Current-Mode: An Overview: J-F Perotto, CSEM & EICN

Current-Mode : an Overview
J-F Perotto, CSEM & EICN
jean-felix.perotto@csem.ch
Technology Leadership Day 2000 Current Mode: an Overview © J-F Perotto, EICN
Definitions
Voltage-Mode
Usually, information is represented by voltage at the nodes of the circuit.
Current-Mode
An other way is to represent information by current flowing in the branches of

the circuit.
In integrated circuits world,
Current-Mode offers some advantages over Voltage-Mode :
high speed
• performances improvement low power consumption at high frequency
high signal dynamic range
low cross-talk & switching noise
controlled gain without feedback components

• structural advantages current summing without components
schematic simplicity
well suited for low voltage applications

• specific features pseudoconductance networks
current switching technique
Current-Mode in analog continous-time circuits
Two examples :
• Finite gain amplifier
• Pseudoconductance network
Voltage-Mode Amplifier : needs a low output resistance
to drive the parasitic capacitance.
Idd
+ Fc = 1
2π Rout Cout
Rout
Uin
Cout Uout
-
high Idd or complex B-class output stage

High FC ⇒ low Rout ⇒
needs relatively high supply voltage
Voltage-Mode Amplifier : needs high value feedback and
ponderation resistors.
R4
R1
Uin1
R2
Uin2 +
R3
Uin3
Cout Uout
-
large silicon area to implement the resistors

R1 .. R4 >> Rout ⇒
high parasitic capacitance ⇒ low FC , instabilities
Current-Mode Amplifier : - quasi-infinite output resistance,
- no feedback or summing components,
- simplicity
Vdd
Iin1 I0 GI0
Iin2 Iout = G (Iin1 + Iin2 + Iin3)
Iin3
S1 S2 Cout
• gain G is given only by the transistors aspect ratio S=W/L : G = S2/S1
• high Fc due to ∆us = 0

• amplifier is inconditionally stable
Pseudoconductance
MOS current can be expressed as : i = I S [ f (Vg ,Vd ) − f (Vg ,Vs )] with I S = 2nβU T
2
IS
G* = V0 is an arbitrary voltage
V0
Which can be rewrited as: i = G * (VA* − VB* ) giving G* and V* conductance
and voltage dimension
V * = V0 f (Vg ,V )
VA G VB
i = G (VA − VB )
i
VA G* V
* * * B
i = G (V − V )
A B
i
From the current point-of-view, MOS transistor behaves as a resistor 1/G
which only depends of β and Vg
Pseudoconductance (cont.)
In strong inversion :
2nβU T2 V − VD 2 V − VS 2
i >> I S : i = [V0 ( sat ) − V0 ( sat ) ] G*
V0 2U T 2U T
G* = cte VA* VB*
In weak inversion :
V −V −V
2nβU T2 UsatT D S
G*(Vg)
i << I S : i = e [V0e UT − V0e UT ]
V0
G*(Vg) VA* VB*
Linear network with pseudoconductances
Example : R-2R lattice AD converter
I I
2G 2G 2G G
2β 2β 2β β
Vpol
G G G G
β β β β
I/2 I/4 I/8 I/16 I/2 I/4 I/8 I/16
Iout Iout
Version « resistor based » Version « transistor based »
Current-Mode in analog discrete-time circuits
(Switched-Current technique)
Three examples :
• current integrator
• current biquadratic filter
• switched-current ∆ modulator
Classic Voltage-Mode Track-and-Hold
Φ follower
UIN C -
UOUT
Current-Mode Track-and-Hold
Vdd
Φ
IBIAS IBIAS
IIN IOUT IIN IOUT

T&H
Φ
symbol
Phase 1 : Φ = ON Track (copy IIN into IOUT)
Phase 2 : Φ = OFF Hold (IOUT latched)
Classic Voltage-Mode Integrator
C
Resistor version
R
-
UIN +
UOUT
C
Switch-cap version
Φ Φ
-
UIN αC +
UOUT
Current-Mode Integrator
Φ Φ current duplicator
FS
IIN IOUT IIN 1 IOUT

T&H T&H FS
s
IOUT
symbol
MOS implementation : 12 transistors
I OUT ( n) = I OUT (n − 1) + I IN (n)
1 OSR>>1 1
H ( z) = H ( s ) ≈ FS
z −1 s
z-domain Laplace
Application: Biquadratic Filter
Vdd
1
a0 a1 a2
FS FS
IIN
1 1
FS FS
s s
IOUT
b0 b1 1
1
a2 s 2 + a1 FS s + a0 FS2 Such a filter is fully programmable by simply adjusting

H (s) = 2 the aspect ratio ai and bi of the coefficient transistors
s + b1 FS s + b0 FS2
Application : 1st Order 1 Bit ∆ Modulator
Vdd
IREF
act as current
FS
sign detector
IIN 1
Output bit stream
FS D Q
s
F ’S
-IREF
Conclusion
• Current-mode is well adapted to low power – low voltage integrated circuits,
• It often conducts to very simpler solutions than voltage-mode approaches,
• It is the way to realize analog functions in submicron technologies, which are

largely oriented toward digital performances.

Current-Mode: An Overview: J-F Perotto, CSEM & EICN

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Current-Mode : an Overview

J-F Perotto, CSEM & EICN

Usually, information is represented by voltage at the nodes of the circuit.

An other way is to represent information by current flowing in the branches of

controlled gain without feedback components

well suited for low voltage applications

• Finite gain amplifier

high Idd or complex B-class output stage

large silicon area to implement the resistors

Iin2 Iout = G (Iin1 + Iin2 + Iin3)

• gain G is given only by the transistors aspect ratio S=W/L : G = S2/S1

• high Fc due to ∆us = 0

G* = cte VA* VB*

G*(Vg) VA* VB*

Example : R-2R lattice AD converter

Version « resistor based » Version « transistor based »

• current biquadratic filter

IIN IOUT IIN IOUT

Phase 1 : Φ = ON Track (copy IIN into IOUT)

Phase 2 : Φ = OFF Hold (IOUT latched)

IIN IOUT IIN 1 IOUT

MOS implementation : 12 transistors

I OUT ( n) = I OUT (n − 1) + I IN (n)

a2 s 2 + a1 FS s + a0 FS2 Such a filter is fully programmable by simply adjusting

• Current-mode is well adapted to low power – low voltage integrated circuits,

• It often conducts to very simpler solutions than voltage-mode approaches,

• It is the way to realize analog functions in submicron technologies, which are

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G(Vg) VA VB*