LOW-VOLTAGE CURRENT-MODE ANALOG CIRCUIT STRUCTURES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS SS Jamuar' and 8. §. Rajput 'EE Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Dethi, Hauz Khas New Delhi-1 10016 India Presently with Faculty of Engineering, University Putra, Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Malaysia Thin Film Technology Group, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi-1 10012 India Email ssjamuar@eng.upm.edu.my and ssrajput@csnpl.ren.nic.in ABSTRACT Low-voltage operation is the obvious choice for low- power CMOS circuits. In this tutorial, design of new low-voltage analog cells has been presented, These cells have been used to develop new low-voltage analog signal processing (ASP) structures. New applications of ASP structures have also been suggested. 1, INTRODUCTION Low-power low-voltage operations are the key features of the modem electronic gadgets. Portability and low power consumption has become essential requirements. Increasing demands of such products encourage research and development efforts in design and perfecting the circuits with low power consumption and low voltage operation [1]. Reduced voltage operation with low curvent remains the preferred choice to meet ‘he challenges of low-power consumption, This requires alternative design techniques. Brief study of all the low-voltage design techniques like bulk-dviven transistors, sub-threshold transistors, level shifter transistors, self-caseode structures, floating gate MOSFETS will be presented along with their merits and demerits 2-7]. Different cireit structures based on ‘these techniques will be reviewed on the basis of their performance. The level shifter approach provides high bandwidth structures. Hence we shall be extensively using the level shifter technique in our designs, Detailed treatment of the low-power, low-voltage analog circuit structures will be presented and the significance of current mode circuit structures will be discussed. Lov voltage CMs, which have been used in the design of new low voltage anelog signal processing (ASP) cells (Cs, OFCs and CFAS), will be presented, New applications of these ASP cells have also been developed and suggested 2. NEW ANALOG CELLS ‘This section deals with the analog cells, which are necessary for the development of ASP’ cells. New LVCMs structures [8-10], having more than 1.0GHz bandwidth with wide input current range of KA 10 500A and capable of operating at £1.0V, will be presented, As these LVCM suffer on account of offset curtent (Iygq), an adaptive technique to reduce Jy and ¥, will be presented, Compensation techaiques similar 1 that presented by Voo and Taumazau [11,12] have been used to enhance the bandwidth of the LVCMs. A. ‘CM, which can operate at £0,5V and uses self-cascode structures of the mosfets, will also be discussed. This ‘has a bandwidth of 8.0GHz and the input eurrent range of O.01KA t0 500A. Voltage buffer (VB) is another basic circuit structure, which finds use in almost all ASP cells. New circuit structures will be discussed to implement the functions of a rail-to-rail VB along with their detailed analysis and simulation results ‘The effect of mismatch between device parameters also needs to be examined for all the structures Sensitivity analysis (© understand the influence of Aevice parameters over the circuit performance is essential, These resulls have shown that the effect of mismatch has little influence on the performance of the proposed circuit structures. Temperature effects have been simulated and these results wil be discussed. 3. NEW SIGNAL PROCESSING CELLS In this section, the concept of modular design for current mode ASP cells will be introduced. structures, which ean operate at £1,0V and possess the ‘bandwidths in excess of 100MHz, are proposed (13,14] ‘The ASP cells ean replace the existing voltage mode ‘operational amplifiers [8-13]. Simulation results will be also presente for these structures, A new CCIT structure based on the self-cascode MOSFETs [15], which operates at 20.5V and have high bandwidth of SOOMHz ‘with near rail-to-rail input and ourput voltage swings, will also be discussed, Operational floating conveyor (OFC) can serve as universal cell for realization of structures like CCs, CFAS ete. [14,16]. These circuits will prove to be more advantageous in the design of foture current-mode analog circuits. Only one type of architecture needs to be fabricated and few interconnections between various elements yield the desired ASP cell. New CMOS realization for OFC will be presented. Finally, architecture for a CFA. structure will be introduced. 4, SIGNAL PROCESSING APPLICATIONS In this section, some of the most popular uses of these ‘op amps such as voliage amplifier, current amplifier ete.were realized through the newly introduced ASP cells are presented. Mathematical functions ike square rooting, squaring and absolute value converter using the proposed CCs [13,1718] are described for near real time analog signal processing. 5, ADVANCED ASP APPLICATIONS Some non-conventional applications of the proposed ASP cells such as cusrent clectrometers, current sensors ce, will be discussed, Current electrometer is another ‘most commonly used instrument in space application which find applications in almost every measuring instruments like retarding potential analyzer, Langmuir Probe, mass spectrometer, lon density meter ete. [19} Portable electronic plasma simulation source (PEPSS) is required for testing these instruments, when real plasma chamber is inaccessible. PEPSS mimics the functions of space plasma and uses current conveyers Il (CCU) {20} ‘The proposed PEPSS has the capability to simulate 3 ‘orders of current for temperatures from 300K to 120K with bandwidth of 20MEYz, It can be mounted directly fon top of the sensor and can detive power from the sensor electronics, 6, REFERENCES (I), B. Wilson, “Recent developments in curent conveyors and curent mode eitcuts", IEE Proe.G. Circuits, Devices, Systems, vl. 137, no. 2, pp. 63-77, April 1950 {2}. 8.1. Blalock, P. E. Allen and A. R. Gare! “Designing l= V Op Amps using standard digital CMOS technology.” IEEE Trans. Circuits and SystemsIl, pp. 769-780, 1998 [B].E. Sancher-Sinenci, “Low voltage analog circu design technique’, IEEE Dallas CAS Werkshap 2000, [4] S. S. Rajput and S. 5, Jamost, “Design Techniques For Low Voltage Analog Circuit Stuctues”, ASMA200VNIEEB, Malaysia, Nov. 2000 5] S. Yan and E, SancherSinencio, “Low Voliage Analog Greuit Design Techniques: A Tutorll”, JEICE Trans Fundamentals, yl. E83-A, Feb. 2000, [6] S. S. Rajput and S. S. Januar, “Low Voltage Analog Giteut Design Techniques", JEEE CAS Mag. Vol 3. No. 24-42, 2002, (7) E. Sanchex-Sineacio and A. G. Andreou, ed, “Low volisgelow power integrated ciruits and systems", JA! Press, 1998. [8] S. S. Rajput and SS. Jamuar, "High Curren, Low Votage Current micrors snd Applications", VLSI: Systems on 1 Chip, Edited by L. M. Silveira, Srinivas Devadae and R. Reis, Kluwer Academie Publishers, Netherland, 2000, [9] 8. S. Rajput and SS. lars urrent mio! for low voltage. designs” 2002/IEEE, Tianjin, China, Dee 2000 bigh performance Prog. APCCAS. [U0] S. Rajput end SS. Jamar, “Low Volag, Low Power ‘nd High Performance Current Minor for Portable Analogue and Mixed Mode Cireuit Applications, TEE Proc. G Circus Devies, Syst vol 188, n0. 5: p. 273-278, 2001, 14] 7. Voo, and, ©. Toumazau,"High speed current minror resistive compensation technique, Electron, Le, 1998, 31 , ro. pp. 248-250, U2] T. Yoo, and, C. Tounazay, “Precision temperature SMabiized tenable CMOS current minor for fier applications, Flecon, Lett, 1996, 32, no. 2, pp. 105-106 (13) S.S. Rajput and S. S. Jamuar, “Low voltage, low power, high performance current conveyors, ISCAS-2001/IEEE, vol 1 pp.-723~— 1-726, May 2001 114] S.S. Raju, “Low-volige currentmode analog circuit slrycures and their applications", Ph. D. Thesis, IFT Dell India, 2001 Us] S.S. Rajput and. S. Jamu, “Ultra Low Voltage, High Frequency Analog Cells based oa Sel/-Cascode MOSPETS and. Their Applications", communicated to IEEE. Tens, Cireuts and stems Pari (16) S. 5. Rajput and S. S. Jara, “Current conveyors: classification, structures and applications", IETE Journal of Fdvcation, vol. 4390.1, pp 3-13, 202 [17] 8.8. Rajput and 8, S. Jamuar, “Advanced applications of turent conveyors”, sccepled World Engineering Congress: 2002, Malaysia. [18] 5. S. Rajput and SS. famuar, “CCH based Low voltage high performance linear current electrometer, accepted (Review OF Seientie Instruments) [20] S. S. Rajput and 5. S- Jamar, “CCH based low voltaze [CMOS current sources for space plasma probes", Meas. Sc Tecinol no. 12 pp. N39-N42, Dee 2001 S.S. Jamuar has received his BSe. Eng. Degree in EAC fiom BIT, Sindsi in 1967, M. Tech and Ph. D. in lectrical Engineering {rom TIT, Kanpur, India in 1970 and 1977 respectively. He joined TT Delhi in 1977, Where he is presently Professor. His area of interest inchudes Electronic Circuit Design, Instrumentation and ‘Communication systems. He is recipient of Meghnad Saha Memorial Award 1976 from IETE, Distinguished ‘Alumni Award from BIT Sindri in 1999. Dr. Samar is senor member of IEEE and Fellow member of IETE ‘India) ‘S.$. Rajput was born on July 1, 1957, a village Bashir Pur, District Bijnor UP India, He received his B. Ein E&C and M. E. ERC from University of Roorkee, Roorkee (Now IIT Rorkee), India in 1978 and 1981 respectively and was awarded University gold medal He joined NPL, New Delhi India in 1983, where he is Scientist FI. He has worked for the design, development and testing of an instrument meant for space exploration under ISRO-NPL. joint program for SROSS-C and SROSS-C2 missions. His rescatch interests include low voltage analog cireuit design, instrument design for space applications, digital signal processing. He has more than 20. publications in ‘ational and international journals.