DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER
Objective
The objective of this lab experiment is to:
• Analyze the transient response of a differential amplifier with specific input conditions.
• Understand the effect of small input signals on the output waveform.
• Validate the circuit design and functionality through simulation.
Introduction
The differential amplifier is a key component in analog circuits, primarily used to amplify the difference between two
input signals. In this lab, we performed a transient analysis of a differential amplifier circuit designed using 2 PMOS
and 4 NMOS transistors. The goal of this analysis was to observe the behavior of the circuit under small signal
conditions with input sources of 10µV and 20µV at a frequency of 1kHz. The supply voltage (VDC) was set to 1.8V.
Procedure
1. Open Cadence Virtuoso:
2. Start Cadence Virtuoso and create a new project.
3. Create Schematic:
4. Open the schematic editor.
5. Place NMOS and PMOS transistors (use nmos4 and pmos4 for four-terminal transistors).
6. Connect the transistors as per the differential amplifier topology.
7. Connect power supply pins (VDD and VSS).
8. Apply input signals to the gates of N1 and N2.
9. Label the output node.
10. Simulation Setup:
11. Open the Analog Design Environment (ADE) in Cadence.
12. Set up DC and AC analysis to evaluate the amplifier's performance.
13. Set up transient analysis to observe the time-domain behavior of the output signal.
Mathematical Analysis :-
Differential Gain (𝐴𝑑) = 𝑔𝑚 × 𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡
Common Mode Rejection Ration (CMRR) = 𝐴𝑑/𝐴𝑐
Output Voltage (Vout) = 𝐴𝑑 × (𝑉𝑖𝑛1 – 𝑉𝑖𝑛2) , where Vin1 and Vin2 are input voltages .
gm : Transconductance of MOSFET’s (M1 and M2 have same transconductance)
Ac = Common-mode gain
Rout : Output Resistance
Circuit Design :-
Circuit Description:
The differential amplifier circuit consists of:
• Transistors: 2 PMOS and 4 NMOS transistors.
• Power Supply: VDC = 1.8V.
• Input Signal: Two AC input signals of 10µV and 20µV with a frequency of 1kHz.
Schematic :-
Symbol :-
Results :-
Discussion:
The transient analysis of the differential amplifier shows that the circuit is functioning as expected under the
given input conditions. The output waveform accurately represents the differential amplification of the input
signals. The simulation results validate the design and confirm that the differential amplifier effectively
amplifies small signals, which is crucial for many analog signal processing applications. The small input signals
of 10µV and 20µV were successfully amplified with minimal distortion, and the circuit's transient response
indicates good stability and performance. The choice of VDC = 1.8V was appropriate for the transistors used,
ensuring proper biasing and operation of the differential amplifier.
Conclusion:
In this lab, we successfully conducted a transient analysis of a differential amplifier using Cadence Virtuoso.
The circuit, composed of 2 PMOS and 4 NMOS transistors, demonstrated proper amplification of small
differential input signals with minimal distortion. The results confirm that the differential amplifier design is
robust and suitable for applications requiring precise small signal amplification.
