University of Southern California

EE479L 2018 FALL Homework 3 Due by Friday, Oct 19, 12:00pm

Mike Chen Homework 3 (Due Oct 13 in class) EE479Fall 2017

Aoyang Zhang

1.
(i) A differential pair uses input NMOS devices with W/L = 50/0.5 and a tail
current of 1mA. K = 134u

(a) What is the equilibrium overdrive voltage of each transistor?

(b) How is the tail current shared between the two sides if Vin1-Vin2 =
50mA?
(c) What is the equivalent Gm under this condition?
(d) For what value of Vin1 – Vin2 does the Gm drop by 10%? By 90%?

(ii) Repeat Problem (i) with W/L = 25/0.5, compare the results and give your
quantitative explanation.

(iii) Repeat Problem (i) with a tail current of 2mA, compare the results and give
your quantitative explanation.

2. Due to a manufacturing defect, a large parasitic resistance has appeared

between the drain and source terminals of M1 in Fig. 1. Assuming no channel
length modulation and body effect, calculate the small-signal gain,
common-mode gain and CMRR.

Figure 1
3. Assuming no symmetry in the circuit of Fig. 2 and using no equivalent circuits,
calculate the small-signal voltage gain (Vout)/(Vin1 – Vin2). Considering body effect
only.

Figure 2

4. Assuming the circuit shown in Fig. 3 is symmetric, sketch Vout as (a) Vin1 and Vin2
vary differentially from zero to VDD, and (b) Vin1 and Vin2 are equal and they vary
from zero to VDD

Figure 3

5. One important advantage of differential amplifier is its ability to reject

even-order harmonic nonlinearity. In fig 4, shows a basic single-ended amplifier
and a differential amplifier. Assume the input signal is DC component
superimposed with small signal Vmcos(ωt). Derive the amplitude of second
harmonic terms normalized to the fundamental in both circuit, and compare the
result to give quantitative explanation. In the final derivation, the term with
cos(ωt) is defined as fundamental and the term with cos(2ωt) is defined as
second harmonic.
(Hint: The DC analysis to get current v.s. cos(ωt) relationship is necessary to solve
this problem.)

Figure 4