CMOS Differential Amplifiers

Introduction
Basic Differential pair Qualitative Analysis

Introduction
Differential operation has become the dominant

choice in todays high-performance analog and

mixed-signal circuits
One of the more versatile circuits
Input stage to most op amps

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Introduction
Voltages v1, v2, and vout are called single

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ended voltages
They are defined with respect to ground
The differential-mode input voltage, VID of the
differential amplifier is defined as the difference
between v1 and v2
Voltage is defined between two terminals,
neither of which is ground
The common-mode input voltage, VIC is
defined as the average value of v1 and v2
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Introduction
Differential voltage gain

Common mode voltage gain

Common mode rejection ratio
Input offset voltage
Common mode input range

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Single-ended and differential operation

A single-ended signal is measured with respect to

a fixed potential (ground)

A differential signal is measured between two
equal and opposite signals which swing around a
fixed potential (common-mode level)
Can decompose differential signals into a
differential mode (difference) and a commonmode (average)

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Single-ended and differential operation

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Advantages of differential operation

Reduction of coupling

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Advantages of differential operation

Common-mode rejection occurs with noisy supply

voltages

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Advantages of differential operation

Reduction of coupled noise by differential

operation

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Advantages of differential operation

Increase in maximum achievable voltage swing

Simpler biasing
Higher linearity

Main disadvantage
Area, which is roughly double
Although, to get the same performance in singleended designs, we often have to increase the area
dramatically

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Simple differential circuit

A design which uses two single-ended amplifiers to

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realize a differential amplifier is very sensitive to the

common-mode input level
The transistors bias current and transconductance
can vary dramatically with the common-mode input
Impacts small-signal gain
Changes the output common-mode, which impacts
the maximum output swing
Bias currents have the minimal dependence on input
CM level
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Simple differential circuit

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Basic differential pair

An improved differential amplifier topology utilizes a

tail current source to keep the transistor bias

current ideally constant over the common-mode
input range
Allows for a constant small-signal gain and output
common mode level
Still have to have keep the input pair and tail current
source transistors in saturation

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Basic differential pair

The differential pair employs a current source ISS

To make ID1 + ID2 independent of Vin,CM
If Vin1 = Vin2, the bias current of each transistor equals ISS /2
Output common-mode level is VDD RDISS /2.
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Qualitative analysis

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Qualitative analysis
For large-signal differential inputs, the maximum

output levels are well defined and ideally

independent of the input common-mode
For small-signal differential inputs, the smallsignal gain is maximum at low-input signal levels
As the differential input level increases, the
circuit becomes more nonlinear and the gain
decreases

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Common-mode characteristics

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Common-mode characteristics
Input common-mode range M1, M2 in

saturation

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Common-mode characteristics
The small-signal differential gain of a differential

pair vs. the input CM level

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Output swing of a differential pair

For M1 and M2 to be saturated,

each output can go as high as

VDD but as low as approximately
Vin,CM VTH
Higher the input CM level, the
smaller the allowable output
swings
It is desirable to choose a
relatively low Vin,CM
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Output swing of a differential pair

Trade-off exists between the

maximum value of Vin,CM and

differential gain
Similar to a simple CS stage,
the gain of a differential pair is
a function of the dc drop
across the load resistors
if RDISS /2 is large, Vin,CM must
remain close to ground
potential.
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