A g/sub m//I/sub D/ based methodology for the design of CMOS analog circuits and its application to the synthesis of a silicon-on-insulator micropower OTA

TLDR

The g/m/I_D ratio is a universal characteristic of all transistors in a given process. The authors propose a unified MOS transistor design methodology aimed at CMOS analog circuits, particularly low‑power designs that exploit the moderate‑inversion region for a balance of speed and power. The synthesis uses the g/m/I_D to I_D/(W/L) relationship, derived from measurements and fitted with analytical models. The method successfully designed a silicon‑on‑insulator micropower OTA.

Abstract

A new design methodology based on a unified treatment of all the regions of operation of the MOS transistor is proposed. It is intended for the design of CMOS analog circuits and especially suited for low power circuits where the moderate inversion region often is used because it provides a good compromise between speed and power consumption. The synthesis procedure is based on the relation between the ratio of the transconductance over DC drain current g/sub m//I/sub D/ and the normalized current I/sub D//(W/L). The g/sub m//I/sub D/ indeed is a universal characteristic of all the transistors belonging to a same process. It may be derived from experimental measurements and fitted with simple analytical models. The method was applied successfully to the design of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micropower operational transconductance amplifier (OTA).