NYU Tandon School of Engineering
ECE – GY 6403 Fundamentals of Analog Integrated Circuit Design
Fall Semester 2024
Homework 10
Instructions:
- Solve the following problems.
- Unless otherwise stated, use the parameters of the following table.
-
- Assume VDD = 3 V unless otherwise stated
Deliverables:
- Handwritten or computer typed solution for each problem showing your
reasoning and calculations to get the results. Clearly state and justify any
assumption you deemed necessary to get the result. There is no specific
format to present your homework, but all the problems should be presented
in just one file (.pdf, .doc, etc.). Keep your work organized and easy to follow.
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Problem 1:
Calculate the input-referred thermal noise voltage of each circuit in the figure
below. Assume that λ = γ = 0.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
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Problem 2:
In this problem, we are going to use the noise analysis provided by Cadence
Virtuoso. Input the schematic from problem 1a) into Cadence Virtuoso. Use an
NMOS_VTL as your transistor for M1. Set RD and RS to 100 kΩ and 10 kΩ
respectively. For RD and RS, use resistors from the analogLib library. Set the
supply VDD to 1.2 V and Vin to a common mode voltage of 500 mV. Add a 1 pF
capacitor to the output of the amplifier.
Run a DC analysis of the design. Is transistor M1 operating in saturation?
What is its drain current equal to? Proceed with running an AC analysis. What
is the DC gain of the amplifier? What is its 3 dB bandwidth? Submit the bode
plot of the amplifier’s gain.
In the analysis section of your ADE L window, select noise analysis as the
analysis to run. Set the sweep variable to frequency and the frequency range from
1 Hz to 1 GHz. For the output noise, select the output voltage node in your circuit.
For your input noise, select the name of your voltage source which connects to the
gate of transistor M1.
Figure 2: Noise Analysis Setup
Re-run the simulation. Once the simulation is finished, click on Results -> Direct
Plot -> Squared Input Noise. Cadence Virtuoso will plot for you the total input
referred noise as a function of frequency. Submit a screenshot of input squared
noise graph. Make sure to set to y-axis to a logarithmic scale by right
clicking on the scale on the graph and setting it to logarithmic. See Figure 3
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as an example of what to expect. You will notice that the input referred noise is
higher for low frequencies and decreases logarithmically until it flattens. This is due
to the fact that for lower frequencies, the main source of noise is the flicker noise
from M1. For higher frequencies the main source of noise is thermal noise. What is
the approximate value of the corner frequency, fc, that is the frequency at
which the flicker noise and thermal noise are roughly equal?
Figure 3: Squared Input Noise Graph Example
Now plot the squared output noise, (Results -> Direct Plot -> Squared Output
Noise). Submit a screenshot of your squared output noise. You will notice that
the output noise begins to decrease past a certain frequency. Explain why
this is the case and how it relates to the 3 dB bandwidth of the amplifier.
Cadence Virtuoso also provides a textual format for observing sources of
noise in a circuit in detail. Click on Results -> Print -> Noise Summary in your ADE
L window. Set the type to integrated noise. This tells the software to integrate input
and output noise over a specific range of frequencies. Set the range of frequencies
from 1 Hz to the 3dB bandwidth of the amplifier. Include all types of noise, and set
Cadence to output the top 5 sources of noise. See Figure 4 for the setup.
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Figure 4: Integrated Noise Summary Setup Example (Note that you should set your
upper sweep limit to your 3 dB bandwidth not necessarily 1 MHz)
Press ok and Cadence Virtuoso will open a new window listing the top 5 sources of
noise in your circuit. The parameters id, fn, and rn refer to transistor thermal noise,
transistor flicker noise, and resistor thermal noise respectively. The window also
tells you the total integrated input referred noise and total integrated output referred
noise (printed as total summarized noise) over your selected frequency range.
Submit a screenshot of your integrated noise window.
Modify the aspect ratio of the transistor M1 in order to achieve a total
integrated input referred noise of 750 pV2 or less. Do not modify the values of RD,
RS, or CL. Report your aspect ratio and submit a screenshot of your
integrated noise window. Discuss your design procedure of how you
obtained your new aspect ratio. You may wish to relate back to your answer
in Problem 1a).
Bonus (Extra Credit):
The total input referred noise can also be found by taking the squared input
referred noise waveform and integrating the waveform using the calculator in
Cadence. Right click on your waveform to send it to the calculator and use the
integrate function to perform the integration. Submit a screenshot showing the
output of your calculator. It should match the total input referred noise
returned by the noise summary tool.
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