferred method to solve this circuit (and we
can use fundamental configurationformulas).
 Concept of “HalfCircuit”
➢ For a symmetric circuit, differential- and common-mode
analysis can be performed using“half-circuits.”

Common Mode Differential Mode

 Differential Amplifier – Differential Mode
Differential Mode: Set v c = 0 (or set v 1 = − v d /2 a nd v 2 = + v d /2 )

vgs1 = −0.5vd − v3
vgs 2 = +0.5vd −v3

Node VoltageMethod:
Node vo1 : vo1 + vo1 −v3 + g (−0.5v − v ) = 0
m d 3
RD ro
Node vo2 : vo2 + vo2 − v3 + g m (+0.5vd − v3 ) = 0
RD ro
v3 v3 − vo2 v3 − vo1
Node v 3 : + + − gm (−0.5vd − v3 ) − gm (+0.5vd − v3 ) = 0
RSS ro ro

 1 1  2 
Node v o1 + Node v o2 : + (vo1 +vo2 )−  + 2gm v3 =0 Only possible solution:
 RD ro   ro  vo1 + vo 2 = 0  vo1 = −vo2
 1 + 2 − 2g v =0
− (vo1 +vo2 )+ 
1 v3 = 0
Node v 3 : m 3
ro  RSS ro 
 Common-Mode “HalfCircuit”
Common Mode circuit

id id

vo1 = vo 2

0
vs1 = vs 2
id id

Common Mode Half-circuit

1. Currents about symmetry line are equal.
2. Voltages about the symmetry line are equal (e.g., v o1 =vo2)
3. No current crosses the symmetry line.
 Differential Amplifier – Common Mode (1)
Common Mode: Set v d = 0 (or set v 1 = + v c and v 2 = + v c )

id
Because of symmetry of
the circuit and input signals*:
vo1 = vo2 and id1 = id 2 = id

id id
We can solve for v o1 by node voltage method 2i d
but there is a simpler and more elegant way.

* If you do not see this, set v 1 = v 2 = v c in node equations of the previous slide, subtract the
first two equations to get v o1 = v o2 . Ohm’s law on RDthen gives i d1 = i d2 = i d
Differential Amplifier – Common Mode (2)
id id

id id
id
2i d
v3 = 2id RSS *

➢ Because of the symmetry, the common-mode circuit breaks intotwo

identical “half-circuits”.
* V ss is grounded for signal
Differential Amplifier – Common Mode (3)
➢ The common-mode circuit breaks into two identicalhalf-circuits.

CSAmplifiers with Rs

vo1 vo 2 gm R D
= =−
vc vc 1+ 2g m R SS +R D / ro
 Differential-Mode “Half Circuit”
Differential Mode circuit

id id

vo1 = −vo 2

vs1 = vs 2 = 0
id id

Differential Mode Half-circuit

1. Currents about the symmetry line are equal in value and opposite insign.
2. Voltages about the symmetry line are equal in value and opposite insign.
3. Voltage at the symmetry line iszero
Differential Amplifier
v3 = 0 and vo1 = −v o 2  i d1 = −i d 2

id id id id

v3 = 0 v3 = 0
id id
0
CSAmplifier
vo1 vo2
= −g m (ro ||RD ) , = −g m (ro ||RD )
− 0.5v d + 0.5v d

➢ Because of the symmetry, the differential-mode circuit also breaks intotwo

identical half-circuits.
 Comparing a differentialamplifier
two identical CS amplifiers (perfectly matched)

Differential Amplifier Two CSAmplifiers

Comparison of a differential amplifier withtwo
identical CS amplifiers – Differential Mode
Differential amplifier Two CSamplifiers

Identical

Half-Circuits

vo1,d = −g m (ro ||R D ) (−0.5vd )

vo2,d = −g m (ro ||R D ) (+0.5vd )
vod = vo 2,d − vo1,d = −g m (ro ||R D )vd
Ad = vod / vd = −g m (ro ||R D )

➢ vo1,d , vo2,d , vod, and differential gain, Ad, areidentical.

Comparison of a differential amplifier withtwo
identical CS amplifiers – Common Mode
Differential amplifier Two CSamplifiers

NOT Identical

Half-Circuits

vo1,c = vo 2,c =−
gm R D
vc vo1,c = vo2,c = −g m (ro ||RD )vc
1+ 2gm RSS +RD / ro
voc = vo 2,c − vo1,c = 0
voc = vo 2,c − vo1,c = 0
Ac = voc / vc = 0
Ac = voc / vc = 0

➢ vo1,c & vo2,c are different! But voc = 0 and CMMR =.
 Comparison of a differential amplifier withtwo
identical CS amplifiers – Summary
Differential Amplifier Two CSAmplifiers

vod v vod v
Ad = = −g m (ro ||R D ) , Ac = oc = 0 Ad = = −g m (ro ||RD ) , Ac = oc = 0
vd vc vd vc
CMRR =  CMRR = 

➢ For perfectly matched circuits, there is no difference between

a differential amplifier and two identical CSamplifiers.
o But one can never make perfectly matched circuits!
Consider a “slight” mis-match in the loadresistors

➢ We will ignore ro in the this analysis (to make equations simpler)

“Slightly” mis-matched loads – Differential Mode
Differential amplifier Two CSamplifiers

Identical

Half-Circuits

vo1,d = −g m (R D ) (−0.5vd )
vo2,d = −g m (R D +R D ) (+0.5vd )
vod = vo 2,d − vo1,d = −g m (R D +0.5RD )vd
Ad = vod / vd = −g m (R D +0.5RD )

➢ vo1, vo2, vod, and differential gain, Ad, are identical.

 “Slightly” mis-matched loads – Common Mode
Differential amplifier Two CSamplifiers

NOT Identical

Half-Circuits

gm R D g (R +RD ) vo1,c = −g m R D v c
vo1,c = − vc , vo2,c = − m D vc
1+ 2g m R SS 1+ 2g m R SS vo2,c = −g m (R D +RD )vc
g m R D voc = vo 2,c − vo1,c = + g m R Dvc
voc = vo 2,c − vo1,c = − vc
1+ 2g m R SS voc
v g m R D Ac = = + gmR D
Ac = oc = − vc
vc 1+ 2g m R SS

➢ vo1 and vo2 are different. In addition, voc  0 and CMMR  .

 A differential amplifier increases CMRR
substantially for a slight mis-match (RD 0)
Two CSAmplifiers Differential Amplifier
Ad = −g m (R D +0.5RD ) Ad = −g m (R D +0.5RD )

g m R D
Ac = + g mR D
Ac = −
1+ 2g m R SS

1 1+ 2g m R SS
CMRR  CMRR 
R D / R D R D /R D

➢ Differential amplifier reduces A c and increases CMRRsubstantially

(by a factor of: 1 + 2 g m R S S ).
➢ The common-mode half-circuits for a differential amplifier are
CSamplifiers with RS(thus common mode gain is much smaller
than two CSamplifiers).
➢ We should use a large RSSin a differential amplifier!

* Exercise: Compare a differential amplifier and

two CSamplifiers with a mis-match ing m