Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

Experiment Date: 4th October 2011

Name: P.JAGADEESH (11MVD0015)

COMMON SOURCE AMPLIFIER

PURPOSE:
1. To design and analyze the Common Source amplifier with resistive load by
plotting DC, AC and transient analysis.
2. Calculate Voltage gain Av (in dB) and 3 dB frequency.
3. To design the Common Source amplifier with current source load with a voltage
gain of 50.

THEORY:
COMMON SOURCE AMPLIFIER WITH RESISTIVE LOAD
The principle of operation of a common source amplifier is based on the simple fact that
by virtue of its transconductance, a MOSFET converts a variation in its gate to source
voltage into a small-signal drain current which can be made to pass through a resistor to
generate an output voltage.

Fig 1: Common Source amplifier with Resistive Load

DC Bias Point of the Common-Source Amplifier

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

For biasing, ignore the small-signal source Vs and its small-signal resistance and
calculate the biasing voltage.

Voltage Gain:
Av = (dVout/dVin) = -gmRD
Where gm = n W/L Cox (Vin - Vt ).

COMMON SOURCE STAGE WITH CURRENT SOURCE LOAD

The gain of the amplifier increasing the load impedance of the Common Source stage
allows obtaining a large voltage gain in a single stage. But using a resistor or a diode
connected load to increase the load resistance also limits the voltage swing of the circuit.
Thus the most practical choice is to replace the load of CS stage by a current source. In
this circuit both the transistors operate in saturation.
The circuit is shown here:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

Fig 2:Common Source stage with current source load

Since the total impedance that appears in this circuit at the output node is given by
Req =(ro1 || ro2)
The gain for the amplifier now becomes
Av = - gm (ro1 || ro2
The advantage of the current source over the resistor lies in the fact that the output
impedence of M2 and the minimum voltage drop across it are less strongly coupled that
the corresponding values of a resistor. The current source provides the additional
flexibility to the design of being able to vary the overdrive voltage of M2 and hence the
voltage swings at the output of the amplifier by simply varying the width of the
transistor. If ro2 is not sufficiently large the length and width of the device can be varied
to obtain a smaller while maintaining the same overdrive voltage, though the
flexibility comes at the price of the large capacitance introduced by M2 at the output
node.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

1. Common Source amplifier with Resistive Load

METHODS:
1. Draw the schematic of the Common source amplifier with resistive load.
2. Plot the DC analysis under biasing condition and note down the voltage at max.
gm and this voltage is called biasing voltage.
3. Plot the transient analysis for output voltage and input voltage and calculate the
voltage gain Av.
4. Plot the AC analysis and calculate the Gain in db.

DATA ANALYSIS
DC Analysis:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

Max. trans-conductance gm = 5.876 x 10-4 mho.

Voltage @ max. gm, Vbias = 755.1mV
Load Resistance RD = 10K ohm.
Voltage gain AV = -gmRD = 5.876

Transient Analysis:

Peak-peak Output Voltage = 936.7 383.8 = 552.9 V

Peak-peak Input Voltage

= 804.7 705.3 = 99.4 V

Voltage gain AV = 552.9/99.4 = 5.56

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

AC Analysis:

Voltage Gain in dB = 20log (Vout/Vin) = 15.25 dB

3-dB frequency = 7.373 GHz.
2. Common Source amplifier with Diode Connected Load

METHODS:
1. Draw the schematic of the Common source amplifier with Diode Connected
Load.

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

2. Plot the DC analysis under biasing condition and note down the voltage at max.
gm and this voltage is called biasing voltage.
3. Plot the transient analysis for output voltage and input voltage and calculate the
voltage gain Av.

DATA ANALYSIS
DC Analysis:

Max. trans-conductance gm = 4.334 x 10-4 mho.

Voltage @ max. gm, Vbias = 684mV

Transient Analysis:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

Peak-peak Output Voltage = 834.5 120.3 = 714.2 mV

Peak-peak Input Voltage

= 783.4 586.4 = 197 mV

Voltage gain AV = 714.2/197 = 3.625

3. Common Source amplifier with Current Source Load:

METHODS:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

1. Draw the schematic of the Common source amplifier with Current source Load.
2. Plot the DC analysis under biasing condition and note down the voltage at max.
gm and this voltage is called biasing voltage.
3. Plot the transient analysis for output voltage and input voltage and calculate the
voltage gain Av.

DATA ANALYSIS
DC Analysis:

Max. trans-conductance gm = 2.377 x 10-4 mho.

Voltage @ max. gm, Vbias = 576mV

Transient Analysis:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

At

Vbias = 576m V;
Vb = -1.8 V;
Wn = 50u m;
Wp = 400n m;

Peak-peak Output Voltage = 1.402 86.1 = 1.316 V

Peak-peak Input Voltage

= 530 431.3 =0 .0987 V

Voltage gain AV = 1.316/0.0987 = 13.333

RESULTS
1. For Common source Amplifier with resistive load:

Custom IC Design Lab (Fall 2011-12)

Max. trans-conductance gm

5.876 x 10-4 mho.

Voltage @ max. gm, Vbias

755.1mV

Voltage gain AV = -gmRD

5.876

Voltage Gain in dB = 20log (Vout/Vin)

15.25 dB

3-dB frequency

7.373 GHz

2. For Common source Amplifier with Diode Connected load:

Voltage gain AV

3.625

3. Common Source amplifier with Current Source Load:

Voltage gain AV

13.333

CONCLUSION
Designed and made a detailed analysis of Common Source Amplifier. Advantage
of Current Source load CS amplifier is observed when compared to resistive load
CS amplifier and Diode connected CS Amplifier.

REFERENCES
Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits by Behzad Razavi