10/29/22

Analog Circuits (1)

ECE 312s

Lecture 5
Single-Stage Amplifiers – 2

Mohamed Dessouky
Integrated Circuits Laboratory
Ain Shams University
Cairo, Egypt
[email protected]

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Outline

• Introduction

• Common-Source Stage

• Common-Drain Stage

• Common-Gate Stage
This Lecture
• Cascode Stage

• Conclusions

• Analysis by Inspection

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Outline

• Introduction

• Common-Source Stage

• Common-Drain (Source-Follower) Stage

• Common-Gate Stage

• Cascode Stage

• Conclusions

• Analysis by Inspection

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Common Drain (CD) Stage – Biasing

• The drain is connected to VDD
• The gate can also be connected to
VDD so that VGS =VDS.
• Guarantees that the transistor
remain in saturation.
CD stage
• We have

• Bias current is a function of Supply

voltage.

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Common Drain (CD) Stage – Biasing

CD stage bias with current source

• In IC design a current source is used for biasing the main transistor.

• The current sets the bias point and hence VGS

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CD as a dc Level-Shifter

VGS
ID
CD stage

• From a dc point of view: Transfer Characteristics

𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑉𝑖𝑛 − 𝑉𝐺𝑆

• If VGS is constant, then used as a shift-down voltage level shifter.

• We can set the amount of shifting by

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CD as a Shift-up Level-Shifter

VGS

• Using a PMOS CD stage in the saturation region.

𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 𝑉𝑖𝑛 + 𝑉𝐺𝑆

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CD Stage – Gain

𝑉𝑖𝑛 − 𝑉𝐺𝑆

CD stage

• Gain is lower than unity!!

• Approaches unity as
is increased.

Small-signal
model

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CD Stage – Gain as a Voltage Divider

• Move rO in parallel with RL
• Calculate Thevenin equivalent at
transistor source.
Thevenin equivalent

𝑣 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑣 = 𝑣𝑖𝑛
Small-signal
• For RThev model

RThev
RThev Calculation

• Same as diode-connected …

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CD Stage – Gain as a Voltage Divider

• Hence, the output voltage is the
voltage divider between (rO//RL)
and 1/gm

Thevenin equivalent

• The output follows the input, hence

the name Source Follower.
• Any CD stage can be replaced by
this Thevenin equivalent
• Valid as long as either
– RD = 0
– or rO → 

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CD – Input and Output Resistances

• Infinite input resistance
• Output resistance

Output resistance

which is usually a low value

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Source-Follower Stage as a Buffer

CS stage

• The source-follower stage has a

– unity gain, Source Follower
stage
– infinite input impedance and
– low output impedance.
• Used as a voltage buffer. For example, the CS stage has a high output
impedance that is not desirable in voltage amplifiers.
• If the CS stage is followed by a source-follower stage, an overall low
output impedance is achieved, while the overall gain is not affected.

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Outline

• Introduction

• Common-Source Stage

• Common-Drain (Source-Follower) Stage

• Common-Gate Stage

• Cascode Stage

• Conclusions

• Analysis by Inspection

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Common Gate (CG) Stage – Biasing

• Same as CS with input branch
placed at the source instead of the
gate.

CG stage bias

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CG Stage – Gain
• Same voltage gain as CS stage,
but positive.

VD
𝑉𝐷𝐷 − 𝑅𝐷 𝐼𝐷

• Same CS design trade-offs. VS

CG stage
• For high gain, a high RD is
necessary,
• M1 to remain in saturation:
VDD − IDRD > Vb − VTH

Small-signal
model

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CG – Input and Output Resistance

• The common gate input impedance
(neglecting channel length
modulation, i.e. rO)

which is usually a low value!! Input resistance

• Output Impedance

Output resistance

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Outline

• Introduction

• Common-Source Stage

• Common-Drain (Source-Follower) Stage

• Common-Gate Stage

• Cascode Stage

• Conclusions

• Analysis by Inspection

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Cascode Stage
• A common-source (M1) vout
followed by a common-gate
(M2).
VDS1+VDS2
vin
VGS
Cascode stage

Small-signal
model

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Cascode Stage – Norton Equivalent

Amplifier Norton Equivalent

• To simplify the small-signal model, will use
Norton equivalent.
• Calculate output resistance and short-
circuit current.

Short-circuit current

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Cascode Stage – Short-circuit Current

iout
R2=1/gm2
irO1

Small-signal
model

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Cascode Stage – Output Resistance

• Similar to CS stage with source degeneration

Rout

• The output resistance of M1 is amplified by the

maximum available gain of M2.
Cascode stage

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Cascode Stage – Equivalent Model

• So, the cascode stage can be
regarded as a CS stage with

Cascode stage small-signal model

• Hence, the gain is

Advantages:
• The highest gain.
• A high input resistance.
Disadvantages:
• The highest output resistance.
Cascode stage
• Reduced output swing.

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Single Stage Amplifiers – Comparison

• With a single transistor, three amplifier topologies are possible:
common-source and common-gate stages and source followers.

• The CS stage provides

– a moderate voltage gain,
– a high input impedance, and
– a moderate output impedance.
– Used mainly as a voltage amplifier.

• In CS, source degeneration improves the

linearity but lowers the voltage gain. CS stage

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Single Stage Amplifiers – Comparison

• The source follower provides
– a voltage gain less than unity,
– a high input impedance, and
– a low output impedance,
– serving as a good voltage buffer.
– it is also used as a level shifter, especially in ICs.
Source-follower
• The CG stage provides stage
– a moderate voltage gain,
– low input impedance, and
– a moderate output impedance.
– Used as a voltage amplifier, especially,
when it is required to match the amplifier
to a low impedance source (e.g. antennas)
CG stage

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Single Stage Amplifiers – Comparison

• The voltage gain expressions for CS and CG stages are similar but for a
sign.

• The Cascode stage has

– The highest gain.
– A high input resistance.
Disadvantages:
– The highest output resistance.
– Reduced output swing

Cascode stage

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Analysis by Inspection
• The procedure of progressively simplifying a circuit until it resembles a
known topology.
• This method avoids complex small-signal models and lengthy
calculations.

• The equations in this lecture are the basis of analog design. All
designers should know them by heart

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Example 1
Transistors
• M1: Amplifier
• M2: Diode-connected
• M3: Diode-connected
• M4: Current Source

Source CS w. degeneration
Follower

Valid since
rO1 =  𝑔𝑚1 1Τ𝑔𝑚3
≈ ≈−
𝑔𝑚1 + 𝑔𝑚2 1Τ𝑔𝑚1 + 1Τ𝑔𝑚2
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Example 2

CG with input source resistance

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Example 3
Transistors
• M1 - M2: Cascode
• M3 - M4: Cascode
current source used to
increase the output
resistance.

Cascode with Cascode current source

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Example 4

CD
Thevenin
equivalent

CD CG

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Example 5

≈ 𝑔𝑚1 𝑟𝑂1 𝑅𝑆

CS

𝐴𝑣 = −𝑔𝑚2 𝑔𝑚1 𝑟𝑂1 𝑅𝑆 ∥ 𝑟𝑂2

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