c Copyright 2010. W. Marshall Leach, Jr.

, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of

Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The Common-Gate Amplifier

Basic Circuit
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a single stage common-gate amplifier. The object is to solve
for the small-signal voltage gain, input resistance, and output resistance.

Figure 1: Common-gate amplifier.

DC Solution
(a) Replace the capacitors with open circuits. Look out of the 3 MOSFET terminals and make
Thvenin equivalent circuits as shown in Fig. 2.

V + R2 + V R1
VGG = RGG = R1 kR2
R1 + R2

VSS = V RSS = RS VDD = V + RDD = RD

(b) Write the loop equation between the VGG and the VSS nodes.

VGG VSS = VGS + IS RSS = VGS + ID RSS

(c) Use the equation for the drain current to solve for VGS .
r
ID
VGS = + VT O
K

1
 Figure 2: Bias circuit.

(d) Solve the equations simultaneously.

r
ID
ID RSS + + [(VGG VSS ) VT O ] = 0
K
(e) Let V1 = (VGG VSS ) VT O . Solve the quadratic for ID .
2
1 + 4KV1 RSS 1
ID =
2RSS K
p
(d) Verify that VDS > VGS VT O = ID /K for the active mode.

VDS = VD VS = (VDD ID RDD ) V + ID RSS = VDD VSS ID RDD

Small-Signal or AC Solutions
(a) Redraw the circuit with V + = V = 0 and all capacitors replaced with short circuits as shown
in Fig. 3.
(b) Calculate gm , rs , and r0 from the DC solution..
p 1 1 + VDS
gm = 2 KID rs = r0 =
gm ID
(c) Replace the circuit looking out of the source with a Thvenin equivalent circuit as shown in
Fig. 4.
RS
vts = vi Rts = Rs kRS
Rs + RS

Exact Solution
(a) Replace the circuit seen looking into the drain with its Norton equivalent circuit as shown in
Fig. 5. Solve for id(sc) .
RS
id(sc) = Gms vts = Gms vi
Rs + RS

2
 Figure 3: Signal circuit.

Figure 4: Signal circuit with Thvenin source circuit.

Figure 5: Norton collector circuit.

3
 1
Gms =
Rts + rs kr0
(b) Solve for vo .
RS
vo = id(sc) rid kRD kRL = Gms vi rid kRD kRL
Rs + RS

r0 + rs kRts Rts
rid = = r0 1 + + Rts
1 Rts / (rs + Rte ) rs
(b) Solve for the voltage gain.
vo RS
Av = = Gms rid kRD kRL
vi Rs + RS
(c) Solve for rin .
r0 + RD kRL
rin = R1 kR2 kris ris = re0
re0 + r0
(d) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD

Example 1 For the CS amplifier of Fig. ??, it is given that Ri = 50 , R1 = 5 M, R2 = 1 M,

RD = 10 k, RS = 3 k, R3 = 50 , RL = 20 k, V + = 24 V, V = 24 V, K0 = 0.001 A/ V2 ,
VT O = 1.75 V, = 0.016 V1 . Solve for the gain Av = vo /vi , the input resistance rin , and the output
resistance rout . The capacitors can be assumed to be ac short circuits at the operating frequency.

Solution. For the dc bias solution, replace all capacitors with open circuits. The Thvenin
voltage and resistance seen looking out of the gate are
V + R2 + V R1
VGG = = 16 V RBB = R1 kR2 = 833.3 k
R1 + R2
The Thvenin voltage and resistance seen looking out of the source are VSS = V and RSS = RS .
To calculate ID , we neglect the Early eect by setting K = K0 . The bias equation for ID is
2
1 + 4KV1 RSS 1
ID = = 1.655 mA
2 KRSS
To test for the active mode, we calculate the drain-source voltage

VDS = VD VS = V + ID RD V + ID RSS = 26.491 V
p
This must be greater than VGS VT O = ID /K = 1.286 V. It follows that the MOSFET is biased
in its active mode.
For the small-signal ac analysis, we need gm , rs , and r0 . When the Early eect is accounted
for, the new value of K is given by

K = K0 (1 + VDS ) = 1.424 103 A/ V2

Note that this is an approximation because the Early eect was neglected in calculating VDS .
However, the approximation should be close to the true value. It follows that gm , rs , and r0 are
given by
p 1
gm = 2 KID = 3.07 103 A/ V rs = = 325.758
gm

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 1 + VDS
r0 = = 53.78 k
ID
For the small-signal analysis, V + and V are zeroed and the three capacitors are replaced with
ac short circuits. The Thvenin voltage and resistance seen looking out of the gate are given by
RS
vtg = vi = 0.984vi Rts = Ri kRS = 49.18
Ri + RS
The Thvenin resistances seen looking out of the gate and the drain are

Rtg = 0 Rtd = RD kRL = 6.667 k

Next, we calculate Gms and rid

1 1
Gms = = S
Rts + rs kr0 372.978

Rts
rid = r0 1 + + Rts = 61.95 k
rs
The output voltage is given by

vo = Gms (rid kRtd ) vtg = Gmg (rid kRtd ) 0.984vi = 15.873vi

Thus the voltage gain is

vo
Av =
= 15.873
vi
The input and output resistances are given by
r0 + Rtd
ris = rs = 363.932 rin = ris kR2 = 324.56
r0 + rs
rout = rid kRD = 8.61 k

Approximate Solutions
These solutions assume that r0 = except in calculating rid . In this case, id(sc) = i0d = i0s .

Source Equivalent Circuit Solution

(a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuit looking out of the source, replace the MOSFET
with the source equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 6.
(b) Solve for i0d .
1
0 vts = i0s (rs + Rts ) = i0d (rs + Rts ) = i0d = vts
rs + Rts
(c) Solve for vo .
1 RS 1
vo = i0d rid kRD kRL = vts rid kRD kRL = vi rid kRD kRL
rs + Rts Rs + RS rs + Rts
(d) Solve for the voltage gain.
vo RS 1
Av = = rid kRD kRL
vi Rs + RS rs + Rts

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 Figure 6: Source eqruivalent circuit.

(e) Solve for ris and rin .

vs
0 vs = i0s rs = i0s =
rs
vs
ris = = rs
i0s
rin = rs kRS
(f) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD

Example 2 Use the simplified T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for
Example 1.
Av = 0.984 2.667 103 5.931 103 = 15.56
rin = 325.65 rid = 61.95 k rout = 8.61 k

Model Solution
(a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuit looking out of the source, replace the MOSFET
with the model as shown in Fig. 7.
(b) Solve for i0d .

i0d vts
0 vts = v + i0s Rts = + i0d Rts = i0d =
gm 1
+ Rts
gm

(c) Solve for vo .

vts RS rid kRD kRL

vo = i0d rid kRD kRL = rid kRD kRL = vi
1 Rs + RS 1
+ Rts + Rts
gm gm

6
 Figure 7: Hybrid model circuit.

(d) Solve for the voltage gain.

vo RS rid kRD kRL

Av = =
vi Rs + RS 1
+ Rts
gm

(e) Solve for rout .

rout = rid kRD
(f) Solve for ris and rin .

i0d
0 vs = v = = i0d = gm vs
gm
vs 1
ris = 0
=
is gm
rin = ris kRS

Example 3 Use the -model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example 1.

Av = 0.984 2.667 103 5.931 103 = 15.56

rin = 325.65 rid = 61.95 k rout = 8.61 k

T Model Solution
(a) After making the Thvenin equivalent circuit looking out of the source, replace the MOSFET
with the T model as shown in Fig.8.
(b) Solve for i0d .
vts
0 vts = i0s (rs + Rts ) = i0d (rs + Rts ) = i0d =
rs + Rts

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 Figure 8: T model circuit.

(c) Solve for vo .

vts RS rid kRD kRL

vo = i0d rid kRD kRL = rid kRD kRL = vi
rs + Rts Rs + RS rs + Rts
(d) Solve for the voltage gain.

vo RS rid kRD kRL

Av = =
vi Rs + RS rs + Rts
(e) Solve for ris and rin .
vs
0 vs = i0s rs = i0s =
rs
vs
ris = = rs
i0s
rin = RS kris
(f) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD

Example 4 Use the T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example 1.

Av = 0.984 2.667 103 5.931 103 = 15.56

rin = 325.65 rid = 61.95 k rout = 8.61 k