CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION TO
ANALOG IC DESIGN
LECTURER: Assoc. Prof. Loan PHAM NGUYEN

Hà Nội, 10/2024
 What is IC design?
◻ PCB design ◻ IC design
🞑 Printed Circuit Board (discrete components) 🞑 Integrated Circuit (chip, microchip etc.)
🞑 Need footprints of components, IC used 🞑 Need Process Design Kit → to design
in PCB components by components (R, L, C,
🞑 Using tools such as: Altium, Autocad MOSFETs)
🞑 Using Extremely-EXPENSIVE tools
such as: Cadence, Synopsis

Source: internet
 Content
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◻ General introduction on IC design

◻ Analog vs. Digital IC design
◻ Scaling down in MOSFET manufacturing
◻ MOSFET and Nanotechnology
Analog vs. Digital Design

Summing operation is realized differently by analog circuit and digital

circuit
 IC design evolution
5

◻ Moore’s law:
🞑 The number of transistors on a
chip doubles every 18 months
to 1 year thanks to technology
size reduction
🞑 Q&A?
🞑 45 nm technology node means?

Process’s Size Reduction

Increase Investment
Efficiency Improvement
Stimulate/Increase
Consumption
 SUPPLY / Moore’s Law
6

Moore's Law: The density of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every 18

months

* Source: IBM road map

 Advantages of Process’s dimension Reduction
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◻ Các thế hệ 1.5 1.0 0.8 0.6 (um)

0.35 0.25
VLSI Design. VLSI Design Abstraction Levels (1)

System

Add
Accumulator
Register-Transfer
Input
Command Register

+1
Command Counter

1
Gate
& &

J TT
C
K

Circuit

Device
n+

p+
n
n+
p
 Analog vs. Digital Signal
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◻ Most electronic devices receive (or transmit)

analog signals
◻ Digital signal processing is dominant
◻ The importance of analog-to-digital (ADC) or
digital-to-analog (DAC) converters

“If it were possible to economically implement a digital IC to process

the same signal, the designer would not resort to analog circuitry.”
 Analog Signal
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◻ Information is represented continuously over time

◻ Characterized by frequency and amplitude
◻ Different modulation forms (AM, FM, ASK,
FSK…)
 ICs Classification

◻ Analog Electrical levels move up and

down continuously

◻ Digital Electrical levels are either

ON (“1) or OFF (“0”)

◻ Mixed Signal Combination of the first two

 ICs Classification

IC Classification

According to According to According to According to the

Active Integration Viewpoint of
Signal Type Component Type Degree Developer

Digital Bipolar IC Standard

Half-
Analog CMOS LIC
customized

Mixed BiCMOS VLSI Customized

 Analog IC Design Process
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 What is analog circuit design?
Design Steps:
1.) Select a solution:
- Review previous designs.
- Select the simplest solution.
2.) Consider a solution:
- Analyze performance (without using a computer)
- Determine the advantages and disadvantages of the solution.
3.) Modify and add to the solution:
- Follow the basic theorems and concepts.
- Evaluate the modifications by analyzing the circuit.(without using a computer)
4.) Check the solution:
- Simulate with an equivalent model and check the solution.
- Carefully check the differences between hand and computer calculations.
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 Circuit Design?
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◻ The process from technical parameters → circuit

solution. Input and output of circuit design:

Use active and passive components to:

◻ Create a design.

◻ Review the design.

◻ Determine circuit optimization

Layout Design
What is Layout Design?
Layout design is the process of converting the circuit design into a layout consisting of
rectangular blocks in different layers. Then the fabrication process based on the layout
creates a 3-dimensional physical circuit.

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 Layout Design
What is layout?

1.) The input is the W/L ratio and the schematic (the schematic used for simulation).
2.) CAD is a tool used to input different schematics. The designer must input the position,
shape, and layer of the shape.
3.) During the layout process, the designer must follow a set of rules called “design rules”.
These rules are to ensure the stability and reliability of the technology.
4.) After the layout is completed, layout versus schematic (LVS) is performed to compare
the schematic with the layout.
5.) The next step is to check the dimensions of the design, extracting the parasitic
components. The parasitic components include:
a.) Capacitance between conductors and ground.
b.) Capacitance between conductors.
c.) Bulk resistance
6.) Parasitic components are added to the circuit diagram and simulated to ensure that
parasitic components do not significantly affect the circuit results.

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 Packaging
Packaging Process:

❑ IC packaging is an important part of the physical design process. The functions of

packaging:
1.) Protect the IC.
2.) Provide power to the IC.
3.) Cool the IC.
4.) Provide electrical and mechanical connections between the IC and external circuitry.
❑ Packaging Steps

◻ Other notes:
◻Speed.

◻Parasitic components (capacitance and inductance)

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 Testing
What is testing?
◻Testing is the process of coordinating, planning, and implementing IC performance
measurements
◻ Objective: comparing actual performance with specifications and simulation results.
◻ Types of testing:
◻Functional – checks the general technical details.
◻Parameters – determines the parameters with the allowable errors.
◻Static – determines the static characteristics of the circuit.
◻Dynamic – determines the dynamic characteristics of the circuit or system.
◻ Questions:
❑ Is the testing done at the wafer layer or during packaging?
❑ How can the influence of the measuring instrument on the results be eliminated?

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 Manufacturing technologies
Understanding Manufacturing Technology:
◻ Defines the limits of the technology and how the technology affects the design.
◻ Parasitic Devices
◻ Connecting Parasitic Components

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The meaning of smaller technology in IC design:
◻ Advantages: ◻ Disadvantages:
🞑 Smaller size. 🞑 Low voltage.
🞑 Smaller parasitic components. 🞑 Smaller channel resistance (reduced gain)
🞑 Higher transconductance. 🞑 Increased nonlinear noise.
🞑 Higher bandwidth. 🞑 Deviation from square-law behavior

◻ Challenges:
🞑 Increased noise in mixed signals.
🞑 Decrease in threshold voltage not proportional to power reduction
🞑 Decrease in dynamic range
🞑 Difficult to match impedance for small size
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 Analog IC Design Skills
◻ Learn about modeling:
◻ Modeling:
🞑 Modeling is the process of describing the electrical characteristics of a circuit or system
using mathematical formulas, circuits, graphs and tables of values.
🞑 Modeling allows predicting and testing the operation of a circuit or system..

◻ For example: Ohm's law, large signal model of MOSFET, V-A characteristic of diode...
◻ Goal: Simple model, designer can understand circuit performance
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Analog IC Design Skills
Analog design complexity:
◻Analogous designs are often implemented in a non-hierarchical manner and rarely
use repeating blocks. As a result, analogous designs become complex and difficult.

◻ How to solve the problem?

1.) Design as hierarchically as possible.
2.) Use combinatorial techniques.
3.) Use design documents.
4.) Make assumptions, simplify
5.) Conduct appropriate simulations.

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 Hypothesis

◻ A hypothesis is something that is true without proof. A hypothesis in design is

used to simplify calculations or designs. It is used to separate necessary information
from unnecessary information.
◻ Components of a hypothesis:

🞑Formulate hypotheses without eliminating necessary information.

🞑Apply assumptions to arrive at a result or solution
🞑Reconfirm the hypothesis to be true.
🞑Ignore the large resistance when it is connected in parallel with a much smaller resistance
🞑Miller effect for finding a dominant pole
🞑Finding the roots of a second-order polynomial assuming the roots are real and separated

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 Position of Analog IC
◻ Analog IC design is saturated
◻ In fields:

🞑 ADC, DAC.
🞑 Drive Control.
🞑 Modems – Filters
🞑 Bandgap reference
🞑 Analog phase lock loops
🞑 DC-DC converter
🞑 Buffers
🞑 Codecs
🞑 Etc.
◻ There is an opinion about analog circuits that goes like this: “If it can be done economically with digital
circuits, then don't use analog circuits.”
◻The requirements of analog circuits are usually optimized for speed, area, and power.
 Challenges in Analog IC Design
◻Process:
🞑 The size of the digital circuit is proportional to the size
reduction of the technology.
🞑 But analog circuit is NOT:
■ Decrease Gain
■ Mis-match
■ Non-linear.
■ Leakage current…
◻Challenges

🞑 Trade-off: non-linear, accuracy,…

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 What designers need to know
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◻ To be successful in analog IC design, it is necessary to understand the circuit before

performing simulation. Analog IC design consists of 3 main steps:
🞑 1- Schematic design, select structure, sizing, calculation;
🞑 2- Layout Design
🞑 3- Testing
◻ Analog design engineers need to be flexible and have the skills to simplify and
understand complex problems.
◻ IC design technology has matured. Analog ICs are used where there are advantages in
speed, area, and power over digital ICs.
Appendix
◻ IC manufacturing technology
◻ Link: https://youtu.be/bor0qLifjz4
◻ https://youtu.be/fwNkg1fsqBY
 Appendix Content
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◻ Introduction to NanoTech. – Semiconductor History

◻ MOS Technology : - Isolation module -Transistor module -
Interconnection module
◻ CMOS Technology
◻ Semiconductor Manufacturing Process (Wafer)
◻ Test physical and electrical properties

Nanotechnology
 Definition: Nanotechnology
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“Technology related to ways of

arranging and mastering structures of ◻ Many definitions
matter smaller than 100-nm in size”
◻ Size reduction brings out new
properties:
🞑 Quantum (Q.E)
🞑 Physical definition
◻ New materials, new structures,
etc.