Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing in MOSFET Amplifiers

Biasing: Creating the circuit to establish the desired
DC voltages and currents for the operation of the
amplifier
Four common ways:
1. Biasing by fixing VGS
2. Biasing by fixing VG and connecting a resistance in the
Source
3. Biasing using a Drain-to-Gate Feedback Resistor
4. Biasing Using a Constant-Current Source
MOSFETs 1

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing in MOSFET Amplifiers

I D = 12 k n
k n = n

VDD

Biasing by fixing VGS

ox
t ox

W
(VGS Vt )2
L
= n Cox

VGG

VG

RD
VD

RG
M1

VS
RS
-VEE

When the MOSFET device is

changed (even using the same
supplier), this method can result in
a large variability in the value of
ID. Devices 1 and 2 represent
extremes among units of the same
type.

MOSFETs 2

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing in MOSFET Amplifiers

Biasing by fixing VG and connecting a resistance in the Source

Degeneration Resistance

MOSFETs 3

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing in MOSFET Amplifiers

Biasing using a Drain-to-Gate Feedback Resistor

Large Resistor

MOSFETs 4

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing in MOSFET Amplifiers

Biasing Using a Constant-Current Source

Current Mirror

Used in Integrated Circuits

Figure 4.33 (a) Biasing the MOSFET using a constant-current source I. (b) Implementation of the constant-current source I
using a current mirror.

MOSFETs 5

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Current Mirror DC Analysis

The width and length (the W/L aspect
ratio) and the parameters of the two
transistors can be different
We can choose W/L freely
In this circuit, consider W/L of both
MOSFETs are the same and transistors
are identical. The Gate-Source voltages
W1
are also the same, then
L1
I REF

= k n

I = 12 k n

1
2

W1
(VGS Vt )2
L1

W1
(VGS Vt )2
L1

I
I REF

W1 L1
=

=1
L1 W1

VGS

W1
L1
VGS
-

I = I REF
MOSFETs 6

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Current Mirror DC Analysis

Designing IREF

I REF

VDD VGS + VSS

=
R

I REF =

1
k
2 n

W1
(VGS Vt )2
L1

It is often needed to find the value of R in order to

achieve a desired IREF
MOSFETs 7

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Biasing of MOSFET Amplifier

1- Intro to MOS Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)

2- NMOS FET
3- PMOS FET
4- DC Analysis of MOSFET Circuits
5- MOSFET Amplifier
6- MOSFET Small Signal Model
7- MOSFET Integrated Circuits
8- CSA, CGA, CDA
9- CMOS Inverter & MOS Digital Logic
MOSFETs 8

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

MOSFET Design Space

Modern integrated circuits use MOSFETs
extensively
Very high densities of transistors up to 109
transistors/cm2 in some ULSI memory arrays.
Off-chip discrete resistors and capacitors are NOT
commonly used
On-chip resistors and capacitors generally small
Multistage amplifiers are usually DC-coupled

Transistors used wherever possible to implement

current sources, resistors, capacitors,

MOSFETs 9

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Using MOSFETs to implement Rs and Cs

Resistors:
Active Loads (large Rs)
Diode-connected loads (small Rs)
MOSFET Triode-Region (moderate Rs)

Capacitors
Most obvious is the gate-body capacitor
Can be used to have variable-capacitors as well

Current Mirrors
MOSFETs 10

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

MOSFET Active Loads

MOSFETs used as an active load for high resistances:
MOSFET is held in saturation with the source and gate
held at a constant DC voltage
1
r
=
Drain connected to circuit
o
ID
ro is inversely proportional to ID

vgs = 0
gmvgs = 0

Rin=ro

Rin= ?
MOSFETs 11

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Diode-Connected MOSFETs
A Diode connected MOSFET can be used to achieve
small resistances:
The Drain is directly connected to Gate, and therefore it
can only be operated in saturation (or cutoff)

Source Absorption Theorem

MOSFETs 12

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

MOSFET Current Mirrors

Used extensively in
MOSFET IC applications
Often ro,is neglected. Since
there is no gate current, the
drain currents of M1 and M2
are identical
In practice, IREF I due to
finite ro. (Not included in EC1)
1 W1
2
I REF = k n (V X Vt ) (1 + V X )
2 L1

V X = VGS 1 = VDS 1

VX

VGS

0
+

VGS
-

The current I will also depend on VDS2

MOSFETs 13

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Current Mirror DC Analysis

The width and length (the W/L
aspect ratio) of MOSFETs can
be designed almost freely
Since the W/L of M1 and M2
need not be the same, the size
ratios can affect current ratios
I REF = 12 k n

W1
(VGS Vt )2
L1

W2
(VGS Vt )2
I = k n
L2
1
2

I
I REF

W2 L1

L2 W1

W1
L1

W2
L2

VGS

VGS
-

MOSFETs 14

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Current Scaling (Steering)

W
L

W
L

W
L

W
L

Ratio of
aspect ratios
can be
selected to
achieve
nearly any
scale factor
I/IREF

Note: All gates are connected

MOSFETs 15

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Current Mirroring Pushing and Pulling

MOSFETs 16

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Small Signal
Transistor M1 is diode
connected and acts like a
resistor to s.-s. ground.

ro2

MOSFETs 17

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Outline of Chapter 5

1- Intro to MOS Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)

2- NMOS FET
3- PMOS FET
4- DC Analysis of MOSFET Circuits
5- MOSFET Amplifier
6- MOSFET Small Signal Model
7- MOSFET Integrated Circuits
8- CSA, CGA, CDA
9- CMOS Inverter & MOS Digital Logic
MOSFETs 18

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

DC and AC - Body-Effect / CLM

Three types of analysis:
Neglect DC Body-Effect & DC CLM
Use DC Body-Effect / Neglect DC CLM
Use DC Body-Effect / Use DC CLM

Three types of analysis:

Neglect AC Body-Effect & AC CLM
Use AC Body-Effect / Neglect AC CLM

DC Analysis
Use whatever
DC values for
V and I in the
small-signal
analysis

AC Analysis
(small-signal)

Use AC Body-Effect / Use CLM

MOSFETs 19

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Common Source Amplifier (CSA)

Current source I implemented
with current mirror.
Current mirror provides
active load at drain
Source terminal grounded
no DC or AC Body effect

MOSFETs 20

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CSA with Current Mirror

ro2
CSA

MOSFETs 21

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CSA Small Signal Analysis

From MOSFET
Current-Mirror:
only ro2 appears in
analysis

v gs1 = vi
vout = g m1 (ro1 ro 2 )v gs1
vout
AV =
= g m1 (ro1 ro 2 )
vi
MOSFETs 22

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CSA Input/Output Resistance

Input Resistance

RIN
Output resistance

vgs1 = 0
gm1vgs1 = 0

ROUT = ro1 ro 2
MOSFETs 23

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CSA Calculations
In practice, difficult to keep all
transistors operating in saturation
VOUT is hard to control, and
sensitive to: W/L, VG, and
CLM
1 = 2 = 0.01V 1
Vt1 = Vt 2 = 1V
k p = 50 AV

Hand:

SPICE:

VG = 2.567V

VG = 2.58V

I = 2.596mA

k n = 125 AV

VOUT = 3.855V

I = 2.57mA
VOUT = 2.895V

W2
W
= 50, 1 = 40
L2
L1

g m1 = 5.192m AV

AV = 102.4 V V

VDD = 5V ,VSS = 2V
RREF = 1k

ro = 38.52k
AV = 100 V V
MOSFETs 24

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

Common Gate Amplifier (CGA)

A pMOS current mirror is used
as IREF including the output
resistance.
The gate terminal held at a DC
voltage. (AC Ground)
Since source terminal not at
signal ground, the body effect is
present.
Typically used as second stage of a
multi-stage amplifier circuit
MOSFETs 25

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA DC Analysis
Current mirror is assumed to be ideal
during the DC analysis, thus IREF=I
DC voltage at the source terminal (VS)
must be obtained from driving the
current IREF through the transistor.
This assumes that the input voltage
source VI is set to zero
RI is part of the source voltage
Solve for VO, with VS and VG known,
and including CLM
2
1 W
I = 2 k n (VG VS Vt ) [1 + (VO VS )]
L
MOSFETs 26

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA
Replace with a current source
including output resistance ro2
ro2

Choice of analysis:
Neglect AC Body-Effect & CLM
Use AC Body-Effect / Neglect CLM
Use AC Body-Effect / Use CLM
MOSFETs 27

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA No Body Effect or CLM

vo = g m v gs ro 2
i=0

v gs =

Non Inverting

AV =

1
g m1
1
+ RI
g m1

vI

vo
ro 2
=
1
vI
+ RI
gm
MOSFETs 28

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA RIN & ROUT, No Body Effect or CLM

RIN

1
=
g m1

ROUT

vI = 0
RIN

ROUT = ro 2

MOSFETs 29

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA With Body Effect & no CLM

Solve at vx first:
vX

RIN

vbs1 = v gs1 = v x
vo = (g m1v gs1 + g mb1vbs1 )ro 2

vo = ( g m1v x + g mb1v x )ro 2

vo
AV = = ( g m1 + g mb1 )ro 2
vx
Include RI and
vo vo v x
R IN
solve for total
AV total =
=

= ( g m + g mb )ro 2
voltage gain in
vi v x vi
R IN + R I
term of RIN

MOSFETs 30

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA RIN With Body Effect & no CLM

iX

vX
iIN

RIN

vbs1 = v gs1 = v x
ix = ( g m1 + g mb1 )v x

iin = ( g m1 + g mb1 )v x
Neglect Input
Voltage Source

RIN

1
=
g m1 + g mb1
MOSFETs 31

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA - With Body Effect & CLM

iX

iX

vX
Neglect Input
Voltage Source

v x = v gs

vo = ix ro 2
v x vo
i x = ( g m1 + g mb1 )v x +
ro1
1

vo
AV = = (ro1 ro 2 ) + g m1 + g mb1
vx
ro1

MOSFETs 32

Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

ECSE-330B Electronic Circuits I

CGA RIN With Body Effect & CLM

iX

vX

vo = ix ro 2

RIN

v x vo
ix = ( g m1 + g mb1 )v x +
ro1
1+

Neglect Input
Voltage Source

RIN =

ro 2
ro1

vx
=
1
ix
+ g m1 + g mb1
ro1
MOSFETs 33