Institut für Integrierte Systeme

Integrated Systems Laboratory

Communications Electronics
Solutions Exercise 5

Jonas Nann

29.03.2023

Problem 1

(a) The voltage gain Av0 from Vin to the input of the two-port circuit (node P) is given by :
Zin
Av0 = (1)
RS + Zin

The Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) at the input of the two-port circuit is given by the ratio of the
available signal power to the available noise power from the source resistor RS .

Si A2 ·V 2 V2
SNRi = = v0 in = in
Ni A2 ·V 2 2
Vn,RS
v0 n,RS

(b) The output SNR is defined as the ratio of the available signal power to the available noise power
at the output (the output available noise power includes both the amplified noise from the source
resistance and the noise of the two-port circuit).

A2v1 · A2v0 ·Vin2

So Vin2
SNRo = = h i=
No A2 · A2 ·V 2 + A2 · (V + R · I )2 2
Vn,RS + (Vn + RS · In )2
v1 v0 n,RS v0 n S n

Note that the equivalent input noise sources Vn2 and In2 are not independent and therefore they
should be added together in amplitude and not in power.
(The noise power is then equal to (A + B)2 instead of A2 + B2 )

(c) The Noise Figure is defined as the ratio of the SNR at the input to the SNR at the output. It’s a
measure of the circuit’s SNR degradation due to internal circuit’s noise sources.

Vin2
SNRi 2
Vn,RS
2
Vn,RS + (Vn + RS · In )2 (Vn + RS · In )2
F= = = = 1+
SNRo Vin2 2 2
Vn,RS Vn,RS
Vn,RS +(Vn +RS ·In )2
2
 Usually the NF is specified for a given frequency and relative to a bandwidth of 1Hz. Such defined
NF is called “Spot” Noise Figure.

2
Vn,RS = 4 · k · T · RS · ∆ f

Spot Noise Figure :

(Vn + RS · In )2
F = 1+
4 · k · T · RS

where Vn2 and In2 are also measured at the same frequency at 1Hz bandwidth.
 
(Vn +RS ·In )2 4·k·T ·RS +(Vn +RS ·In )2 A2v0 ·A2v1 · 4·k·T ·RS +(Vn +RS ·In )2
(d) F = 1 + 4·k·T ·RS = 4·k·T ·RS = A2v0 ·A2v1
· 4·k·T1 ·RS
2
Vn,out 2
Vn,out
= 2 2
Av0 ·Av1 ·4·k·T ·RS
= 2
Gv ·4·k·T ·RS

2
where Gv = Av0 · Av1 is the voltage gain from the input to the output, and Vn,out is the total noise
at the circuit’s output.

(e) The Noise Figure of a complex linear circuit can be found by using the following procedure

(i) By using the superposition principle, the noise contribution of each individual noise source
is calculated at the output.
(ii) From the assumption that the individual noise sources are independent, the total noise power
at the output is calculated from the sum of the individual noise output powers.

2
Vn,out 2
= Vn1,out 2
+Vn2,out 2
+ ... +VnN,out

(iii) After that, the total noise output power is divided by the square of the circuit’s voltage gain
from the input to the output. The result is the equivalent input referred noise power.

2
Vn,out
2 =
Vn,in
G2v
(iv) At the end, the input noise power due to source resistance RS is calculated and the Noise
Figure of the two-port circuit is determined from

2
Vn,in 2
Vn,out
F= =
4 · k · T · RS G2v · 4 · k · T · RS

Problem 2

(a) The gain is given as

Rin Rin
vout = −gm RL vS =⇒ Geff = −gm RL (2)
Rin + gm Rfb Rin + RS Rin + gm Rfb Rin + RS

2
(b) Noise due to RS follows from the input to output transfer function from the previous task.

v2o,RS = 4kT RS G2eff ∆ f (3)

Noise due to RL is simply

v2o,RL = 4kT RL ∆ f (4)

Noise due to the internal noise source i2n in the amplifier is subject to the following transfer func-
tion.

vout Rin + RS Rin + RS

= −RL = Geff (5)
in Rin + gm Rfb Rin + RS gm Rin
which makes the output noise to
 2
Rin + RS
v2o,i2 = G2eff i2n . (6)
n gm Rin

(c) The feedback reduces the effective Gain. This reduces the signal power and the noise power due
to source and internal effects to be reduced by the same factor. The noise power due to the load
resistance is not affected.

(d)

v2o,RL + v2o,i2
n
F = 1+ (7)
v2o,RS
RL Rin + RS 2 i2n
= 1+ + ( ) (8)
RS G2eff gm Rin 4kT RS ∆ f

The noise figure increases with decreasing Geff , which means that increasing the feedback in-
creases also the noise figure. If the noise due to RL is neglectable, then the noise figure stays
constant no matter how big Gfb is chosen.

(e) In the lecture the source degenerate common-source amplifier and the emitter degenerated common-
emitter amplifier have a series- series feedback.