Analog Electronic Circuits : Problem Set 1

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Problem 1 A straightforward way of doing this is to use an RC circuit

as shown in Fig. 2(a). Assuming the largest resistor that can be
R R R realized on an integrated circuit is 1 MΩ (constrained by how much
+ space you want to “waste” on the chip), determine the capacitance
4mA i vo C needed to achieve the bandwidth of 100 Hz. Assuming that the
2R 2R 2R R - density of capacitance per unit area is 10 fF/µm2 (1 femto = 10−15 ),
determine the area occupied by the capacitor.

R = 1K Consider now the circuit of Fig. 2(b), where the diodes are
characterized by an i-v relationship
Figure 1: Circuit for problem 1.
 Vd

In Fig. 1, i is a small signal. Determine the quiescent volt- Id = Is e VT
−1 . (1)
age across the terminals marked vo. To do this, approximate the
diode characteristic by a piecewise linear one, by assuming that the
where Is = 10−13 A. Determine the value of capacitance needed
voltage drop across a forward biased diode is 0.65 V.
to achieve a low-pass filter with bandwidth 100 Hz. How much
Determine the incremental resistance of every diode in the cir- chip-area have the diodes saved?
cuit. Then, determine the small signal voltage across the terminals
marked vo. What is the incremental resistance seen by the small-
signal current source?

Problem 4
Problem 2
In this problem, we delve deeper into the notion of “small signal”.
R Consider two nonlinear amplifiers, with input-output characteris-
2
tics given by Vout = Vin /VA and Vout = VA exp(Vin /VA ). An
vi C vi incremental gain of 10 is desired of both amplifers.

(a) (b)
a. Determine the operating points so that this gain may be
Figure 2: Circuit for problem 2. achieved.

One would think that a diode is only useful when it is forward

biased (when it behaves like a closed switch), or when operating b. We saw in class that the “small signal” approximation is valid
in reverse-bias (where it behaves like an open switch). This prob- only when the higher order terms in the Taylor series can be
lem illustrates a practical application of a diode when it is neither safely neglected in relation to the linear term. Compare the
forward or reverse biased. In integrated circuits, it is often desired second order derivative of the two amplifers around the oper-
to “low-pass filter” a small signal with a filter having a very small ating point. What can you say about the relative magnitudes of
bandwidth. In both circuits above, vi is the “small” signal that the incremental inputs for each of the amplifiers which qualify
needs to be filtered with a very low bandwidth filter, say 100 Hz. as small signals?

1
 I₁ I₂

I I+i

V₁ V₂
R R
Vx Vx + v

Figure 3: Circuit for problem 5.

Problem 5

Fig. 3 shows a nonlinear, three-terminal two-port network. It is Figure 5: Circuit for problem 7.
characterized by
voltage V x, and the incremental voltage v. How will you choose
I1 = αV1 , I2 = βV12 + γV2 (2)
R to make v independent of i ?
where α,β and γ are positive constants with appropriate dimen-
sions.
Problem 8
a. Draw the input and output characteristics of this device.

b. Determine the incremental y-parameters of this two port at an

operating point (V1 , V2 ). 100uA

Vx
3V
Problem 6

6V + vᵢ Figure 6: Circuit for problem 8.

5K For the circuit shown above, determine the region of operation

of the transistor. Find Vx.

Figure 4: Circuit for problem 6.

Problem 9
For the circuit of Fig. 4, determine the incremental voltage
3V
across the 5 K resistor. To find the operating point, assume that the
cut-in voltage of a forward-biased diode is 0.65 V. Assume that vi 1.9V 1V

is a small signal.
Vx 1V Vx 1.9V Vx

Ix Ix Ix
Problem 7

In Fig. 5(a), determine the largest I that can be used while still
maintaining the transistor in saturation.
In part(b) of the figure, i is a small signal, abd I has been cho-
sen so that the transistor is in saturation. Determine the quiescent Figure 7: Circuits for problem 9.

2
 For each of the circuits shown above, plot Ix as Vx varies from
0-3 V.