EE-435 / 4 credits

Teacher: Koukab Adil

Language: English


Summary

The course provides a comprehensive treatment of analog IC design, emphasizing new solutions and paradigms used in today's low-power electronic systems. The analysis and design are first introduced from an intuitive perspective before the rigorous treatment and practical application in EDA-Lab.

Content

  • Introduction: Low-Power AMS design and applications (IoT, Wearable, Sensors, Healthcare ect.)
  • MOS Transistor: Modelling, Operation, and trade-offs
  • Noise in analog circuits
  • Voltage references and regulators
    • Supply and temperature-independent biasing
    • Low-Voltage solution
  • Operational-Amplifiers:
    • Applications (Amplification, Filtering, and Regulation)
    • Frequency analysis and Stability
    • Noise, Offset, and Mismatch
    • Filly Differential and common mode feedback
    • LV solutions: Rail to Rail Amp.
  • Mixed-signal design examples:
    • Digital calibration of analog circuits
    • Comparators
    • Practical aspects in MS-SOC
  • EDA project (cadence-labs):
    • Technology parameters extraction
    • OTA and its biasing: Structural Design based on gm/ID Methodology
    • Folded cascode OTA and its CMFB
    • Comparator

Keywords

  • MOS transistor, Modelling, Analog Design, Current Mirrors, Voltage references, Regulators, Amplifiers, Stability, low-power, Low-noise, Low Voltage, digital calibration

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Students must be familiar with the fundamentals of microelectronics (Bachelor-level), including OpAmp application in linear and nonlinear circuits, Bipolar and/or MOS transistor physics, operation of basic circuits (inverter, simple amplifier, differential amplifier, current mirrors, basic OTA etc.).

Required courses: Electronics I, II, Analog IC Design 1

Recommended courses

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Identify the different circuits used in analog processing
  • Explain the functionality of the different circuits used in analog processing
  • Choose an an appropriate design methodology for creating amplifiers based on a set of specifications and for a specific application.
  • Quantify the effects of noise, process and temperature variations on the performances of analog circuits used for biasing, amplification and filtering
  • Analyze the trade-offs between "linearity, noise, power consumption and speed" in analog design.
  • Assess / Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different analog and mixed-signal circuit architectures with respect to these trade-offs
  • Manipulate state-of-the-art industrial EDA tools (Cadence "Virtuoso, Assura, Spectre", and design kits (e.g. UMC 65 nm CMOS technology).
  • Carry out basic analog design flows (Schematic and layout editing, circuit simulation "DC, transient, small-signal AC, Monte-Carlo," back-end verification (DRC/LVS), parasitics extraction, virtual testbench development).

Teaching methods

Ex-cathedra lectures

Exercice sessions

Computer labs using industry-standard IC design tools

Resources

Moodle Link

In the programs

  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: Written (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Analog circuit design II (for MNIS)
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory

Reference week

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