Lecture 12

Digital Circuits (II)

MOS INVERTER CIRCUITS

Outline
NMOS inverter with resistor pull-up
The inverter
NMOS inverter with current-source pull-up
Complementary MOS (CMOS) inverter
Static analysis of CMOS inverter

Reading Assignment:
Howe and Sodini; Chapter 5, Section 5.4

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Lecture 12

1. NMOS inverter with resistor pull-up:

Dynamics

CL pull-down limited by current through transistor

[shall study this issue in detail with CMOS]

CL pull-up limited by resistor (tPLH RCL)

Pull-up slowest

VDD

VDD

VOUT:
LO HI

VOUT:
HI LO
VIN:
LO HI

CL

VIN:
HI LO

pull-up

pull-down

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CL

Lecture 12

1. NMOS inverter with resistor pull-up:

Inverter design issues
Noise margins |Av|

R |RCL| slow switching

gm |W| big transistor
(slow switching at input)

Trade-off between speed and noise margin.

During pull-up we need:

High current for fast switching

But also high incremental resistance for high noise
margin.

use current source as pull-up

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Lecture 12

2. NMOS inverter with current-source pull-up

IV characteristics of current source:
iSUP
+

vSUP

1
roc

ISUP

iSUP

_
vSUP

Equivalent circuit models :

iSUP
+

vSUP

ISUP

roc

roc

large-signal model

small-signal model

High current throughout voltage range vSUP > 0

iSUP = 0 for vSUP 0
iSUP = ISUP + vSUP/ roc for vSUP > 0
High small-signal resistance roc.

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Lecture 12

NMOS inverter with current-source pull-up

VDD
Static Characteristics
iSUP
VOUT
VIN

CL

Inverter characteristics :
iD

V
ISUP + rDD
oc

VIN = VGS

3
2

1
VDD

vOUT = vDS

(a)
VOUT

4
VIN

(b)

High roc high noise margins

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Lecture 12

PMOS as current-source pull-up

IV characteristics of PMOS:
+ S+
VSG
_

VSD

VG

B
IDp

_
D

5V

+ V
D

ID(VSG ,VSD)

(a)

VSG = 3.5 V
300
250

IDp
(A)

VSD = VSG + VTp = VSG 1 V

(triode
region)

VSG = 3 V

200
(saturation region)

150

VSG = 25
100

VSG = 0, 0.5, 1 V
(cutoff region)
VSG = 2 V

50

VSG = 1.5 V
1

VSD (V)

(b)

Note: enhancement-mode PMOS has VTp <0.

In saturation:

IDp VSG + VTp

6.012 Spring 2007

Lecture 12

PMOS as current-source pull-up:

Circuit and load-line diagram of inverter with PMOS
current source pull-up:
VDD

PMOS load line for VSG=VDD-VB

-IDp=IDn

VDD

VB
VOUT
VIN

VIN

CL
0
0

VDD

VOUT

Inverter characteristics:
NMOS cutoff
PMOS triode

VOUT

NMOS saturation
PMOS triode

VDD

NMOS saturation
PMOS saturation
NMOS triode
PMOS saturation

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VTn

VDD
Lecture 12

VIN
7

PMOS as current-source pull-up:

NMOS inverter with current-source pull-up allows high
noise margin with fast switching
High Incremental resistance
Constant charging current of load capacitance
But
When VIN = VDD, there is a direct current path between
supply and ground
power is consumed even if the inverter is idle.
VDD

PMOS load line for VSG=VDD-VB

-IDp=IDn

VDD

VB
VOUT:LO
VIN

VIN:HI

CL
0
0

VDD

VOUT

Ideally, we would like to have a current source that is

itself switchable, i.e it shuts off when input is high
CMOS!

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Lecture 12

3. Complementary MOS (CMOS) Inverter

Circuit schematic:
VDD

VIN

VOUT
CL

Basic Operation:

VIN = 0 VOUT = VDD

VGSn = 0 < VTn

VSGp = VDD > - VTp

NMOS OFF
PMOS ON

VIN = VDD VOUT = 0

VGSn = VDD > VTn
VSGp = 0 < - VTp

NMOS ON
PMOS OFF

No power consumption while idle in any logic state!

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Lecture 12

VOUT
VDD 1

CMOS Inverter (Contd.):

3
Output characteristics of both transistors:
4

5
VDD

VIN

IDp = IDn

IDn = IDp

VIN
3

3
4

VDD
n-channel
(a)

2
VOUT

1
VDD

VOUT

p-channel
(b)

Note:
VIN = VGSn = VDD -VSGp VSGp=VDD - VIN
VOUT = VDSn = VDD -VSDp VSDp=VDD - VOUT
IDn = -IDp
Combine into single diagram of ID vs. VOUT with VIN as
parameter

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Lecture 12

10

CMOS Inverter (Contd.):

ID

VDD-VIN

VIN

0
0

VOUT

No current while idle in any logic state

Inverter Characteristics:
NMOS cutoff
PMOS triode

VOUT

NMOS saturation
PMOS triode

VDD
NMOS saturation
PMOS saturation
NMOS triode
PMOS saturation
NMOS triode
PMOS cutoff

VTn

VDD+VTp VDD VIN

rail-to-rail logic: logic levels are 0 and VDD

High |Av| around logic threshold
good noise margins
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11

2. CMOS inverter: noise margins

VOUT

NML

VDD

Av(VM)

VM

VILVM VIH

VDD VIN
NMH

Calculate VM
Calculate Av(VM)
Calculate NML and NMH

Calculate VM (VM = VIN = VOUT)

At VM both transistors are saturated:

I Dn

Wn
2
=
nCox (VM VTn )
2Ln

IDp =
6.012 Spring 2007

Wp
2Lp

pCox (VDD VM + VTp )

Lecture 12

12

CMOS inverter: noise margins (contd.)

Define:
kn =

Wn
n Cox ;
Ln

kp =

Wp
p Cox
Lp

Since :

I Dn = IDp
Then:

1
1
2
kn (VM VTn ) = kp VDD VM + VTp
2
2

Solve for VM:

VTn +
VM =

kp
kn
1+

(VDD + VTp )
kp
kn

Usually, VTn and VTp fixed and VTn = - VTp

VM engineered through kp/kn ratio.

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Lecture 12

13

CMOS inverter: noise margins (contd..)

Symmetric case: kn = kp
VDD
VM =
2
This implies:
Wp

Wp

pCox

kp
L
= 1 = Wp
kn
n C
n ox
Ln

Lp
Wn
2 p
Ln

Wp
W
2 n
Lp
Ln

Since usually Lp Ln = Lmin Wp 2Wn

Asymmetric case:

kn >> kp , or

Wp
Wn
>>
Ln
Lp

VM VTn
NMOS turns on as soon as VIN goes above VTn.
Asymmetric case:

kn << kp , or

Wp
Wn
<<
Ln
Lp

VM VDD + VTp
PMOS turns on as soon as VIN goes below VDD + VTp.
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CMOS inverter: noise margins (contd)

Calculate Av(VM)
Small signal model:
S2
+

vsg2=-vin
-

vin
-

gmpvsg2

rop

G2

D2

G1

D1
+

vgs1

gmnvgs1

vout

ron

S1

G1=G2

D1=D2

vin

gmnvin

gmpvin

ron//rop

vout
-

S1=S2

)(

A v = g mn + gmp ron // rop

This can be rather large.

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CMOS inverter: calculate noise margins

(contd.)
VOUT

NML

VDD

Av(VM)

VM

VILVM VIH

VDD VIN
NMH

Noise-margin low, NML:

VIL = VM

VDD VM
Av

NM L = VIL VOL = VIL = VM

VDD VM
Av

Noise-margin high, NMH:

VIH

= VM 1 +
Av

NM H = VOH VIH

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= VDD VM 1+
Av

Lecture 12

16

What did we learn today?

Summary of Key Concepts
In NMOS inverter with resistor pull-up, there is a
trade-off between noise margin and speed
Trade-off resolved using current source pull-up
Use PMOS as current source.

In NMOS inverter with current-source pull-up: if

VIN = High, there is power consumption even if
inverter is idling.
Complementary MOS: NMOS and PMOS switchon alternatively.
No current path between power supply and ground
No power consumption while idling

Calculation of CMOS
VM
Noise Margin

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Lecture 12

17