2012‐02‐20/BM

• Ch 9 Operational amplifiers
– One stage OP amps
– Folded Cascode OP amps
– Design example 9.6
– Two stage OP amps
• Ch 10 Stability
– Multipole systems
– Phase margin
2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 1

Telescopic Cascode Op Amps
Drawbacks:
Limited output swing
Problem to short input and output

Vmax  Vmin  VTH 4  (VGS 4  VTH 2 )

Maximized by minimizing the 
overdrive of M4, but always less 
than VTH2

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 2

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Folded Cascode Amplifier

The small signal current
generated by M1 flows
through M2 and the load

Av  g m1 Rout

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 3

Folded Cascode Op Amps

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Folded Cascode Op Amps
Why, so many transistors?

Swing
Lower end VOD 3  VOD 5

Upper end VDD   VOD 7  VOD 9 

| Av | g m1{[( g m 3  g mb 3 )ro 3 (ro1 || ro 5 )] //[( g m 7  g mb 7 )ro 7 ro 9 ]}

Compared to telescopic: Lower gain, pole at lower frequency
2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 5

Design example 9.6

Study the example, compare with example 9.5!

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Two‐Stage Op Amps

Gain= ?

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 7

Common Mode Feedback
In high gain amplifiers, we wish a p‐type current source to balance a n‐type
current source.

Mismatches can drive p‐type or n‐type current source into triode region.

If the output CM level
requires calculation on 
device properties, then it is 
poorly defined.

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 8

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Stability (chapter 10)

Y H (s)
(s) 
X 1   H (s)
May oscillate at  if |  H ( j ) | 1 and
 H ( j )  180 ( Barkhausen criteria )

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 9

Unstable and Stable Systems

Bode plot for open loop system, poles and zeroes for loop gain

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 10

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Phase margin

Loop gain

Closed loop gain

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 11

Phase margin and step response
Step response
45° phase margin
in time domain

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 12

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Location of system poles

Stability can be studied by plotting the location of poles of the 

closed loop system.

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 13

One‐pole system
Loop gain
Construct the root
locus for this system!

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 14

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Two‐pole system
Loop gain
Construct the root
locus for this system!

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 15

Three‐pole system

Next lecture: Compensation methods, example 10.11

2012‐02‐20 IL2218 Analog electronics, advanced course    KTH/ICT/EKT  VT12  /BM 16