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37,
NO.
9,
SFPTEMBER
1990
1077
I. INTRODUCTION
VIN.-m-$Frn
vPOWER
Fig. 1. A block diagram of a general electrical circuit.
GBW/s in order to be able to compare different amplifier structures. This normalization results in the parameter l / A p ( s l :i.e., the reciprocal of the power supply gain
(PSR, as distinct from PSRR). Secondly, a technique to
calculate the PSRR is discussed. Using this technique,
several op-amps, such as an OTA and a Miller op-amp,
are analyzed. Finally, an improved two-stage amplifier is
studied and analyzed.
11.
DEFINITION
OF THE PSRR
1078
......................................
.:
.
/.................:
. -
or
U , = - . RI
[ ( - ++ R2
...................
.
RI
P2
A7
Fig. 2. Bode dia ram of the o en loop gain ( A h ) ) , the power supply
rejection ratio &SRR(s)) a n 8 thk PSR: the reciprocal of the power
supply gain (AJs)).
Mw
9, SEPTEMBER. 1990
PSRR(s)
R2
1
PSRRl
1
PSRR2-Al
In a MOS transistor circuit, the voltage transfer functions are always realized by a transconductance (g, of a
transistor) and an admittance. For example, the gain of
an OTA is given by
gm
Aav,. If the system has different power supplies (e.g., an
A( S) =
(4)
go
+
s * c 1*
OTA has a positive ( V D D ) and a negative (Vss) power
supply), a power supply gain for each power node can be
defined separately. In this case A,,vdd ( A p ,uss)is called In fact, a MOS transistor converts this input gate-source
the transfer function from the V,, (Vss) node to the voltage into a current. At the gain node (and there is only
output node, whereby the Vss (V,,) is ac-grounded. On one gain node, otherwise it can be divided in two subcirthe basis of the knowledge of these transfer functions, the cuits as is presented in Fig. 3), this current is converted
into a voltage by the admittance at that node. The power
PSRR of each power supply can be defined as
supply variation also introduces in that circuit a current
A
A
or there exists a power supply transconductance: GM,.
PSRR, Udd =
and PSRR, U,, = -. (2) This introduced current is converted into a voltage at that
Udd
A , ,U,,
same gain node as for the signal transfer function. As a
result, the denominator of the voltage transfer functions
111. PSRR ON CIRCUIT
LEVEL
A J s ) and A ( s ) are equal to each other and hence the
In order to be able to calculate the PSRR of the total PSRR is given by the ratio of the signal transconductance
system, the system can be divided into subcircuits or into ( G M ) and the power supply transconductance (GM,) or
a block diagram, using control-system theory. In Fig. 3, an
example of a multistage amplifier with a resistance feed(5)
back network is shown. The subcircuits in the figure must
not contain feedback loops and the characteristics of the
different subcircuits must not be influenced by each other. In order to find the power supply transconductance of the
In some cases it is necessary to use the input impedance internal nodes of the circuit, the following technique is
of the next stage in the subcircuit, e.g., the load capaci- used.
The power supply under study is enclosed by a curve,
tance of an OTA. Once the system is split, the different
whereby
this curve cuts only once every branch coming
subcircuits can be separately calculated and evaluated. As
from
that
power supply. The gain node is connected to
an example, the circuit in Fig. 3 can be split into two
subcircuits without any feedback loop. The PSRR of the ac-ground. As a result, the current flow into the gain
these subcircuits ( A , / A p l and A , / A p 2 )being known, it node due to the input-output transfer path can be calcuis possible to calculate the PSRR of the total system. The lated separately from the one due to any impedance
between the gain node and any power supply line. The
output ( U , ) of the system shown is given by
following are properties of this technique.
4 2 +A 2 4 1
1) For every cut, each branch is divided in two cutsides.
U, =
1 + A 2 * A 1 - R/(2 R , R 2 ) '"
There is always at one cutside a current transfer function
to the gain node. The current transfer function is given by
Al.A2
the ratio of the current that flows into the gain node (into
1+ A 2 * A , . R /(
2 R , + R , ) *'in
the ac-ground because the gain node is ac-grounded) and
~
1079
TABLE 1
HANDCALCULAT~ONS
AND SPICE SIMULATIONS
ON AN OTA
OTA small signal spec's out of SPICE level 2
4.7 4.65
8.4 8.6
191 191
gm
g0
CP
3.5
14
64
3.5
PA/Y
71
93
nA/Y
fF
14.6 7.2
PSRR, vdd
low-freq.
Fig 4
f-3dB
PSR
77dB
12kHz
53dB
76dB
9kHz
49dB
47dB
2lkHz
28dB
47dB
2OkHz
27dB
PSRR,vss
low-freq.
f-3dB
P SR
(7)
This last assumption means that the two sides of the input
stage balance. As a result, the vdd signal appears on
nodes b and c as a common mode signal and is as a result
rejected in the circuit.
The signal transconductance of this amplifier is given
by GM = (gml g m 2 ) / 2 = gm1.So the PSRR is given by
(using relationships 5 and 7)
1080
IEEE TRANSACTIONS
...............................................................
.................................
c1
4.63 4.60
0.5 9.3
191 220
low-freq.
f-3dB
V. COMPARISON
OF DIFFERENT
AMPLIFIER
STRUCTURES
A. The Source-Coupled Input Stage with Active Load
A commonly used input stage of an amplifier is a
source-coupled differential pair with an active load, as
presented in Fig. 5. Studying the PSRR,udd, cut C1 is
used. It is clear that go, introduces a current with the
value g o 4 ' u d d . On the other hand, go, (via cut a ) introduces a current into the common mode node V, with a
value gol'udd.This current can only flow into the sources
of M1 and M 2 . It means that one half of that current
flows into the output node via the source of M 2 and the
other half via the current mirror M 3 and M4. The total
current (iddl introduced by a variation on the udd in the
gain node is then given by
'
dd
01
PSRR,Vdd
GM=-=g
TABLE I1
HANDCALCULATIONS
AND SPICE SIMULATIONS
ON A SOURCE-COUPLED
INPUT STAGEWITH
ACTIVELOAD
P
.3r
:$zkinM.."
v
e
............................
+ g 04'
'dd
P SR
PSRR .vss
low-freq.
46dB
14kHz
23dB
46 dB
14kHz
23dB
f-3dB
91dB
4.6kHz
90dB
5kHz
PSR
58dB
58dB
(9,
PSRR, vdd=
g m1
go1 + go4 + S . ( C , l +
(13)
cp4)
(16)
So to improve the PSRR,Vss, matched input devices are
required and the drain-bulk capacitance of M 9 must be
minimized.
A
OTA
A widely used transconductance amplifier is the twostage amplifier presented in Fig. 6. This amplifier is
internally compensated with a Miller capacitance (Cc).
1081
St.9.
.-
stapc 2
QX2-
output
PSRR, ~,j,j.
gm
go
Cp
4.67 4.7
8.5 8.5
191 191
3.5
15
80
3 . 5 35
15 145
211
80
35
6.1 U I V
105 2 2 . 8 nA/V
79 779 fF
PSRR, vdd
low-freq.
f-3dB
P SR
92dB
4.9Hz
OdB
93dB
4Hz
OdB
96dB
680HZ
47dB
97dB
650HZ
47dB
PSRR.vss
low-freq.
f-3dB
P SR
PSRR
PSRR2.Al
-=
_-
A1
+-PSRR1
+-
(18)
1082
1utput
Ip = s.Cc.
(21)
'dd
--
grn5
1083
n3
n4
TABLE IV
CALCULATED
AND MEASURED
SMALL-SIGNAL
SPECIFICATIONS
OF THE CORE-AMPLIFIER
Mi 4
Gain &t
low-freq
44.7k
fdomirant
7 . 43HZ
GBW
334kHz
54"
4 . 2rad/s
Phase m a r g i n
wn
I
rlOk
c35Hz
350kHz
60"
3.17rad/s
Damping
0.7
0.9
Gain rnarqin
2.53
>2
TABLE V
THETOTALINTERNAL CAPACITANCE
Ci+C2(Ci=Cl+C3+C4)
Capacitance
fF
/
PSRR, gdd = 2 .
g,
04 ' go5
+ s. ( ci + C2)
(30)
go,.
g,,
- gm,
gm1
+ gm2
+ s * ( C i+ C 2 )
gm5
PSRR, c,,
. (31)
Cdd
. -go6 - g o 5
go6'grnhll
gmll
+ gmbll
grnbll
go6
- gmhl2
gmbll
+ gmll-
gm12
gmll
(32)
GM
'dd
gmbll
s*cc
(33)
gmll+gmbll
PSRR, L'dd
-
gml
i-
go
+-+-).
Agmb
gmb
(34)
Agm
gm
go6 ' gmhl 1
gmll
+ gmbll
gmbll
gmll
.s.cc
+ grnbll
1084
IEEE TRANSACTIONS
PSRR.V.33
@ 1OkHz
91dB
51dB
89dB *4dB
49 5dB+O 5dB
PSR
20dB
19dBk.O 5dB
low-frep
gm14
It was found from hand calculations and SPICE simulations that such a structure has a PSR, Udd of more than 20
dB and a PSR,v,, of more than 25 dB.
VII. CONCLUSION
In large systems, where different structures are integrated on one chip, the PSRR specification of the different blocks is very important. Therefore the most used
building block in analog design, the transconductance
amplifier, has been analyzed.
First an analysis technique based on cuts in subcircuits
was presented. By this technique the power supply
transconductances of each network branch can be calculated. The summation of these power supply transconductances of each branch results in the total power supply
transconductance. The PSRR is thereby given by the ratio
of the signal transconductance and the power supply
transconductance.
Using the presented technique, different amplifier
structures have been compared on the basis of hand
calculations and SPICE simulations. It has been shown
that the PSRR specifications of a single-stage OTA are
an order of magnitude better than for the widely used
two-stage Miller OTA. Also, the cause of this bad PSRR
specification in the two-stage Miller OTA has been investigated. It is shown that it is due to a complex feedback
loop in the output stage and not to a signal feedthrough
through a gate-source capacitance and the compensation
capacitance, as is usually suspected.
With these analyses it is shown that the problem in the
two-stage Miller OTA can be solved by inserting an extra
cascode transistor in the circuit. This improved amplifier
has been designed in a 3-pm p-well process. The mea-
m
Willy M. C. Sansen (S66-M72-SM86) received the engineering degree in electronics
form the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium, in 1967 and the Ph.D. degree in
electronics from the University of California,
Berkeley, in 1972.
In 1968 he was employed as an Assistant at
the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 1971 he
was employed as a Teaching Fellow at the University of California. In 1972 he was appointed
by the Belgian National Foundation as a Research Associate at the Laboratory Elektronika, Systemen, Automatisatie, Technologie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he has been
Full Professor since 1981. Since 1984 he has been the head of the
Department of Electrical Engineering. His interests are in device modeling, design of integrated circuits, and medical electronics and sensors.
Dr. Sansen i s a member of the Koninklijke Vlaamse Ingenieurs
Vereniging, the Audio Engineering Society, the Biotelemetry Society,
and Sigma Xi. In September 1969 he received a CRB Fellowship from
the Belgian American Educational Foundation, in 1970 a G.T.E. Fellowship, and in 1978 a NATO Fellowship.