Cascode Amplifier Design.

Objective.
To design and simulate a cascode amplifier circuit using bipolar transistors.

Assignment description
The cascode amplifier utilises the advantage of the common-emitter and common-base
circuits. This type of amplifier has been used in high-frequency applications.

1.
Design a cascode amplifier stage using bipolar transistors to drive a load resistor of
100. The amplifier output is to be time varying signal of 600mV. The overall
performance of the amplifier is specified as:
Operating current for cascode stage collectors = 1,2mA
Overall gain = -30
DC power supply +15V
Showing clearly any design considerations, design and simulate the amplifier circuit.

2.
An extension to the design is that the amplifier should be a Tuned Amplifier with a centre
frequency of 470KHz and a Bandwidth of 20KHz. Modify the original circuit to meet
this requirement and simulate the modified circuit.
Cascode amplifier.
Task 1.
Ucc

V1
RC
R1
Out
UB Q1
Q1

C1 R2 UCE Q1 Q2

Cin UB Q2
Q2
UE Q2
+

In
R3
RE2 CE

Calculation of the DC values.

URE is chosen to be 2V
U 2
RE = RE = 1,66K 1,5K E12
IC 1,2m
U RE = RE * IC 1,5K * 1,2m = 1,8V

The transistors is chosen to be BC547A the hFE is 463 this value is from Tina.
U Basic of Q2 = U E + U BE = 1,8 + 0,7 = 2,5V
I RE 1,2m
I B Q2 = = 2.59A
h FE 463
I B Q2 = rufly 10% of I R3
I B Q2 * 100 2.59 * 100
I R3 = = 25,9A
10 10
U 2,5
R3 = R3 = = 96,5K 100K E12
I R3 25,9
U R3 2,5
I R3 = = = 25A
R3 100K
UC Q1 chosen to 10V
Ucc U C Q1 15 10
RC = = = 4,2K 4,7K E12
IC 1,2m
U C Q1 = Ucc (I C * RC ) 15 (1,2m * 4,7K ) = 9,36V
I R2 = I R3 + I B Q2 25 + 2,59 = 27,59A
U CE = Ucc (U RC + U RE ) 15 ((15 9,36) + 1,8) = 7,56V
U CE 7,56
U CE Q1 and Q2 = = 3,78V
2 2
U B Q1 = (U C Q1 U CE Q1 ) + U BE Q1 (9,36 3,78) + 0,7 = 6,28V

R2 =
(U B Q1 U B Q2 ) (6,28 2,5)
= 137K 139K E12
I R2 27,59
U B Q1 = U B Q2 + (I R2 * R2 ) 2,5 + (27,59 * 139K ) = 6,33V
I B Q1 = rufly 10% of I R2
I R2 *10 27,59 *10
I B Q1 = = 2,759A
100 100
I R1 = I R2 + I B Q1 27,59 + 2,759 = 30,35A

R1 =
(Ucc U ) (15 6,33) = 285K 270K
B Q1
E12
I R1 30,35

Simulation of the DC values in Tina shows that the DC values all most is correct.

Ucc 15V

V1 15V
RC 4.7k
R1 270k
Out 10.89V
UB Q1 5.74V
Q1 BC547A

C1 1uF R2 139k UCE Q1 Q2 5.1V

Cin 1uF UB Q2 1.97V

Q2 BC547A
UE Q2 1.33V
+

In
R3 100k
RE2 1.5k CE 1uF
Calculation of the AC values.
The gain is 30 and the Uout is 600mV from that the Uin can be calculated
Uout
AU =
Uin
AU = 30gg
Uout = 600mV
Uout 600m
Uin = = 20mV
AU 30
To get a bigger gain in the AC mode the RE1 is added.

V1 15
RC 4.7k
R1 270k
Out

T1 BC547A

C1 1u R2 139k
C2 1u
T2 BC547A
+

In
R3 100k RE1 130

RE2 1.3k C4 10u

RE1.
1 1
re = 20,83
40 * I E 40 * 1,2m
RC RC RC
AU = = re + RE1 re = RE1
re + RE1 AU AU
RC 4,7 K
RE1 = re 20,83 = 135,8 130 E 24
AU 30
RE = RE1 + RE 2 RE 2 = RE RE1
RE 2 = RE RE1 1,5 K 130 = 1,37 K 1,3K E 24
The AC gain for the cascode amplifier.
The input and the output show a gain with RE1 at 130E24 and RE2 at 1.3KE24:
Uout 580,23mVpeak
AU = = 29,01gg
Uin 20mVpeak
T 20.00m

In

-20.00m
580.23m

Out

-580.23m
0.00 500.00u 1.00m
Time (s)

The input and the output shows a gain of with RE1 at 135,8 and at
RE2 = 1,5K 135,8 = 1,36K :
Uout 557,19mVpeak
AU = = 27,86gg
Uin 20mVpeak
T 20.00m

In

-20.00m
557.19m

Out

-557.19m
0.00 500.00u 1.00m
Time (s)

To get the exactly output of the cascade amplifier the optimiser tool in Tina can be used
to get the exactly value of RE1 and RE2, RE1 is 123,83 and RE2 is 1,38K
T 20.00m

In

-20.00m
599.99m

Out

-599.99m
0.00 500.00u 1.00m
Time (s)

Uout 599,99mVpeak
AU = = 29,99gg
Uin 20mVpeak
When the load resistor is added on the output, a buffer is needed (Q3) because a load
resistor of 100 will destroy the gain in the cascode amplifier.
R4 is chosen to be 39KE12 but when the buffer is added the value of RC is changed, RC
and the resister value of Q3 is in parallel, and the buffer circuit Q3 is attenuating the final
signal of the cascade amplifier and there for the total value of RC is getting smaller and
therefore the value of RE1 has to be change.
But there is no good way to calculate the value of RE1 with the buffer transistor added to
the circuit, so the optimizing tool in Tina is used to get the value of RE1.

V1 15V
RC 4.7k Out 1
R1 270k
Q3 BC547A
C3 1uF Out 2
Q1 BC547A

C1 1uF RL 100
R2 139k R4 39k
Cin 1uF
Q2 BC547A
+

In
R3 100k
RE1 33.92

RE2 1.46k CE 10uF

T 20.00m

In

-20.00m
1.21

Out 1

-1.21
600.03m

Out 2

-600.03m
0.00 500.00u 1.00m
Time (s)

If the circuit is to be build the resistor values is showed below.

RE1 = 33,92 33 E12
RE2 = 1,46K 1,47K E48
Task 2.
Now the RC resistor is to be changes with a LC circuit so the cascode amplifier be come
a Tuned Amplifier with a centre frequency at 470KHz and a bandwidth on 20KHz.
LC circuit.

L
Rp C

Rs

The resistor Rs in series with the coil is there because the coil is are short in DC and the
capacitor is an infinity resistor. The value of Rs shall be somewhere below 500.
Rp is the total resistor of the LC circuit and is not a visible resistor but is used in the
calculations of the LC circuit.
f C = 470KHz BW = 20KHz
L f
Q= = C
Rs BW
L
Rp = Q 2 * Rs Rs =
Q
L is chosen to be 1mH
f 470 K
Q= C = 23,5
BW 20 K
L 2 * * fC * L 2 * * 470 K *1m
Rs = = 125,66 120 E12
Q Q 23,5
Rp = Q 2 * Rs 23,52 * 125,66 = 69,39 K
Q 23,5
C= = 114,67 pF
2 * * f C * Rp 2 * * 470 K * 69,39 K
Rp = Q 2 * Rs 23,52 * 120 = 66,27 K
Q 23,5
C= = 120 pFE12
2 * * f C * Rp 2 * * 470 K * 66,27 K
Test of the LC circuit with the calculated values.
R2 1M out

VG1

+
L 1mH
C 114.67pF

Rs 125.66

T -20.00
470KHz / -23,90dB

460KHz / -26.9dB
480KHz / -26,9dB
Gain (dB)

-49.01

-78.02
10.00 10.00k 10.00M
Frequency (Hz)

Test of the LC circuit with the values from the E-series.

R=120
C=120pF
T -20.00
459KHz / -23,79dB

449,3KHz / -26,79dB 469,7KHz / -26,73dB

Gain (dB)

-49.21

-78.42
10.00 10.00k 10.00M
Frequency (Hz)

The fC is 11KHz from its place with the values from the E-series.
The final circuit with the LC circuit as a replacement for the RC resistor.

V1 15V
L1 1mH
R1 270k C5 114.67pF

R7 125.66
out 1
T3 BC547A
C3 1uF Out
T1 BC547A

C1 1uF R5 100
R2 139k R4 39k
C2 1uF
T2 BC547A
+

In
R3 100k R6 33.92

RE 1.46k C4 10uF

T 43.03
fc 445KHz / 43dB

f1 408KHz / 40dB f2 486KHz / 40dB

Out

-96.46
47.78
fc 445KHz / 47,77dB

f1 408KHz / 44,79dB f2 485.8KHz / 44,74dB

out 1

-32.41
1.00 3.16k 10.00M
Frequency (Hz)

Out.
BW = f 2 f 1 486 K 408 K = 78KHz
f 445K
Q= C = 5,7
Bw 78 K
To get the correctly fC at 470KHz the optimizing tool in Tina bee used.

V1 15V
L1 1mH
R1 270k C5 99.8pF

R7 125.66
out 1
T3 BC547A
C3 1uF Out
T1 BC547A

C1 1uF R5 100
R2 139k R4 39k
C2 1uF
T2 BC547A
+

In
R3 100k R6 33.92

RE 1.46k C4 10uF

C5=99,8pF

T 43.28
fc 470KHz / 43,24dB

f1 432KHz / 40,23dB f2 518KHz / 40,26dB

Out

-96.46
48.03
fc 470KHz / 48dB

f1 441,3KHz / 46dB f2 507KHz / 46dB

out 1

-32.41
1.00 3.16k 10.00M
Frequency (Hz)

Out.
BW = f 2 f 1 518K 432 K = 86 KHz
f 470 K
Q= C = 5,47
BW 86 K