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Chapter 7
Building Blocks
of Integrated
Circuit Amplifiers:

Part C:
Basic
Current Mirrors

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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Current Mirror Example
Two Stage
Op Amp
(MOSFET)

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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Current Mirror Example
Three Stage 741 Opamp (BJT)

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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Basic Current Mirror (CM)

Goals:
1) Learn what CM does
2) Learn its effect on the amplifier
3) Learn how to analyze CM and how to design it

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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7.4 Integrated Circuit Biasing
Current Sources, Current Mirrors, and Current-Steering
Circuits in IC
 Biasing in IC design is based on constant-current sources
 Avoid resistors on IC (issues: chip area, tolerance)

 Problem: How to create stable current source

 Solution: Current Mirrors (CM)

 On IC we may have multiple amplifier stages

 Reference DC current is generated at on CM and is
copied at other locations for biasing
 This is known as Current steering

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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7.4.1 The Basic MOSFET Current Source
Basic MOSFET Current Mirror (CM): Io=IREF

Biasing Resistor

Diode-connected
transistor

1) Q1 is always in saturation!
2) Q1 and Q2 must be matched for Io=IREF
ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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7.4.1 The Basic MOSFET Current Source
Design of MOSFET CM
Primary Condition
𝑰𝑶 (𝑾/𝑳)𝟐
=
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 (𝑾/𝑳)𝟏
Ro

Effect of ro2
𝑰𝑶 (𝑾/𝑳)𝟐 𝑽𝒐 − 𝑽𝑮𝑺
= 𝟏+
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 (𝑾/𝑳)𝟏 𝑽𝑨𝟐

Design Equations
𝑽𝑫𝑫 − 𝑽𝑫𝟏 𝑽𝑫𝟏 = 𝑽𝑫𝑺𝟏 + 𝑽𝑺𝟏 𝑽𝑶𝑽 = 𝑽𝑮𝑺𝟏 − 𝑽𝒕𝒏
𝑹= 𝟏
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 𝑽𝑫𝑺𝟏 = 𝑽𝑮𝑺𝟏 𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 = 𝒌𝒏𝑽𝑶𝑽𝟐
𝟐
ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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7.4.1 The Basic MOSFET Current Source
Output Resistance 𝟏 ∆𝑰𝑶
𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆 = =
𝒓𝒐 ∆𝑽𝑶
∆𝑽𝑶 𝑽𝑨𝟐
𝒓𝒐 = =
∆𝑰𝑶 𝑰𝑶
𝑹𝒐 = 𝒓𝒐
Ro

Ro should be as large as possible (why?)

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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expl7.5: MOS Current Mirror

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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7.4.2 MOS Current-Steering Circuits
Current Steering=
Multiple CMs from Single CM

Current can be changed or kept the same depending on

the transistor W/L ratios
ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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7.4.2 MOS Current-Steering Circuits

Source Follower Common Source

(Unity gain amplifier) Amplifier

Current
Source
Amplifier

Current
Source
Amplifier

Note: Other examples are

covered during the class
ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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How do you make Current Mirror on an IC?
Single Gate Layout Circuit
Active Region Drain
Source
Gate

Parallel Gate Layout

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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7.4.3 BJT Current Mirrors
BJT Current Mirror: Io=IREF
 Small error in the current
mirroring (non-zero bias
current)
 The current transfer ratio
Io/IREF is determined by the
relative areas of the Emitter-
Base junctions of Q1 and Q2

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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7.4.3 BJT Current Mirrors
Design of BJT Current Mirror
Primary Condition
𝑰𝑶 𝟏
=
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 𝟏 + 𝟐/𝜷

Effect of ro2
𝑰𝑶 𝟏 𝑽𝒐 − 𝑽𝑩𝑬
= 𝟏+
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭 𝟏 + 𝟐/𝜷 𝑽𝑨𝟐

Design Equation
𝑽𝑪𝑪 − 𝑽𝑩𝑬𝟏
𝑹=
𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑭

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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ex7.18: BJT Current Mirror

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

 Application Example: PNP CE Amp with NPN CM 16

Note: Other examples

are covered during
the class PNP-based
Common Emitter (CE)
Amplifier

NPN/PNP (NMOS/PMOS) work as complimentary pair

- if PNP is used as amplifier, the current source is provided by NPN
based current mirror
ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik
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In Class Practice Problems

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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p7.49: MOS Current Mirror

Simulate

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik

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p7.58: BJT Current Mirror

ECE 3120 Microelectronics II Dr. Suketu Naik