Advanced Current Mirrors and

Opamps
Hossein Shamsi

1
 Wide-Swing Current Mirrors

It is proven that if both of the following conditions are satisfied, then all
transistors will be biased in the saturation region.

Vout  n  1Veff

Vtn  nVeff
Typically n is chosen identical to 1. So the output swing will be:

Vout  2Veff
2
 Enhanced Output-Impedance Current Mirrors

Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 1  A

3
 Implementation of Enhanced Output-Impedance Current
Mirror

rds 3
Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 g m 3
2
Vout  Vtn  Veff 3  Veff 1

Advantage:
•High Output-Impedance
Disadvantages:
•Low Output-Swing
•Imprecise Current Mirror

4
 Implementation of Enhanced Output-Impedance Current
Mirror

rds 3
Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 g m 3
2
Vout  Vtn  Veff 3  Veff 1

Advantages:
•High Output-Impedance
•Precise Current Mirror
Disadvantage:
•Low Output-Swing

5
 Implementation of Enhanced Output-Impedance Current
Mirror

rds 3
Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 g m 3 Advantages:
2 •High Output-Impedance
Vout  2Veff 1 •High Output-Swing
Disadvantage:
•Imprecise Current Mirror

6
Wide-Swing Current Mirror with Enhanced Output-Impedance

rds 3
Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 g m 3 Vout  2Veff 1
2
Advantages:
•High Output-Impedance
•Precise Current Mirror
•High Output-Swing
Disadvantage:
•High Power Consumption
7
 Modified Wide-Swing Current Mirror with Enhanced Output-Impedance

rds 3
Rout  g m1 rds1 rds 2 g m 3 Vout  2Veff 1
2
Advantages:
•High Output-Impedance
•Precise Current Mirror
•High Output-Swing

8
 Current Mirror Symbol

9
 Folded-Cascode Opamp

•This opamp is useful when we want to drive capacitive loads.

•One of the most important parameters of this modern opamp is its
transconductance value.
•Therefore, some designers refer to this modern opamp as Operational
Transconductance Amplifier (OTA).
10
 Remember the wide-swing current mirror

11
 Opamp Gain

vi 
i  g m2 
2   isc  g m 2 vi
isc  2i 
rout  g m8 rds 8 rds10 g m 6 rds 6 rds 3 rds1 
vo  rout isc  AV  g m1 rout
12
 Competition between Two Current Sources

Assume that:

W  W 
   
L 1  L  2
W  W 
   
L 3  L 4

If Ibias1>Ibias2  Q1:Triode Q3:Active I=Ibias2

If Ibias2>Ibias1  Q1:Active Q3:Triode I=Ibias1

13
 Slew Rate

I D4
Assuming Ibias2>ID4 and Vin+>>Vin- SR 


CL
I D4
Assuming Ibias2>ID4 and Vin->>Vin- SR 


CL

14
 Lemma

1
R
g m9

Wide-swing current mirror

15
 Frequency Response

1 
 p1   g m1
rout CL   ta 
A0  g m1rout  CL

1
 p2 
1 1 1
C p1  Cp2  C p3
g m5 g m9 g m8
16
 Another Schematic for Folded-Cascode Opamp

Output swing: VB 2  Vtn  Vout  VB1  Vtp

Input common-mode range: Vtn  Veff 1  Veff 12  Vcmi  VB1  Vtp  Veff 6  Vtn

17
 Folded-Cascode Opamp without wide-swing current source

18
 Folded-Cascode Opamp
(pmos-input)

19
 Folded-Cascode Opamp
(pmos-input)

20
 What is the DC voltage of the output node?

Vout dc   

In a single-ended opamp, the DC voltage of the output node is determined by the

feedback circuit around the opamp.

Vout  Vbias 
R2
Vbias  Vin 
R1

21
 Fully Differential Folded-Cascode Opamp

The bias voltages Vb1, Vb4, and Vb5 must be chosen so that the following
relation is satisfied!!!
ID9=0.5ID12+ID3

The opamp is completely symmetric. So we can use the half-circuit of the opamp
for AC analysis.
22
 Fully Differential Folded-Cascode Opamp
(half-circuit)

1 
 p1 
rout C L    ta  mi
g
CL
A0  g mi rout 
1
 p2 
1
Cp
g m7

23
 What is the DC voltage of the output nodes?

Vi  Vi  VCM

Vout dc   

In a single-ended opamp, the DC voltage of the output node is determined by the

feedback circuit around the opamp.

VCM  Vx 
I 
R   VCM  Vo  2VCM  Vx   Vo  Vo  Vo  2Vx  VCM
VCM  Vo  2 RI 
The DC voltage of the output nodes can not be determined!!!
24
 Common-Mode Feedback Circuit
(CMFB Circuit)
In a fully differential opamp, the CMFB circuit is employed inside the opamp to
adjust the common-mode voltage of the output nodes identical to a
predetermined voltage, Vref.

Vo  Vo
CMFB Circuit   Vref Vo  Vo  Vref
2
Vref  VCM
KVL and KCL  Vo  2Vx  VCM Vx 
2

25
 Ideal CMFB Circuit (1)

Vref denotes the desired output

common-mode voltage.

26
 Ideal CMFB Circuit (2)

Vref denotes the desired output

common-mode voltage.

27
 Ideal CMFB Circuit (3)

Vref denotes the desired output

common-mode voltage.

28
 Single-ended Telescopic Opamp

isc  g m1vi
rout  g m 4 rds 4 rds 2 g m 6 rds 6 rds 8
vo  rout isc  AV  g m1 rout
 Slew Rate

I SS
SR   SR  
CL
30
 Frequency Response

1 
 p1   gm
rout CL   ta  i

A0  g m rout 
CL
i

1
 p2 
1 1 1
C p1  Cp2  C p3
g m3 gm7 gm6

31
 Input common-mode range and output swing

Output swing: VB1  Vtn  Vout  VB 2  Vtp

Input common-mode range: Vtn  Veff 1  Veff 9  Vcmi  VB1  Veff 3

32
 Telescopic Opamp without wide-swing current source

33
 Fully Differential Telescopic Opamp

The bias voltages Vb3 and Vb4 must be chosen so that the following relation is
satisfied!!!
ID7=0.5ID9
The opamp is completely symmetric. So we can use the half-circuit of the opamp
for AC analysis.
34
 Fully Differential Telescopic Opamp
(half-circuit)

1 
 p1   g
rout CL   ta  m1
A0  g m1rout 
CL

1
 p2 
1
Cp
g m3

35
 Ideal CMFB Circuit (1)

Vref denotes the desired output

common-mode voltage.

36
 Ideal CMFB Circuit (2)

Vref denotes the desired output

common-mode voltage.

37
 Fully Differential Two-Stage Opamp
(nmos input)

A0  g m1R1 g m 5 R2
g m1
ta 
CM
g m5
 p2 
C1  CL

C1 denotes the parasitic capacitance.

38
 Fully Differential Two-Stage Opamp
(pmos input)

39
 Fully Differential Two-Stage Opamp
(First Stage: Telescopic Cascode)

A0  g m1R1 g m 9 R2
g m1
ta 
CM
g m9
 p2 
C1  CL

C1 denotes the parasitic capacitance at node X.

Miller compensation method is utilized.
40
 Gain-Boosting Opamp

It is proven that the auxiliary amplifier will not affect the performance of the main
amplifier if the following relation is satisfied.

UGBW Auxiliary Amplifier  UGBWMain Amplifier

41
 Gain-Boosting Opamp

42
 Differential Pair as an Auxiliary Opamp

43
 Folded-Cascode Circuit as an Auxiliary Opamp

44
 Comparison of Performance of Various Opamp Topologies

45