0.

1 Miller’s theorem
Consider two nodes (A) and (B) of a circuit, with an admittance Y connected between them:

i1' (A) (B) i2'

v1
i1
A i2
v2

The two nodes will be connected to the remaining part of the circuit (not shown here), which
will include the generator and the load If the circuit is solvable, we may find the two voltages
v1 and v2 and, consequently, their ratio:
v2
Av =
v1
which is, in general, function of the value Y of admittance as well!

The element A may be characterized by two equations giving the two currents i1 and i2 as
functions of the voltages v1 and v2 :
i1 = i1 (v1 , v2 )
i2 = i2 (v1 , v2 )
The whole element including A and Y may be represented through two relations between the
voltage at the nodes (A) and (B) and the currents absorbed by such nodes from the external
circuit.

These relations are: (

i01 = i1 + Y (v1 − v2 )
i02 = i2 + Y (v2 − v1 )
and they can be rewritten as:

i01 = i1 + Y (v1 − Av v1 )
1
i02 = i2 + Y (v2 − v2 )
Av

i01 = i1 + Y (1 − Av )v1
1
i02 = i2 + Y (1 − )v2
Av
Therefore, if we find a topology giving the same equations, we mayn replace this portion of the
circuit with it.

1
Let’s observe the two terms: 

i01 = i1 + Y (1 − Av ) v1


1
i02 = i2 + Y (1 −


 ) v2
Av
We may notice that they give the same current contribution at the nodes as two impedances
connected between the nodes and the ground, according to the following topology:

(A) (B)
i1'

Y'
i1

A i2 i2'

Y''

If we write the equations for this topology we get:


0 0
i1 = i1 + Y v1


i2 = i2 + Y 00 v2

0

Notice that i1 and i2 will be the same in both topologies for the same voltages v1 and v2 since
they depend on the circuit A.

If we now compare the boxed expressions we get the result:

Y 0 = Y (1 − Av )

1
Y 00 = Y (1 − )
Av
So, we get the following theorem:

MILLER’S THEOREM
Given two nodes (1) and (2) in a circuit, with a two-terminal element having admittance
Y connected between them and with nodal voltages v1 and v2 respectively, we may define
the voltage gain between the two nodes as:
v2
Av =
v1

2
 and subsequently split the two terminal element Y into two two-terminal elements Y 0 and
Y 00 with one terminal connected to nodes (1) and 2 respectively and the other connected
to the reference potential, and having admittances:

Y = Y (1 − Av )

1
Y = Y (1 − )
Av

Y
(A) (B)

i1'

v1
(A)

i1
A i2
(B) i2'

v2 ⇒
i1'

Y'
i1

A i2 i2'

Y''

signal, as in this case:18+18

Application to parasitic capacitances

Whenever we have a parasitic capacitance connected between the output signal and the input

CGD out

(D)

in (G)

(S)

CGS

which makes the computation of the dominant high-frequency pretty hard, we may apply Miller’s
theorem (generally in an approximate way) to estimate the position of such pole.

If we were able to find the value of:

v2 (jf )
Av (jf ) =
v1 (jf )
for every value of f we may split the feedback (gate-drain) capacitor into two capacitors con-
nected respectively between the input and the reference and between the output and the refer-
ence.

3
 18+18
The resulting circuit is then (in this case):

C''GD out
(D)

in
(G)

(S)
C'GD

CGS

In this circuit there would be no feedback, so it would be easy to evaluate the positions of the
poles.

However, it’s not so simple, since the ratio Av (jf ) is frequency-dependent and is given by a
quite complicated circuit involving feedback!.

Moreover,
 we would have complicated frequency dependent expressions for Y (1 − Av ) and

1
Y 1− , which can make deriving the poles of the system a pretty time-consuming and
Av
difficult task.

Therefore, we may consider the Bode diagram of the dominant-pole approximation for Av (jf ):

|Av(jf)|dB

Av0
-2
0
db
/d
ec

0dB
fp fT
log10(f/f0)

And notice how the gain Av (jfp ) at the pole frequency fp may be approximated (with a 3 dB
error) with the low-frequency gain Av0 .

Such gain can be easily computed by considering the ”low-frequency” capacitors as short-circuits
and the parasitic capacitors as open circuits, since we are still before the dominant pole, which
is due to them!

4
Therefore, we may now use this approximated gain at the pole frequency to split the feedback
capacitor and easily solve the problem of determining the dominant pole frequency.

Application to feedback circuits

Miller’s theorem (applied in an exact or approximate way) can also help us solve feedback,
whenever the following two requirements are satisfied:
• The sampling is of shunt (voltage) type
• The mixing is of shunt (current) type
• The feedback network is passive (and can therefore be modeled through an impedance/ad-
mittance)

30
The architecture to which we can apply this method is, therefore:

FB
passive

LOAD
GEN

AMP

If all these conditions are met, we can compute the gain between the input and output node
including the feedback resistor, since we cannot neglect it, because it influences in a relevant
way the gain of the overall amplifier!

We can then use such gain to split the feedback network into two networks connected respec-
tively:
• between the input node and the ground
• between the output node and the ground
Which results in the following architecture:
LOAD
GEN

AMP
FB'
passive
FB''
passive

That does not have any sort of feedback and is therefore easy to deal with.