IL2220

2B5457, PhD course

Low-Power Analog & Mixed Signal Ics

Term 4, 2011, 7.5 credits

http://www.ict.kth.se/courses/IL2220/

KTH/ICT
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 Outline

• General Course Information

• Motivation
• Introduction and overview

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 General Course Information

Course Coordinator:
Assoc. Prof. Ana Rusu, e-mail: arusu@kth.se
Instructors: Doc. Ana Rusu
Dr. Saul Rodriguez, e-mail: saul@kth.se
Teaching Assistant:
Julian Garcia, email: julianmg@kth.se

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 General Course Information

To follow the course students have to be registered.

For registration, you have
- to signed up at the first lecture on the list of
students who have chosen the course.

Course webpage:
http://http://www.ict.kth.se/courses/IL2220/
Check it regularly.
Lecture Handouts will be on the web, but please come to
class to keep the discussion interactive.

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 General Course Information
Course Objectives
The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of, and
experience with, the basic analysis and design concepts for low power
analog and mixed signal VLSI circuits in CMOS technology.

After this course you should be able to:

• Explain the basic concepts for low power analog and mixed-signal
VLSI circuits in CMOS technology.
• Apply the knowledge in low-power analog and mixed-signal VLSI
circuit analysis and simulation.
• Identify the critical parameters that affect the analog and mixed-
signal VLSI circuits’ performance.
• Design fundamental low-power analog and mixed-signal circuits by
using CMOS processes.

Follow up course: Advanced Topics on Mixed-Mode Design,

IL2221, P1-HT11, http://www.ict.kth.se/courses/IL2221/
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 General Course Information

Course prerequisites: Basic knowledge of transistor

operation and models, simple analog circuits, Laplace and z
transforms, frequency-domain circuit analysis, familiarity
with Matlab and circuit simulation tools such as SPICE.
Course requirements: 7.5 ECTS
Assigments: 3 credits pass/fail
We will assign 4 quizzes and 5 homeworks.
Quizzes will be during the exercise classes 2, 3, 4, 5.
The schedule will be posted on the course webpage.

Final Exam (open book): 4.5 credits

Grading: A-E, Fx, F
The final written exam, on May 27, 2010, 9:00-13:00,
Rooms: 530.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 General Course Information

Grading rules for the final exam:

Written exam consists of 100 points.
Points  40 F (fail, not possible to upgrade)
41  points  50 Fx (fail, but possible to upgrade to E)
51  points  60 E
61  points  70 D
71  points  80 C
81  points  90 B
Points > 90 A
Note: PhD students need at least ”B” in order to pass the
course.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 General course information
Textbooks and external resources
Required:
1. David A. Johns, Ken Martin, ”Analog integrated circuit design”, Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 1997.
2. Ana Rusu, IL2220 Handouts.
3. Saul Rodriguez, IL2220 Tutorials
Recommended:
F. Maloberti, Data Converters, Kluwer, 2006
M. Gustavsson, J. Jacob Wikner, N. Tan, CMOS Data Converters for
Communications, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000.
IEEE 1241-2000, Standard for terminology and test methods for ADCs
IEEE 1057-1994, Standard for digitizing waveform recorders.
National Instruments: The Fundamentals of FFT-Based Signal Analysis and
Measurement
B. Razavi, Design of analog CMOS integrated circuits, McGraw-Hill, 2001.
H. Gray, L. Meyer, ”Analysis and Design of Analog ICs”, Wiley & Sons, 4th
Ed.,2001.
W. Sansen, ”Analog Design Essentials” Springer 2006.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 IL2220 Course Organization (1)

 A bottom-up approach starting with the basic

circuits, then moving to building blocks and finally to
system (DAC and ADC) architectures and
topologies ADC
Analog Digital Digital
In Filter Out

Anti-alias Sampling Quantization Digital

Filtering Coding

DAC

Digital Digital Analog

D A
In Filter Out

Digital DAC Analog Reconstruction

Decoding Hold Filtering

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 IL2220 Course Organization (2)

 Describe, analyze and design fundamental circuits

and building blocks of CMOS AMS circuits and
systems: amplifiers, current mirrors, comparators,
bias, voltage references, sample-and-hold (S/H)
circuits, switched-capacitor (SC) and continuous-time
(CT) circuits; and issues, such as noise, distortion,
mismatch, stability.
 Experience the design of basic CMOS analog
blocks (current mirrors and amplifiers)
 Define the concept of A/D and D/A conversion and
the performance metrics of ADCs and DACs.
 Introduce and discuss the principles and design of a
large number of ADC & DAC architectures and
topologies (Nyquist and oversampling).
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 IL2220 Course Organization (3)
Course Topics

L1: Devices – Fundamentals (Ch. 1)

L2 Noise – Fundamentals (Ch. 4)
L3-4: CMOS operational amplifier and current mirrors (Ch. 3,5,6)
L5: Voltage comparators & Band-gap voltage references (Ch. 7,8)
L6: Sample & Hold Circuits (Ch. 8)
L7: Switched-Capacitor (SC) circuits (Ch.10)
L8: Continuous-time (CT) circuits (Ch.15)
L9: Data converters–Fundamentals (Ch.11)
L10: Nyquist Digital-to-Analog Converters (Ch.12)
L11:Nyquist Analog-to-Digital Converters (partI) (Ch. 13)
L12: Nyquist ADCs & Oversampling Data Converters (Ch.13, 14)
Johns & Martin book

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 Motivation

Why Low-Power Analog & Mixed-Signal ICs?

• We live in an analog world, but the signal processing
and storage are digital. We need to move from analog to
digital and reverse (mixed-signal interfaces: data
converters).
• Many functions are easily performed in the digital
domain, but there are applications where it is very
difficult or even impossible to replace analog functions
with their digital counterparts regardless of advantages
in technology.
• Most of current applicatios require as low as possible
power dissipation – power considerations are necessary
at all levels: concept, architecture, system, block, circuit
and physical.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 Data Converters - Applications

Data converters (are the key blocks of AMS SOC) are used in a wide
range of applications. Performance requirements such as resolution
and bandwidth are set by the intended application. Portable devices
increasingly push the limits of data conversion technology by requiring
higher speeds and lower power.
• Communications: cell phones, personal
data assistants (PDA), wireless radios for
base-stations, routers, modems, wireless
sensor networks, biosensors.
• Consumer Electronics: audio, TV, video,
digital cameras, automotive control, toys.
• Measurement & Instrumentation:
medical equipment, lab bench equipment,
semiconductor test equipment, scientific
equipment.
• Computing and Control: data acquisition,
storage media, sound cards.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 Data Converters - Applications

 Explosion of new mobile applications

 Need for satisfactory battery life span.
 Integration
 AMS-SOC benefits:
- lower cost (fewer devices, reduced PCB area)
- allows increased complexity and design approaches
that are not possible wih two different analog/digital sub-
systems.

IL2220 Ana Rusu

 Analog signals vs. digital signals

We are analog beings that live in an analog world.

Analog signal Digital signal
Can take any value within Can take only a finite amount
its range of values within its range
Mixed-Signal Interface (data converters)
ADC/DAC

Continuous time, continuous amplitude Discrete time, discrete amplitude

Issues:
- How to translate into a signal discrete in time and amplitude (ADC)
- How to translate into a signal continuous in time and amplitude (DAC)
IL2220 Ana Rusu
Architectures and topologies.
 AMS building block circuits

How to implement them?

There are many circuits that are used to build data
converters (and most of AMS systems), where the core are
the data converters:
• Amplifiers, buffers, current sources
• Voltage references
• Comparators
• Sample-Hold
• Filters: discrete-time (SC, SI) and continuous-time
• Memory cells, latches, ...
Need to know their requirements, issues, challenges when
designing an ADC or DAC for a specific application, using a
specific technology and implementation.
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 Techology choice
Which technology?
Cmos Technology:
- cheap technology
- very good for digital circuits
- good for analog circuits
- scaling in CMOS technology
- integration with high density digital circuits: posibility of
placing both analog and digital components on the same
chip: improve overall performance and/or reduce the cost.
Technology scaling ..... 65nm, 45nm, ... – Design
challenges and oportunities
The trend is to use ”smart” digital techniques to enhance
the RF/analog and MS circuits performance (offset,
accuracy, linearity) – digitally enhanced RF/AMS
IL2220 Ana Rusu
 ADC & DAC choice

• Wide range of architectures and

topologies: Nyquist-rate or oversampling
• Wide range of implementations
 Choice is driven by the application.

IL2220 Ana Rusu