The BJT Differential Amplifier

Basic Circuit
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a differential amplifier. The tail supply is modeled as a current
source IQ0 having a parallel resistance R . In the case of an ideal current source, R is an open
Q Q
0 = 0. The solutions
circuit. Often a diff amp is designed with a resistive tail supply. In this case, IQ
below are valid for each of these connections. The object is to solve for the small-signal output
voltages and output resistances.

Figure 1: BJT Differential amplifier.

DC Solutions
(a) Zero both inputs. Divide the tail supply into two equal parallel current sources having a current
0 /2 in parallel with a resistor 2R . The circuit obtained for Q is shown on the left in Fig. 2.
IQ Q 1
The circuit for Q2 is identical. Now make a Thévenin equivalent as shown in on the right in Fig.
2. This is the basic bias circuit.
(b) Make an “educated guess” for VBE . Write the loop equation between the ground node to
the left of RB and V − . To solve for IE , this equation is
¡ ¢ IE
0 − V − − IQ
0
RQ = RB + VBE + IE (RE + 2RQ )
1+β

(c) Solve the loop equation for the currents.

IC −V − + IQ 0 R −V
Q BE
IE = = (1 + β) IB =
α RB / (1 + β) + RE + 2RQ

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 Figure 2: DC bias circuits for Q1 .

(d) Verify that VCB > 0 for the active mode.

µ ¶
¡ + ¢ IE IE
VCB = VC − VB = V − αIE RC − − RB = V + − αIE RC + RB
1+β 1+β
(e) Calculate the collector-emitter voltage.

VCE = VC − VE = VC − (VB − VBE ) = VCB + VBE

0 /2. If I 0 = 0, the currents are given by
(f) If RQ = ∞, it follows that IE1 = IE2 = IQ Q

IC −V − − VBE
IE = = (1 + β) IB =
α RB / (1 + β) + RE + 2RQ

Small-Signal or AC Solutions
The solutions assume that the two BJTs are matched and that r0 = ∞, i.e. that VA = ∞.

Simplified T Model
(a) Calculate gm , rπ , re , and re0 .
αIE (1 + β) VT VT RB + rx VA + VCE
gm = rπ = re = re0 = + re r0 =
VT IE IE 1+β αIE
(b) Redraw the circuit with V + = V − = 0 and IQ 0 = 0. Replace the two BJTs with the

simplified T model. The emitter part of the circuit obtained is shown in 3.

(c) Using superposition, Ohm’s Law, and current division, solve for i0e1 and i0e2 .
vi1 vi2 RQ
i0e1 = − 0
re0 + RE + RQ k (re + RE ) re + RE + RQ k (re + RE ) RQ + re0 + RE
0 0

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 Figure 3: Emitter equivalent circuit for the simplified T model..

vi2 vi1 RQ
i0e2 = − 0
re0
+ RE + RQ k (re + RE ) re + RE + RQ k (re + RE ) RQ + re0 + RE
0 0

For RQ = ∞, these become

vi1 − vi2 vi2 − vi1
i0e1 = i0e2 =
2 (re0 + RE ) 2 (re0 + RE )
(d) The circuit for vo1 , vo2 , rout1 , and rout2 is shown in Fig. 4.

Figure 4: Circuits for calculating vo1 , vo2 , rout1 , and rout2 .

µ ¶
−αric kRC RQ
vo1 = −i0c1 ric kRC = −αi0e1 ric kRC = 0 vi1 − vi2
re + RE + RQ k (re0 + RE ) RQ + re0 + RE
µ ¶
−αric kRC RQ
vo2 = −i0c2 ric kRC = −αi0e1 ric kRC = 0 vi2 − vi1
re + RE + RQ k (re0 + RE ) RQ + re0 + RE
rout1 = rout2 = ric kRC
0
r0 + re kRte ¡ ¢
ric = Rte = RE + RQ k re0 + RE
αRte
1−
+ Rte re0
(e) The resistance seen looking into the vi1 (vi2 ) input with vi2 = 0 (vi1 = 0) is
rib = RB + rx + rπ + (1 + β) Rte
(f) Special case for RQ = ∞.
−αric kRC −αric kRC
vo1 = (vi1 − vi2 ) vo2 = (vi2 − vi1 )
2 (re0 + RE ) 2 (re0 + RE )

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Hybrid-π Model
Replace the two transistors with the hybrid-π model as shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 5: Hybrid-π model (r0 = ∞).

(a) Write the loop equations for the two input loops. Use the relations vπ1 = i0c1 /gm and
vπ2 = i0c2 /gm . µ 0 ¶
i0c1 i0c1 i0c1 ic1 i0c2
vi1 = (RB + rx ) + + RE + + RQ
β gm α α α
µ 0 ¶
i0c2 i0c2 i0c2 ic1 i0c2
vi2 = (RB + rx ) + + RE + + RQ
β gm α α α
These equations are in the form
vi1 = (A + B) i0c1 + Bi0c2
vi2 = Bi0c1 + (A + B) i0c2
where
RB + rx 1 RE RQ
A= + + B=
β gm α α
(b) Use determinants to solve the two equations simultaneously for i0c1 and i0c2 .

(A + B) vi1 − Bvi2 (A + B) vi1 − Bvi2

i0c1 = 2 =
(A + B) − B 2 A (A + 2B)

(A + B) vi2 − Bvi1 (A + B) vi2 − Bvi1

i0c2 = 2 =
(A + B) − B 2 A (A + 2B)

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Thus the solutions are
µ ¶
RB + rx 1 RE RQ RQ
+ + + vi1 − vi2
β gm α α α
i0c1 =µ ¶µ ¶
RB + rx 1 RE RB + rx 1 RE 2RQ
+ + + + +
β gm α β gm α α
µ ¶
RB + rx 1 RE RQ RQ
+ + + vi2 − vi1
β gm α α α
i0c1 =µ ¶µ ¶
RB + rx 1 RE RB + rx 1 RE 2RQ
+ + + + +
β gm α β gm α α
After some algebra, the solutions reduce to those obtained with the simplified T model.
The output voltages are given by

vo1 = −i0c1 RC vo2 = −i0c2 RC

For the case of a finite r0 , the r0 approximation replaces RC with ric kRC .

Common-Mode Rejection Ratio

(a) Define the common-mode and differential input voltages as follows:
vi1 + vi2
vid = vi1 − vi2 vicm =
2
With these definitions, vi1 and vi2 can be written
vid vid
vi1 = vicm + vi2 = vicm −
2 2
By linearity, it follows that superposition of vicm and vid can be used to solve for the currents and
voltages.
(b) Redraw the emitter equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 6: Emitter equivalent circuit for calculating the common-mode and differential emitter
currents.

(c) For vi1 = vid /2 and vi2 = −vid /2, it follows by superposition that va = 0 and

vid /2 −vid /2
i0e1 = i0e2 =
re0+ RE re0 + RE

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 µ ¶
−αric kRC vid −αric kRC vi1 − vi2
vo1 = −αi0e1 ric kRC = 0 = 0
re + RE 2 re + RE 2
µ ¶
+αric kRC vid +αric kRC vi1 − vi2
vo2 = −αi0e2 ric kRC = 0 = 0
re + RE 2 re + RE 2
The differential voltage gain is given by

vo1 vo2 1 αric kRC

Ad = =− =− 0
vid vid 2 re + RE

(d) For vi1 = vi2 = vicm , it follows by superposition that ia = 0 and

vicm vicm
i0e1 = i0e2 =
re0 + RE + 2RQ re0 + RE + 2RQ
µ ¶
−αric kRC −αric kRC vi1 + vi2
vo1 = −αi0e1 ric kRC = 0 vicm = 0
re + RE + 2RQ re + RE + 2RQ 2
µ ¶
−αric kRC −αric kRC vi1 + vi2
vo2 = −αi0e2 ric kRC = 0 vicm = 0
re + RE + 2RQ re + RE + 2RQ 2
The common-mode voltage gain is given by

vo1 vo2 αric kRC

Acm = = =− 0
vicm vicm re + RE + 2RQ

(e) If the output is taken from the collector of Q1 or Q2 , the common-mode rejection ratio is
given by ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
¯ vo1 /vid ¯ ¯ vo2 /vid ¯ 1 re0 + RE + 2RQ 1 RQ
CM RR = ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
=¯ ¯= = + 0
vo1 /vicm ¯ vo2 /vicm ¯ 2 0
re + RE 2 re + RE
This can be expressed in dB.
µ ¶
1 RQ
CM RRdB = 20 log + 0
2 re + RE

Example 1 For IQ 0 = 2 mA, R = 50 kΩ, R = 1 kΩ, R = 100 Ω, R = 10 kΩ, V + = 20 V,

Q B E C
−
V = −20 V, VT = 0.025 V, rx = 20 Ω, β = 99, VBE = 0.65 V, and VA = 50 V, calculate vo1 , vo2 ,
vod , rout , and CM RR.

Solution. ³ ´
0 − V − − IQ
0 R
Q − VBE
IE = = 1.192 mA
RB / (1 + β) + RE + 2RQ
µ ¶
¡ + ¢ IE
VCB = VC − VB = V − αIE RC − − RB = 8.209 V
1+β
αIE (1 + β) VT
gm = = 0.0472 S rπ = = 2.097 kΩ
VT IE
VT RB + rx
re = = 20.97 Ω re0 = + re = 31.17 Ω
IE 1+β
VA + VCE ¡ ¢
r0 = = 49.869 kΩ Rte = RE + RQ k re0 + RE = 230.83 Ω
IC

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 r0 + re0 kRte
ric = = 390.5 kΩ
αRte
1− 0
re + Rte
µ ¶
−αric kRC RQ
vo1 = 0 vi1 − vi2 = −36.84vi1 + 36.75vi2
re + RE + RQ k (re0 + RE ) RQ + re0 + RE
vo2 = −36.84vi2 + 36.75vi1
rout = ric kRC = 9.75 kΩ
1 αric kRC
Avd = − = −36.80
2 re0 + RE
−αric kRC
Avcm = = −0.0964
re0 + RE + 2RQ
¯ ¯
¯ Avd ¯
CM RRdB = 28 log ¯¯ ¯ = 51.63 dB
Avcm ¯