CSE 577 Spring 2011

Current Source & Bias Circuits

Insoo Kim, Kyusun Choi

Mixed Signal CHIP Design Lab.
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
Introduction

Required Features of Current Source
 High Rout
 Wide Operation Range
 Constant Current Source
 Low PVT (Process, Voltage, Temperature) Sensitivity

Required Features of Bias Circuit

 Low Rout
 Low PVT Sensitivity

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Current Source

• Basic Current Source

• Wilson Current Mirror
• Cascode Current Mirror
Ideal vs. Actual Current Source

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Simple NMOS Current Source

What’s the bad feature of this?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Cascode Current Source

What’s the bad feature of this?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Basic Current Mirror

What’s the bad feature of this?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Wilson Current Mirror

g m1 (W / L)1
• I out = I ref ⋅ = I ref ⋅
g m2 (W / L) 2

What’s the drawback of this circuit?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Cascode Current Mirror

But, it still has limited output swing problem.

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Wide Swing Cascode Current Mirror

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Bias Circuits

• Self Bias Circuits

• PTAT Bias Circuits
• Band gap Reference
Power Supply Dependency of Current Source

Consideration Factors
- VDD
- Channel Length Modulation
- Transistor Mismatch

How do we generate Iref independent

of the supply voltage?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Self Biasing Circuit

What’s role of Rs?

What’s the advantage of these circuits?

What’s the problem of these circuits?
2/22/2011 Insoo Kim
Improved Self Biasing Circuit

Improved Circuit with Start-up Circuit

Improved Circuit eliminating * This Circuit is practical only if
Body Effect

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

A Simple Temperature Compensation Concept

0℃
℃
VDD VDD
90℃
℃
M1(Ids)
Negative TC Positive TC

vr0 ZTC
v (Zero Temperature Coefficient)

M1

R1 M1(Vgs)
1. R1 is a conductor which has positive TC
2. M1 has negative TC below ZTC point
(Semiconductor)
3. If we control Vr0 below ZTC point, Vr0 become less
Self Bias Circuit sensitive to temperature due to opposite TC of M1
and R1

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Case Study (I) – Self Bias Circuit in DRAM

starter

ⓐ ⓑ

For Temp.
Compensation pmos diode
Vext
ⓑ
vref
ⓐ

What’s the drawback of these circuits?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim
Case Study (II) – Self Bias Circuit in DRAM
Why does this circuit need the voltage buffer?
Why are PMOS current mirrors stacked in the reference bias circuit?
Voltage Buffer vr1
ⓐ
starter For Temp.
Compensation

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

VBE Referenced CMOS Self-
Self-bias Circuit

How do we fabricate BJT in CMOS

* Temperature Sensitivity ~ - 4000 ppm/C
Process Technology?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Realization of pnp BJT in CMOS Technology

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Vth Referenced CMOS Self-
Self-Bias Circuit

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Thermal Voltage Referenced CMOS Self-
Self-Bias Circuit

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Thermal Voltage Referenced CMOS Self-
Self-Bias Circuit

* Temp.
Sensitivity ~
+3300 ppm/C

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

CMOS Band gap Reference

What’s the problem?

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

(cont’d) CMOS Band gap Reference

Actual Implementation of CMOS Band Gap Reference

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Actual Implementation of CMOS Band gap Reference

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Design Lab. – Self Bias Circuit with Temp. Compensation

Schematics

* AMIS 0.5um Tech

(a) Basic Schematic (b) actual implementation

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Design Lab. – Self Bias Circuit with Temp. Compensation

Simulation Results

VDD
Vr0b

Vr0 (a)

Vr0 (b)

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Design Lab. – Self Bias Circuit with Temp. Compensation

Simulation Results – Temp. Compensation

90C
25C 90C
25C

(a) (a)
-10C -10C

(b) (b)

Vr0 Current

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

Design Lab. – Self Bias Circuit with Temp. Compensation

Zero Temperature Coefficient Point

90C

25C

-10C
0.82V

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim

References

Joongho Choi, “CMOS analog IC Design,” IDEC Lecture
Note, Mar. 1999.

B. Razavi, “Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits,”
McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Hongjun Park, “CMOS Analog Integrated Circuits
Design,” Sigma Press, 1999.

2/22/2011 Insoo Kim