EECE488: Analog CMOS Integrated Circuit Design

Set 4

Differential Amplifiers

Shahriar Mirabbasi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of British Columbia
shahriar@ece.ubc.ca

SM EECE488 Set 4 - Differential Amplifiers 1

Overview
• The “differential amplifier” is one of the most important circuit
inventions.

• Their invention dates back to vacuum tube era (1930s).

• Alan Dower Blumlein (a British Electronics Engineer, 1903-

1942) is regarded as the inventor of the vacuum-tube version of
differential pair.

• Differential operation offers many useful properties and is widely

used in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits

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 Single-ended and Differential Signals

• A “single-ended” signal is a signal that is measured with

respect to a fixed potential (typically ground).
• “Differential signal” is generally referred to a signal that
is measured as a difference between two nodes that have
equal but opposite-phase signal excursions around a
fixed potential (the fixed potential is called common-mode
(CM) level).

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Board Notes (Differential Amplifiers)

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 Why Differential?

• Better immunity to environmental noise

• Improved linearity

• Higher signal swing compared to single-ended

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Higher Immunity to Noise Coupling

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 Supply Noise Reduction

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Board Notes (Improved Linearity)

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 Basic Differential Pair

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Basic Differential Pair

• Problem: Sensitive to input common-mode (CM) level

– Bias current of the transistors M1 and M2 changes as the
input CM level changes

– gm of the devices as well as output CM level change

• Can we think of a solution?

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 Differential Pair

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Common-Mode Response

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 Common-Mode Input versus Output Swing

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Board Notes (“Half-Circuit” Concept)

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 Board Notes (“Half-Circuit” Concept)

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Example
• Using the half-circuit concept, calculate the small-signal
differential gain of the following circuit (for two cases of λ=0 and
λ≠0).

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 Example
• Using the half-circuit concept, calculate the small-signal
differential gain of the following circuit (for two cases of λ=0 and
λ≠0).

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Example
• Sketch the small-signal gain of a differential pair as a function of
its input common-mode level.

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 Analysis of Differential Amplifier

2I D
Vin1 − Vin 2 = VGS1 − VGS 2 , VGS = + VTH
W
µ nCox
L

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Analysis of Differential Amplifier

2 I D1 2I D 2
Vin1 − Vin 2 = −
W W
µ nCox µ nCox
L L

(Vin1 − Vin 2 )2 = 2
W
( I D1 + I D 2 − 2 I D1 I D 2 )
µ nCox
L
µ nCox (Vin1 − Vin 2 )2 − I SS = −2 I D1 I D 2
1 W
2 L

( µ nCox ) 2 (Vin1 − Vin 2 ) + I SS − I SS µ nCox (Vin1 − Vin 2 ) = 4 I D1 I D 2

1 W 4 2 W 2

4 L L
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 Analysis of Differential Amplifier

Using:
4 I D1 I D 2 = ( I D1 + I D 2 ) 2 − ( I D1 − I D 2 ) 2 = I SS
2
− ( I D1 − I D 2 ) 2

and

( µ n Cox ) 2 (Vin1 − Vin 2 ) + I SS − I SS µ nCox (Vin1 − Vin 2 )2

1 W W
4 I D1 I D 2 =
4 2

4 L L
We have:
1 W 4 I SS
I D1 − I D 2 = µ nCox (Vin1 − Vin 2 ) − (Vin1 − Vin 2 ) 2
2 L W
µ nCox
L
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Analysis of Differential Amplifier

1 W 4 I SS
id = µ nCox vid − vid
2

2 L W
µ nCox
L
4 I SS
− v2
∂id 1 W µ nCoxW / L id
= Gm = µ nCox
∂vid 2 L 4 I SS
− v2
µ nCoxW / L id

vid vid

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 Analysis of Differential Amplifier

• For small vid:

∂id W
Gm = = µ nCox I SS = g m1 = g m1
∂vid L

• We have:

Vout1 − Vout 2 = RD ( I D1 − I D 2 ) = RD Gm (Vin1 − Vin 2 )

Vout1 − Vout 2
= g m1 RD
Vin1 − Vin 2
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Differential Gain

Vout1 − Vout 2
Av (diff ) = = gm RD
Vin1 − Vin2
g
Av ( Single − Ended ) = m RD
2
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 Differential Pair as a CS and CD-CG Amplifier
gm RD
Av = −
1+ gm RS
gm
=− RD , (S.E.)
2
= gm RD , (diff )

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Common-Mode Response

Vout
Av =
Vin,CM
RD / 2
=−
1/(2gm ) + RSS

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 Board Notes

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Example
• In the following circuit assume that RSS=500Ω and W/L=25/0.5,
µnCox=50µA/V2, VTH =0.6, λ=γ=0 and VDD=3V.

a) What is the required input CM for which RSS sustains 0.5V?

b) Calculate RD for a differential gain of 5V/V.
c) What happens at the output if the input CM level is 50mV
higher than the value calculated in part (a)?

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 Board Notes

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Common-Mode Response

∆VX gm
=− R
∆Vin,CM 1+ 2gm RSS D
∆VY gm
=− (RD + ∆RD )
∆Vin,CM 1+ 2gm RSS

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 Common-Mode Response

VX − VY gm1 − gm 2
=− RD
Vin,CM (gm1 + gm 2 )RSS + 1

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Common-Mode Response

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 Differential Pair with MOS Loads

Av = −gmN (gmP
−1
|| roN || roP )

≈−
gmN Av = −gmN (roN || roP )
gmP

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MOS Loads

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 MOS Loads

Av ≈ gm 1[(gm 3 ro3 ro1 ) || (gm 5ro5 ro7 )]

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Gilbert Cell

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 Gilbert Cell

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Gilbert Cell

VOUT = kVin Vcont

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