Analog Integrated Circuits

Two-Stage Opamp
& Opamp Stability
ELC401A – Fall 2016

Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering

Faculty of Engineering – Cairo University
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Two-Stage Opamp
Introduction
• 1st stage DC-gain ~ 𝑔𝑚 𝑟𝑜
• 2nd stage DC-gain ~ 𝑔𝑚 𝑟𝑜
• Total DC-gain ~ 𝑔𝑚 𝑟𝑜 2

Reduce
Systematic Offset
𝑽𝒆𝒇𝒇𝟒 = 𝑽𝒆𝒇𝒇𝟔

𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡_𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑉𝐷𝐷 − 𝑉𝑒𝑓𝑓6 , 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡_𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉𝑒𝑓𝑓8

 Output Swing = 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡_𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡_𝑚𝑎𝑥 ~ 𝑉𝐷𝐷 − 2𝑉𝑒𝑓𝑓

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Two-Stage Opamp
Fully Differential
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Two-Stage Opamp
How to increase the gain even further?

Telescopic 1st Stage + Simple 2nd Stage

3
 Total DC-gain ~ 𝑔𝑚 𝑟𝑜

 High output swing (Why ?)

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Opamp Architectures
Comparison

Simple Opamp Telescopic Folded Cascode Two-Stage

DC-Gain Low  High  High  High 
Output Swing High  Small  Small  High 
Stability Output Output Output Need
compensated  compensated  compensated  compensation 
Speed Good  Good  Good  Medium 
Power Small  Small  Medium  Large 
Consumption
Noise Low  Low  Medium  Low 
Offset Low  Low  Medium  Low 
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Closed-loop Stability
Introduction

• What happens if bH(s) = -1 ? OSCILLATIONS or INSTABILITY

– Phase = -180 and Magnitude ≥ 1
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Closed-loop Opamp Stability

Single Vs. Multiple Poles

• The single pole system is a stable system, since the phase will never
reach -180o
• The three-pole system will oscillate, since there’s a finite frequency
at which the phase is -180o and the gain is greater than unity
• In fact, this system exceeds the minimum oscillation requirement
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Closed-loop Opamp Stability

Phase Margin (PM)
• PM represents how far is the phase from oscillations measured at the
gain cross over point (0 dB gain) = βH(ωGX) + 180
• The Opamp has to be far enough from oscillations

Marginally
Stable

Stable

Closed-Loop
Frequency
Response

Step
Response
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Closed-loop Opamp Stability

Phase Margin – How much is adequate?

For a step input, x(t)

• The larger the PM, the more stable the negative feedback becomes
• For PM = 900  Only 1 pole (ωGX = GBW)
• For PM > 600  One dominant pole (before ωGX)
Other poles pushed after at least 2ωGX
ωnd > 2.GBW
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Telescopic Opamp Stability

Example

• What if the PM is not good enough ?

– Add more CL (output compensated).
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Two-stage Opamp Stability

Pole Locations

• 5 poles:
𝑔𝑚3
– 𝜔𝑝𝑋 =
𝐶𝑋
𝑔
– 𝜔𝑝𝐴 = 𝑚5
𝐶𝐴
𝑔
– 𝜔𝑝𝑁 = 𝑚7
𝐶𝑁
1
– 𝜔𝑝𝐸 =
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝐶𝐸
1
– 𝜔𝑝𝐵 =
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡2 𝐶𝐿

• Frequency Compensation is needed:

– Keep one dominant pole
– Push other poles after the ωGX
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Two-stage Opamp Stability

Compensation – Pole Splitting

• 𝐶𝐸−𝑛𝑒𝑤 ≅ 𝐶𝑐 𝐴𝑣2
1
• 𝜔𝑝1 ≅
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝐶𝑐 𝐴𝑣2
– CC is added to lower the dominant pole so that
ωGX occurs at a lower frequency than before,
which means PM increases
𝑔𝑚2
• 𝜔𝑝2 ≅
𝐶𝐿

– At high frequencies, 𝐶𝑐 can be considered a short

1
circuit  Output resistance ≅
𝑔𝑚2
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Two-stage Opamp stability

Miller Compensation – Pole Splitting
1 𝐴𝐷𝐶
• 𝜔𝑝1 = (dominant)
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝐶𝑐 𝐴𝑣2
𝑔𝑚2
• 𝜔𝑝2 = (non-dominant) ω𝐺𝑋 ≡ gain crossover freq.
𝐶𝐿
• 𝐺𝐵𝑊 = 𝐴𝐷𝐶 × 𝜔𝑝1
1 𝜔𝑝2
= 𝐴𝑣1 𝐴𝑣2 ×
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝐶𝑐 𝐴𝑣2
𝑔𝑚1 𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝑔 𝜔𝑝1
= = 𝑚1 = ω𝐺𝑋
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡1 𝐶𝐶 𝐶𝑐
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Two-stage Opamp Stability

Transfer Function Zero

Rout
𝐼𝐶𝑐 Cc
= (𝑣𝑥 −𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑡 )𝑠𝐶𝑐

𝑣𝑥 𝐼𝑔𝑚 = 𝑣𝑥 𝑔𝑚2

𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑡
• 𝐼𝐶𝑐 = 𝐼𝑔𝑚 + 𝐼𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡 ⇒ 𝑣𝑥 − 𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝐶𝑐 = 𝑣𝑥 𝑔𝑚2 +
𝑅𝑜𝑢𝑡

𝑔𝑚2
• 𝑠 = 𝑠𝑧 @ 𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 0 ⇒ 𝑠𝑧 = (RHP zero !!)
𝐶𝑐
𝑠
𝐴0 1− 𝜔
• A(𝑠) = 𝑠
𝑧
𝑠
(1+ 𝜔 ).(1+ 𝜔 )
𝑝1 𝑝2

• Does this zero increase or reduce the PM?

– This zero reduces PM and can cause instability 
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Two-stage Opamp stability

Transfer Function Zero - Solution

Rout
Rz Cc

𝑣𝑥 𝐼𝑔𝑚 = 𝑣𝑥 𝑔𝑚2

• @ 𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 0
𝑣𝑥
– 𝐼𝐶𝑐 = 1
𝑅𝑧 +𝑠𝐶
𝑐

1
𝑠𝑧 =
– 𝐼𝐶𝑐 = 𝐼𝑔𝑚 ⇒ 𝐶𝐶
1
𝑔𝑚2 − 𝑅𝑧

1
– Set 𝜔𝑧 = ∞ ⇒ 𝑅𝑧 =
𝑔𝑚2
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Two-stage Opamp
Summary

• Max. Output Swing = 𝑉𝐷𝐷 − 𝑉𝑂𝐷𝑃𝑀𝑂𝑆 − 𝑉𝑂𝐷𝑁𝑀𝑂𝑆

• 𝐴𝐷𝐶 = 𝐴𝑣1 𝐴𝑣2

𝑔𝑚1
• 𝐺𝐵𝑊 = 𝑓𝑢 = (Assuming Dominant first pole)
𝐶𝑐

𝑔𝑚2
• 𝜔𝑝2 =
𝐶𝐿

1
• 𝜔𝑧 = 1
𝐶𝐶 𝑔 −𝑅𝑧
𝑚2
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Opamp Stability
Single Stage Vs. Two Stage

• For a 2-stage Opamp, the Miller capacitance forms the dominant

pole at the output of the 1st stage
• So a higher load capacitance moves the second pole lower
reducing the PM
• For single stage op amps, a higher load capacitance moves the
dominant pole closer to the origin, making it more stable (PM )
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Two-stage Opamp
Input Referred Noise

• The noise of the second stage can be neglected since it is divided by

the gain of the 1st stage when referred to the input
 The noise performance of 2-stage amplifier is similar to a 1-stage
amplifier
16𝑘𝑇 𝑔𝑚𝑝
• ISS noise contribution is cancelled 2
𝑉𝑛 = 1+
3𝑔𝑚𝑛 𝑔𝑚𝑛
• Increase gmn and reduce gmp
o Use small "𝑔𝑚𝑝 “ hence larger 𝑉𝑜𝑑 → trade-off with swing
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Two-Stage Opamp
Common-Mode Gain (Low-Frequency)

𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡−𝐶𝑀 1
• 𝐴𝐶𝑀 = =−
𝑉𝑖𝐶𝑀 2𝑟𝐶𝑀 𝑔
𝑚𝑝

• Common-mode Rejection Ratio

𝐴𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓 ⨯𝐴2 Vo3 Vout-CM
(CMRR) = | |
𝐴𝐶𝑀 ⨯𝐴2 Vicm Vicm
i1 i1
= 𝑔𝑚𝑛 (𝑟𝑜𝑝 // 𝑟𝑜𝑛 ) 2𝑟𝐶𝑀 𝑔𝑚𝑝 ≈ Vicm

rCM Vicm/rCM
• CMRR is deteriorated at high
frequency due to parasitics
1
𝑉𝑜3 = −𝑖1 ( //rop)
𝑔𝑚𝑝
𝑔𝑚𝑝. rop
𝑖2 = −𝑔𝑚𝑝 𝑉𝑜3 = 𝑖1 ( )
1 + 𝑔𝑚𝑝. rop
𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑚
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡−𝐶𝑀 ≈ 𝑖2 − 𝑖1 rop ≈ −
2𝑟𝑐𝑚 𝑔𝑚𝑝
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Two-Stage Opamp
Input Common-Mode Range (CMR)

𝑉𝐷𝐷 − [𝑉𝑜𝑑𝑝 + |𝑉𝑇𝐻𝑝 | − 𝑉𝑇𝐻𝑛 ]

𝑉𝑇𝐻𝑛 + 𝑉𝑜𝑑𝑛 + 𝑉𝑜𝑑,𝑐𝑠

Input Common
Mode Range 𝐶𝑀𝑅 ≅ 𝑉𝐷𝐷 − 𝑉𝑇𝐻 − 3𝑉𝑜𝑑
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Two-stage Opamp
Slew Rate

𝐼𝑆𝑆 𝐼5−𝐼1−𝐼𝑆𝑆 𝐼𝑆𝑆

SR = min , ≅
𝐶𝐶 𝐶𝐿 𝐶𝐶
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Multi-Stage Opamps

• More stages can be cascaded to get more gain.

• Each stage contributes a pole.
• That requires multi-level compensation (for example Miller) to
result in only 1 dominant pole.
• A buffer stage (for example common-drain) can be added at the
end to reduce the output impedance if needed. Note that if the
Opmap is used in feedback the output impedance will be already
reduced by the loop gain.
• An Opmp with no output buffer stage is referred as Operational
Transconductance Amplifier (OTA).