Integrated Building Cells for a Simple Modular Design of Electronic Circuits with Reduced External Complexity: Performance, Active Element Assembly, and an Application Example

Roman Sotner,Vilem Kledrowetz,Ladislav Polak,Roman Prokop,Jan Jerabek

doi:10.3390/electronics8050568

Abstract

This paper introduces new integrated analog cells fabricated in a C035 I3T25 0.35-μm ON Semiconductor process suitable for a modular design of advanced active elements with multiple terminals and controllable features. We developed and realized five analog cells on a single integrated circuit (IC), namely a voltage differencing differential buffer, a voltage multiplier with current output in full complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) form, a voltage multiplier with current output with a bipolar core, a current-controlled current conveyor of the second generation with four current outputs, and a single-input and single-output adjustable current amplifier. These cells (sub-blocks of the manufactured IC device), designed to operate in a bandwidth of up to tens of MHz, can be used as a construction set for building a variety of advanced active elements, offering up to four independently adjustable internal parameters. The performances of all individual cells were verified by extensive laboratory measurements, and the obtained results were compared to simulations in the Cadence IC6 tool. The definition and assembly of a newly specified advanced active element, namely a current-controlled voltage differencing current conveyor transconductance amplifier (CC-VDCCTA), is shown as an example of modular interconnection of the selected cells. This device was implemented in a newly synthesized topology of an electronically linearly tunable quadrature oscillator. Features of this active element were verified by simulations and experimental measurements.

Highlights

Active elements (AEs) are the most important subparts of analog and mixed signal processing systems [1]
Standard AEs [1,2,3,13], which have been known for decades, usually utilize a quite high number of transistors
The combination of an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) and current conveyors (CCs) [36,37] represents a typical example of a voltage differencing current conveyor (VDCC)

Summary

Introduction

Active elements (AEs) are the most important subparts of analog and mixed signal processing systems [1]. Standard AEs [1,2,3,13], which have been known for decades, usually utilize a quite high number of transistors They have certain advantages: For instance, no external biasing and bias point settings, stabilized parameters with a minimized influence of temperature changes and fabrication mismatches, many types of easy applications, possible DC coupling of the input/output signals, and a relatively large and linear dynamic range. The combination of an OTA and CC [36,37] represents a typical example of a voltage differencing current conveyor (VDCC) Such a construction of advanced AEs is known as a modular approach (or design).

Contribution of the Paper

Organization of the Paper