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Low-Voltage Super Class-AB Bulk-Driven Single-Stage Subthreshold OTA with Very High DC Gain, Slew Rate, and High Driving Capability

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Abstract

This article aims to design a low-voltage, low-power, bulk-driven OTA with enhanced performance characteristics to surpass existing bulk-driven OTAs. Two adaptively biased class-AB differential pairs in the input core of the amplifier with resistive local common-mode feedback provide two-step amplification with low noise, enhanced dynamic current boosting, and optimum current efficiency. This approach has been studied and tested using the Cadence Spectre simulator with UMC 0.18 µm CMOS technology. The proposed OTA demonstrates noise reduction, DC gain, and slew rate enhancement factors of up to 1.6, 1.31, and 3, respectively, compared to its latest equivalent super class-AB OTA with the same 0.5 µA quiescent currents and transistor’s same aspect ratios under a 0.5 V supply. The proposed OTA achieves the highest figures of merit for small- and large-signal performance (FOMS and FOML) among bulk-driven OTAs studied in the literature, with a DC gain of 118.02 dB, a UGF of 52.02 kHz, a slew rate of 13.69 V/ms, and a total standby current of 2.08 µA for a capacitive load of 5 nF.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been performed using the VLSI laboratory resources developed under the Special Manpower Development Program for VLSI design and related software (SMDP-II) project funded by the Department of Information Technology, Government of India, at MNNIT Allahabad, Prayagraj, UP. The authors also thank Mr. Mamidi Nagaraju (Laboratory Engineer) for their cooperation in accessing the tools of the EDA (Cadence Virtuoso IC 6.1.7).

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  1. Department of ECE, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India

    Sougata Ghosh

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  1. Sougata Ghosh
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Ghosh, S. Low-Voltage Super Class-AB Bulk-Driven Single-Stage Subthreshold OTA with Very High DC Gain, Slew Rate, and High Driving Capability. Circuits Syst Signal Process 42, 1279–1292 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00034-022-02154-9

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