Course detail

Advanced Methods of Analog Integrated Circuits Design

FEKT-MPC-NAIAcad. year: 2025/2026

The course deals with moderately advanced methods of analog integrated circuits with respect to a more detailed understanding of the parasitic effects in terms of accuracy and noise. Used technologies (bipolar, CMOS and BiCMOS).
The course content is:
- Design and simulation of a small analog system
- Methods for accurate design, calculation of matching (Matching Analysis)
- Noise analysis in theory and in practice

Practically-oriented exercises on real precision low-noise design of analog circuits.
Computer exercises with usage of the advanced software packages (Cadence).

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Ing. Roman Prokop, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Microelectronics (UMEL)

Entry knowledge

The knowledge on the Bachelor´s degree level is requested. Students should be able to explain and work with the basic electrical engineering principles and laws, in particular the theory of circuits (circuit variables, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws). The advantage is the prior completion of the course MPC-AIO (design and analysis of current mirrors, operational amplifiers, voltage bandgap references, etc.)

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Usually:
- 30 points for two written tests during semester
- 70 points for the final exam (written test + oral correction)

The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.
Usually: Credit is conditional upon attendance in computer labs

Aims

The aim is to provide students with the orientation of advanced design methods of modern analog functional blocks for integrated circuits. Emphasis is put on the design of the precise low noise circuits. Students also learn to work with a professional design environment CADENCE at such a level that they will be able to design and draw a basic analog circuits and simple systems and simulate them using basic types of analysis.
After the course the student is able to:
- design a simple analog system (trained on analog circuitry for a switching power supply source controller)
- understand, explain and perform design and analysis of accurate analog integrated circuit (precise operational amplifier, precise voltage reference, precise current reference)
- design, analyze and optimize analog integrated circuit with regard to low noise requirements
(Emphasis will be placed on practical skills (engineering calculation, verification simulation).

Study aids

Lectures:   Electronic texts (PDF)

PC exercises:  Electronic prezentations - tutorials (PPT)

 

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Baker, J.R.:"CMOS circuit design, layout and simulation", IEEE Press a Wiley Interscience, ISBN 0-471-70055-X, 2005 (EN)
BAKER, R. Jacob: "CMOS Circuit Design, Layout and Simulation", Fourth edition. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE Press, 2019. ISBN 9781119481515 (EN)
Razavi:"Design of analog integrated circuits", McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-238032-2, 2001 (EN)

Recommended reading

D. Díaz-Chinea, H. García-Vázquez, M. San Miguel Montesdeoca, S. L. Khemchandani and J. del Pino, "A Wide-band noise-cancelling CMOS LNA based on Current Conveyors," 2015 Conference on Design of Circuits and Integrated Systems (DCIS), Estoril, Portugal, 2015, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/DCIS.2015.7388566. (EN)
M. Seif et al., "Characterization, modeling and comparison of 1/f noise in Si/SiGe:C HBTs issued from three advanced BiCMOS technologies," 2017 29th International Conference on Microelectronics (ICM), Beirut, Lebanon, 2017, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/ICM.2017.8268847. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme MPC-NCP Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory
  • Programme MPC-EKT Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
  • Programme MPC-MEL Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Roman Prokop, Ph.D.

Syllabus

LECTURE OUTLINE OF THE MPC-NAI COURSE

1) OSCILLATOR BLOCK FOR PWM CONTROLLER
- BG reference
- Current reference
- Vcc clamp (parallel regulator)
- V-I converter with temperature stable offset
- Two-ramp oscillator with VCO characteristic
- Vcc reset
- Vcc management (UVLO circuits)
- Fault management circuits

2) FUNDAMENTALS OF PRECISION CIRCUIT DESIGN
- the basic concept of precise design
- basic relationships for calculating errors in analog circuits. Pelgrom's equation
- Monte Carlo method
- accurate transistor pair
- precise current mirror
- precise differential stage (mos/bipolar, resistive load, active load).
- Precision two-stage operational amplifier
- Calculation of the matching error using the match nomogram

3) NOISE

- Definition of the noise density and integral value of noise and theirrelation 
- Correlated and uncorrelated noise contribution
- Noise characterization of active elements
- Resistance noise and PN junction noise
- Equivalent input noise of a bipolar transistor
- Mos transistor noise, equivalent MOS transistor input noise
- Basic concept of low noise design
- Design of a low-noise diff stage (MOS, bipolar)
- Noise of the differential stage with active load

4) DESIGN OF ACCURATE LOW NOISE BG REFERENCE
- Basic principle of precise BG reference
- Identification of the dominant error contribution
- Principle of multiple dVbe
- Accurate low-noise BG reference without additional filtering
- Accurate low-noise BG reference with bypass capacity
- Bypass capacity precharger circuits

5) DESIGN OF A PRECISION LOW-NOISE OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER
- Calculation/simulation of the minimum offset of the exact Opamp in the MOS and BJT process
- Calculation/simulation of the minimum noise of precise Opamp in MOS and BJT process
- Design of the second stage of precision Opmap (parallel/Miller frequency compensation)
- Calculation of the error and the noise of the second stage 
- Design of the first stage of the precise Opamp and its gain determination
- Frequency compensation, optimization of the phase margin

 

Exercise in computer lab

39 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Roman Prokop, Ph.D.

Syllabus

Outline of the subject MPC-NAI

- Getting to know IO (CADENCE) design tools.
- Design and simulation of a small analog system (PWM controller for switching sources)
- Calculation of the matching errors in analog circuits, Monte Carlo analysis - simulation, (a precise design of current mirror and differential stage)
- Noise, calculation and simulation of the noise contributions, low-noise circuit design