I'm working on a project to design a full-transistor-based (MOSFET) multi-stage amplifier using 0.18-µm CMOS technology. The requirements for the amplifier are as follows:

• Voltage gain of at least 150 V/V
• Input resistance less than 1 kilo ohm
• Upper 3-dB frequency (fH) between 1 GHz and 5 GHz
• The main amplifier circuit should use no more than three MOSFETs
• The design must not use any external resistors; it has to be completely MOSFET-based

This is all the information I was given. I have attached the parameter table for 0.18-µm technology.
I am completely new to amplifier design and I understand that I might be missing some fundamental concepts. I would greatly appreciate any guidance or tips on how to approach this design. If anyone can refer to some relevant learning materials, I would be more than happy to go through them.

I understand there could be multiple configurations which could achieve the proposed gain and bandwidth. I can replace the resistors with diode shaped transistors. However, I am stuck on some other basic stuff.

• How do I achieve the very low input impedance?
• How do I do the biasing of every transistor to make sure they are in saturation zone with the parameters I've been given. Is it just a matter of iterating with different values of ID and VOV?

Any kind of tips or hints would be greatly appreciated. I do not have too much time to complete the project.

 

Hi Rac,
Welcome to AAC.
Is this a College project?

Moderation.

 

Hi Rac,
Welcome to AAC.
Is this a College project?

Moderation.

Hello Eric,
It's not a college project per se. It's just something my prof wants me to explore to gain insight into amplifier designing. Let me know if I'm breaking any forum rules. I'll take it down. Thanks

 

OK, I suggest first looking at another video amplifier circuit that is a classic, the LM733. The gain options are similar but not the frequency range. The LM733 is all bipolar transistors and does not use external circuitry. It is often helpful to understand what others have done that worked.