Microelectronic Circuits II

Ch 8 :
Frequency Response

8.2 High-Frequency Model of the MOSFET and the BJT

8.3 High-Frequency Response of CS & CE Amplifier

CNU EE 8.1-1
 Internal Capacitive Effects and
High-Frequency Model of MOSFET
- Gain fall-off at the low-frequency end : coupling & bypass capacitors
- Gain falloff at high frequency : capacitive effects internal to the transistors
- Capacitive effects & device small-signal taken these effects into accounted

§ Internal capacitances in the MOSFET

- Assumption: steady-state charges on the gate-to-channel capacitance are acquired
instantaneously : constant amplifier gains independent of frequency
à finite time is required to charge & discharge the various internal capacitances

Gate capacitive effect:

- parallel-plate capacitor with gate electrode (polysilicon) & the channel,
- the oxide layer as the capacitor dielectric à gate capacitance Cox
Source-body and drain-body depletion-layer capacitances:
- the capacitances of the reverse-biased pn junctions formed by
- n+ source region (source diffusion) and the p-type substrate,
- n+ drain region (drain diffusion) and the substrate.
Five capacitances : Cgs , Cgd , Cgb , Csb and Cdb

The gain of MOSFET amplifiers falls off at some high frequency

CNU EE 8.1-2
 MOSFET Internal Capacitances
§ Gate capacitive effect: § Junction capacitances:
Cgs, Cgd & Cgb two reverse biased pn junctions
- Cox : oxide capacitance (=eox/tox)
(1) When vDS << 1 in “TRIODE region” VSB
Csb = Csb 0 / 1 +
1 V0
C gs = C gd = WLCox
2 VDB
(2) In “SATURATION” Cdb = Cdb 0 / 1 +
V0
2
C gs = WLCox ; C gd = 0
3 where V0 : junction built-in
(3) In “CUT-OFF” voltage (0.6~0.8 V)
C gs = C gd = 0; C gb = WLCox VSB, VDB : reverse bias voltage

(4) Overlap capacitance

Cov = WLovCox
where Lov = 0.05~0.1 L
WLCox : gate-channel capacitance

CNU EE 8.1-3
 High-Frequency MOSFET Model

§ small-signal model of the MOSFET including Cgs , Cgd , Csb and Cdb
§ predicts high-frequency response of MOSFET amplifier
§ is limited to computer simulation, SPICE

CNU EE 8.1-4
 High-Frequency MOSFET Model
§ When the source is connected to the body
§ Cgd plays a significant role in the high frequency response

§ When Cdb is neglected.

CNU EE 8.1-5
 MOSFET Unity-Gain Frequency (fT)
§ MOSFET Unity-gain frequency (fT):
the frequency at which the short-circuit current-gain of the common-source configuration
becomes unity : transition frequency

I o = g mVgs - sC gdVgs » g mVgs

Cgd <<1 at the frequencies of interest

Io gm
Vgs = I i / s (C gs + C gd ) ® =
I i s (C gs + C gd )
CNU EE 8.1-6
 MOSFET Unity-Gain Frequency (fT)

Io gm Io gm
® = ® = =1 for s = jw
I i s (C gs + C gd ) I i w (C gs + C gd )
The magnitude of the current gain becomes unity at
gm gm
\wT = ® fT =
(C gs + C gd ) 2p (C gs + C gd )

§ Since fT is proportional to gm and inversely proportional to the FET

internal capacitances, the higher the value of fT, the more effective the
FET becomes as an amplifier.
§ fT : 100 MHz at 5mm CMOS process or many GHz at 0.13mm process

CNU EE 8.1-7
 MOSFET High-Frequency Model Summary

CNU EE 8.1-8
 The BJT internal Capacitances and High-
Frequency model
§ Transistor model including capacitors or inductors
- time or frequency dependence
- charge–storage phenomena that limit speed of frequency response
- add capacitances to the hybrid-p model

§ The Base-Charging or Diffusion Capacitance Cde

- Qn : minority-carrier charge stored in the base region operating in the
active mode

W2 W2
Qn = iC = t F iC where t F =
2 Dn 2 Dn
- tF : forward base-transit time : average time a charge carrier (electron)
spends in crossing the base (10 ps ~ 100 ps)
- Since iC ~ exponentially vBE & Qn ~ vBE à nonlinear capacitive effect
- small-signal diffusion capacitance Cde :

dQn di I
Cde º = t F C = t F gm = t F C
dvBE dvBE VT
CNU EE 8.1-9
 BJT Internal Capacitances
§ Base-Emitter Junction capacitance Cje
- depletion-layer capacitance at the base-emitter junction
-m
æ V ö when EBJ is forward biased in the active mode
C je = C je 0 çç1 - BE ÷÷ » 2C je 0
è V0 e ø
where Cje0 : Cje at zero voltage, V0e : EBJ built-in voltage (~ 0.9V), m : 0.5

§ Collector-Base Junction capacitance Cm

- depletion capacitance when CBJ is reverse biased in active-mode operation
-m
æ V ö
Cm = Cm 0 çç1 + C B ÷÷
è V0 c ø
where Cm0 : Cm at zero voltage, V0c : CBJ built-in voltage (~ 0.75V), m : 02~0.5

§ BJT internal capacitances

- emitter-base capacitance Cp = Cde + Cje (a few pF ~ a few tens of pF)
- collector-base capacitance Cm ( a fraction of pF ~ a few pF)

CNU EE 8.1-10
 High-Frequency Hybrid-p Model

§ BJT internal capacitances

- emitter-base capacitance Cp = Cde + Cje (a few pF ~ a few tens of pF)
- collector-base capacitance Cm ( a fraction of pF ~ a few pF)

§ Added Resistor rx
- resistance of the silicon material of the base region between the base terminal B
and a fictitious internal base terminal B’
- a few tens of ohms, rx << rp
- dominant effect at high frequency

CNU EE 8.1-11
 Cutoff Frequency

§ hfe , CE short-circuit current gain to determine Cp & Cm

Ib
I c = (g m - sC m )Vp Vp = I b (rp // Cp // Cm ) =
1 rp + sCp + sC m
Ic g m - sC m
h fe º =
I b 1 / rp + s (Cp + Cm )
g m rp b0 where b0 : low-frequency
» = when g m >> wCm
1 + s (Cp + Cm )rp 1 + s (Cp + Cm )rp value of b

- hfe : single-pole (STC) response with a 3-dB frequency at w=wb

1
wb =
(Cp + Cm )rp
CNU EE 8.1-12
 Cutoff Frequency
§ Unity-gain bandwidth wT
- the frequency at which |hfe|=1
bo
Since h fe =
s
1+
wb
gm
wT = b 0w b =
Cp + Cm
gm
fT =
2p (Cp + Cm )

§ Variation of fT with IC
- fT : 100MHz ~ tens of GHz
- the high-frequency hybrid-p model is
effective up to a frequency of about 0.2fT

CNU EE 8.1-13
 BJT High-Frequency Model Summary

CNU EE 8.1-14
 High-Frequency response of CS Amplifiers
§ Objective : Identify the mechanism that limits the high-frequency performance of
the CS amplifiers
- fH at which the gain falls by 3dB below its value at midband frequencies |AM|
- simple approach to find fH for discrete-circuit, capacitively coupled amplifiers and
IC amplifiers
- At the high-frequency band, all coupling and bypass capacitors behave as perfect short
circuits

Frequency response of a direct-coupled (dc) amplifier. The gain does not fall off at low frequency,
and the midband gain AM extends down to zero frequency
CNU EE 8.1-15
 Common-Source Amplifier
§ frequency independent analysis
- CC1, CC2,CS (mF): short circuit
- Cgs, Cgd (pF range): open circuit
- |AM| = constant in the midband

= - G
Vo R
AM º g m (ro || RD || RL )
Vsig RG + Rsig

§ CS amplifier high-frequency
equivalent circuit model
- Eliminating DC sources
- RD : a passive resistance or the output
resistance of a current-source load
- Simplified by Thevenin theorem at the
input and the output
à input :Vsig’ & Rsig’ , three parallel
resistance RL’ : RL’ = ro//RD//RL
- Midband gain AM by Cgs=Cgd=0

Vo RG
AM =
Vsig
=-
RG + Rsig
(
g m RL/ )
CNU EE 8.1-16
 High-frequency response of CS amplifier
- bridging capacitor Cgd that
connects the output node &
the input node
- load current (gmVgs – Igd) :
à gmVgs = output current
of transistor
à Igd = current supplied
through Cgd

- At frequency in the vicinity of fH, igd << gmVgs at the frequency à Vo is approximated by
VO » -( g mV gs ) R L/ = - g m R L/ V gs - at XX/,the existence of Cgd is known only through Igd
à replace Cgd by an equivalent capacitance Ceq between
I gd = sC gd (V gs - Vo ) gate & ground as long as Ceq draws a same Igd
= sC gd [V gs - (- g m R L/ V gs )] sC eqV gs = sC gd (1 + g m R L/ )V gs
= sC gd (1 + g m R L/ )V gs > C eq = C gd (1 + g m R L/ )

- Cgd à much larger Ceq (multiplication effect) because Cgd is connected between nodes G and D,
whose voltages are related by a large negative gain (-gmRL/).
- Multiplication effect à Miller effect, (1+gmRL/ ) à Miller multiplier
CNU EE 8.1-17
 High-frequency response of CS amplifier
§ with Cgd replaced with Ceq
- STC circuit of low-pass type
æ RG ö 1
V gs = ç Vsig ÷
çR +R ÷
è G sig ø1+ s
wo
/
w o = 1 C in Rsig
C in = C gs + C eq
= C gs + C gd (1 + g m R L/ )
/
Rsig = Rsig || RG
Vo æ RG ö
= -ç ÷( g m R L/ ) 1
Vsig çR +R ÷ s
è G sig ø 1+
wo
AM 1
= w H = wo = /
s C in Rsig
1+
wH
wH 1
fH = = /
2p 2pC in Rsig
- high-frequency response plot = low-pass STC network with a 3-dB
frequency fH determined by the time constant CinRsig/
CNU EE 8.1-18
 High-frequency response of CS amplifier

§ low-pass STC network with a upper 3-dB frequency fH by time constant CinRsig/
§ 3-dB frequency by Rsig/=Rsig || RG & Cin=Cgs+Cgd(1+gmRL/)
- Rsig/ ~ Rsig since RG >> 1
- larger Rsig à lower fH
§ Cin is dominated by Ceq, which is made larger by the multiplication effect of Cgd
§ Multiplication factor (1+gmRL/) is approximately equal to the midband gain of the
amplifier
§ Miller effect causes the CS amplifier to have a large total input capacitance Cin and
hence a low fH
§ Multiplication effect of Cgd because it is connected between two nodes whose voltages
are related by a larger negative gain (-gmRL/ )
à Miller effect & (1+gmRL/ ) : Miller multiplier
§ To extend the high-frequency response, Miller effect must be absent or at least reduced
§ STC model is based on neglecting Igd relative to gmVgs

CNU EE 8.1-19
 Common-Emitter amplifier
§ frequency independent analysis
- CC1, CC2,CE (mF): short circuit
- Cp , Cm (pF range): open circuit
- |AM| = constant in the midband
Vo ( RB || rp )
AM º =- g m (ro || RC || RL )
Vsig ( RB || rp ) + Rsig

§ three frequency bands

- midband : useful band of amplifier
- low-frequency band : CC1, CC2,CE
- high-frequency band : Cp , Cm

§ bandwidth or 3-dB bandwidth

BW = fH – fL
~ fH when fL << fH
§ gain-bandwidth product
GB = |AM|BW
: trade-off gain for bandwidth

CNU EE 8.1-20
 High-frequency response of CE amplifier
§ Thevenin theorem twice at
the input side:
Vsig’ & Rsig’
§ three parallel resistance RL’
RL’ = ro//RC//RL
§ bridging capacitor Cm
CE amplifier equivalent circuit load current = gmVp – Im
§ Since Im << gmVp around fH

VO » -( g mVp ) RL/ = - g m RL/ Vp

I m = sC m (Vp - Vo )
= sC m [Vp - (- g m RL/ Vp )]
= sC m (1 + g m RL/ )Vp
§ replace Cm by Ceq between B/
& ground w/ same Im drawn
sCeqVp = I m = sC m (1 + g m RL/ )Vp
> Ceq = Cm (1 + g m RL/ )
Simplified circuit at the input & output
CNU EE 8.1-21
 High-frequency response of CE amplifier
§ STC circuit by using Ceq
1
Vp = Vsig/
1 + s wo
/
wo = 1 Cin Rsig
Cin = Cp + Ceq
= Cp + Cm (1 + g m RL/ )
/
Vo Vo Vp Vsig
=
Vsig Vp Vsig/ Vsig
æ RB r × g R / ö 1
=-ç p m L ÷
ç R + R r + r + ( R || R ) ÷ s
è B sig p x sig B ø 1+
wo
AM 1
= wo = /
s Cin Rsig
1+
w0
w0 1
fH = = /
2p 2pCin Rsig

CNU EE 8.1-22
 High-frequency response of CE amplifier

§ low-pass STC network with a upper 3-dB frequency fH by time constant

CinRsig/
§ 3-dB frequency fH
- Rsig/ ~ Rsig||rp if RB >> Rsig & rx <<Rsig
à Rsig/ ~ rp if Rsig>>rp
à if Rsig ~ rp , Rsig influences on fH
§ Cin is dominated by Ceq, which is made larger by the multiplication effect of
Cm
§ multiplication effect of Cm because it is connected between two nodes whose
voltages are related by a larger negative gain (-gmRL/ )
à Miller effect & (1+gmRL/ ) : Miller multiplier
à increased Cin by Miller effect in CE amplifier à lower fH
§ Miller effect must be reduced for the improved high-frequency response
§ STC model is based on neglecting Im relative to gmVp

CNU EE 8.1-23