Journal of VLSI Design Tools and Technology

Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2249- 474X

__________________________________________________________________________________________

JoVDTT(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 1
A High Performance Reference Circuit with Optimized
Input Offset Operational Amplifier using Device
Mismatch Model

Kapil K. Rajput
1
, Sanjay Singh
2
, Ravi Saini
2
Anil K. Saini
2
*
1
Semiconductor Bussiness Unit, Tata Elxsi India Pvt. Ltd.
2
CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, Raj-333031 India

Abstract
In this paper, author describes a band gap reference (BGR) circuit, having reference
voltage 1.20V with maximum temperature coefficient of 63 ppm/
0
C in temperature range
of 40 to 120
0
C. The circuit operates in range of supply voltage, 3.0V to 3.6V. An
operational amplifier (op-amp), whose input offset voltage is reduced upto 892 V using
Pelgroms device mismatch model is used in BGR. The power supply rejection ratio of
circuit is improved at higher frequency and achieved 36 dB at 1 MHz. The circuit having
area of 0.45 mm
2
in 0.35 m CMOS technology is designed, fabricated and tested
successfully.

Keywords: CMOS bandgap reference, MOSFET mismatch modeling, operational
amplifier, input offset voltage

*Author for CorrespondenceE-mail: anilsaini.ceeri@gmail.com


INTRODUCTION
Ongoing trends in scaling of device
dimensions, made CMOS technology
preferred choice for integrated circuit
technology because it improves the
performance of the digital circuits as well as
analog circuits upto some extent. On the one
hand, the shrinking dimensions and reduced
noise margin due to supply voltage reduction
in each technology made more difficult to
obtain the precise performance, on the other
hand, widening applications (like biomedical,
sensor and in other sophisticated instruments)
of integrated circuits increased the demand of
very high precision performance analog
circuits. Importance of device mismatches in
design of precise analog circuits is evident by
existing literature [1, 2, 5, 10, 16].

The mismatch characteristic of the devices
used in circuits restricts to use the minimum
dimensions [1]. This offers the one of the
biggest challenge to the analog circuit
designers and produces the delimited
performance [1, 3]. Exiting models of
mismatches generally suggests the use of
increased area to overcome the degraded
performance due to mismatches. Here, in this
work author present a reference circuit which
uses the popular BGR technique. The BGR
technique first introduced by [14, 15] is most
used architecture till now, which provides the
reference voltage, insensitive to temperature,
supply and process variations [4]. Authors
have used Pelgroms device mismatch model
to overcome the mismatches in MOS devices
[3, 5]. According to Pelgroms model,
mismatches in devices is inversely
proportional to the area of device. An op-amp
having common mode input voltage equal to
one diode drop is required for the core BGR
circuit to operate properly [6]. The other
components of the reference circuit are core
BGR, supply independent biasing circuit and
start-up circuit. The precession in output
voltage of the reference circuit strongly
depends on performance of components used
in circuit as well as on the process variations
and mismatches. The known sources of error
are temperature coefficient of the resistors,
mismatches in betas (=C
ox
W/L),
base resistors of bipolar transistors, variation
of silicon bandgap voltage with temperature
and most importantly the input offset voltage
of the op-amp [7]. Input offset voltage of the
op-amp, which is temperature dependent,
High Performance Reference Circuit with Operational Amplifier Rajput et al.
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JoPC(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 2
introduces the significant error in output of
reference voltage [8]. Here, in this work
authors have reduced the input offset voltage
of op-amp and noise level of the op-amp using
Pelgroms device mismatch model instead of
trimming, auto zero or chopper stabilization
technique. This helps in improving the
precision of reference voltage. The only way
for the variation on output of reference voltage
is supply variation. Therefore, authors have
done the cascading throughout the supply
connection to improve the power supply
rejection ratio (PSRR). In section BGR
Architecture the block level architecture of
the reference circuit has been discussed. In
section Operational Amplifier Design design
of low noise, low input offset voltage op-amp
has been given. BGR design has been
described in section Proposed BGR
Circuit. In the next section entitled as
Simulation results, the results of
simulation are discussed. In the last Section
Testing Result, the overall measurement
results and conclusion of work are presented.

BGR ARCHITECTURE
Circuit Overview
The complete block diagram of the BGR has
been shown below in Figure 1.


Fig. 1: Block Diagram of BGR Circuit.

The architecture contains a core BGR circuit
which has been used to generate the negative
and positive temperature coefficients. This
opposite temperature coefficient voltages
cancels each other and gives the minimum
temperature coefficient voltage. A high gain
op-amp is connected with core BGR in
negative feedback configuration and output
reference voltage is obtained at the output of
the op-amp. Another important block of the
architecture is supply independent biasing
circuit which biases two branches of the op-
amp used in architecture. The BGR circuit has
two equilibrium points. In order, to prevent the
circuit from choosing the wrong equilibrium
point, the startup circuit is used in this
architecture. Whole circuit consumes 100 A
current. A source follower is also used in
architecture and the output of the reference
circuit is taken from the source follower to
prevent the loading effect.

Reference Voltage Generation
In bandgap reference generation method two
opposite temperature coefficients cancel each
other to get minimum temperature coefficient
voltage.
BE BE
V b aV A + =
REF
V (1)
Where V
REF,
is required reference voltage, and

V
BE
are forward bias voltage and difference
of forward bias voltages of two bipolar
transistors operating at unequal current
densities and constants a, b are chosen so as to
have zero temperature coefficient. Now,

ln(n)
T
V
BE
V =
(2)
where n is unit number of bipolar devices
connected in parallel to have unequal current
densities. The values of negative and positive
temperature coefficients in Austria micro
systems (AMS) 0.35 m technology are 1.5
mV/C and +0.085 mV/C, respectively.


Fig. 2: Reference Generation.

From the above Figure 2:
( ) ) 3 (
3
R
2
R
1
os
V - ln(n)
T
V
BE2
V (REF)
out
V
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ + =
V
OS
is input offset voltage of op-amp and Q1
and Q2 are two parasitic vertical PNP bipolar
transistors, n is ratio of emitter area of Q1 and
Q2, taken to be 24.

OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER
DESIGN
The op-amp is to be used in the reference
circuit is very important building block, whose
performance impacts the output of the
reference circuit. The op-amp having input
Journal of VLSI Design Tools and Technology
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2249- 474X
__________________________________________________________________________________________

JoVDTT(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 3
common mode voltage around 0.671 V, equals
to forward bias voltage (V
BE
) of the bipolar
transistor (Implemented in standard CMOS
technology) is required in core of the reference
circuit. The gain of the op-amp should be high
enough to keep both the node at the same
potential. In bandgap reference circuit,
generally current is derived from reference
voltage therefore, only way in which V
REF
may
depend on power supply is through a finite
power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of the op-
amp [7]. Simultaneously, when the reference
circuits are used in mixed signal circuits like
comparators and data converters, low noise is
also required. The above design constraints
conclude to following considerations:

The gain of the op-amp should be more than
70dB.The input common mode requirement
makes it difficult to use NMOS input
differential stage.As the output is taken from
source follower, the low output voltage
prevents to use the cascoded architecture.
Therefore, it leads to use the two stage op-
amp.The offset voltage produces by the op-
amp may be the limiting factor for the correct
operation of the reference circuit.PSRR and
noise performance of the circuit should be
good enough.Keeping all above considerations
for implementation, authors have taken the
simple two stage op-amp architecture and
reduced the input offset voltage, as well as
noise of the op-amp. While, other performance
parameters are kept according to requirements.

I nput Offset Reduction
The input offset voltage of the op-amp is
contributed by systematic and random offset
voltage. The systematic offset voltage is
introduced due to improper design of the
circuit.

Fig. 3: Two Stage Op-Amp.

The systematic offset voltage can be
minimized by choosing the equal current
densities in MN1, MN2 and MN3 as well as
the same transistor length of all above devices
[8, 9]. Therefore, for minimum systematic
offset:
1 2 4
3 3 6
1
2
MN MN MP
MN MN MP
W W W
L L L
W W W
L L L
| | | | | |
| | |
\ . \ . \ .
= =
| | | | | |
| | |
\ . \ . \ .
(1)
While, the random input offset voltage arises
due to mismatches in device threshold
voltage(Vt) and gain factor between the input
pair, which is the cause of photolithography,
ion implantation, etching and other process
related factors [3, 10, 11]. The random input
offset voltage of the circuit shown in Figure 3
can be expressed as [9]:
|
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|

|
.
|

\
|

+
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
MN1,2
L
W
MN1,2
L
W

MP1,2
L
W
MP1,2
L
W

2
MP2
t
V
GS
V
MP1
m
g
MN1
m
g
MP1,2 t
V
MN1,2 t
V
os
V
(2)
Random offset voltage depends upon
mismatch in threshold voltages between
transistors MP1 and MP2, MN1 and MN2,
transconductance ratio of MN1 and MP1 and
mismatches in dimensions of these transistors.
Random input offset voltage itself varies with
temperature; therefore, it is more accurate to
take offset voltage as function of statistical
variation. By Pelgroms device mismatch
model [3, 12]:
V (V )
TH MN1,2
(V V )
TH GS MP1
(V )
TH MN3,4
(V V )
TH GS MN1
os
=

(3)
Where is standard deviation of threshold
voltage. From above simplified equation,
authors conclude that, the overdrive voltages
ratio of MN2 and MP2 also plays an important
role in minimizing the offset voltage. In more
simplified way the above equation takes the
form,
( )
( )
A
VTH
V
os
W L
MP1,2
V Vt
A GS
VTH MP1
V Vt W L
GS MN1,2
MN1
=

+

| |
|
\ .
| |
|
\ .
(4)
High Performance Reference Circuit with Operational Amplifier Rajput et al.
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JoPC(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 4
A
VTH
is threshold area proportionality
dependent parameter, which has the value 9.5
mV m for NMOS and 14.5 mV m for
PMOS in 0.35 m AMS technology [12]. It is
clear that offset voltage depends upon the
device dimensions. Therefore, offset voltage
can be reduced by taking the large dimensions
of devices and choosing the proper ratio of
overdrive voltages of the devices according to
the Eq. (4). In this design, authors have
achieved input offset voltage ( value) up to
892 V.

Noise Minimization
Noise is also unwanted and random parameter
which reduces the performance of the circuit.
The power spectral densities (PSDs) of
thermal and flicker noise coefficients for the
above architecture are described as:

2
2
2
2 2
6 6
2 2 2 2
16
(1
3 2 ( / )
( / )
( / )
)
( / ) ( / )
thermal
n ox DMN
MN
p DMP MP
n DMN MN
n DMN MN n DMN MN
kT
V
C I W L
I W L
I W L
I W L I W L

=
+ +
(5)

and,
2
ker
2
2 2 2 2 6 2
2 2 6 2
( ) [1
( ) 2
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )]
n
flic
n OX
MN MN DMN P DMP
MP DMN MN DMN
KF
V f
C WL MN f
L L I KF I
KFn L I L I

=
+ +
(6)

where
n
and
p
are the carrier motilities, KF
n

and KF
p
are flicker noise coefficients of
NMOS and PMOS, respectively. k, is
Boltzmann Constant and C
OX
is capacitance
per unit area of the gate oxide.

From the Eqs. (5) and (6), authors conclude
that the factors to reduce the noise level in the
circuit are bias current of I
DMN2,
type of pair
used in input, aspect ratios and sizes of the
MOSFET devices used.

The choice of NMOS or PMOS is actually
based on the particular application and
availability of CMOS process for design. To
achieve high power supply rejection,
cascading (MP
3
, MP
5
and MP
4
, MP
6
) has been
done. Authors have simulated op-amp for
conventional method and Pelgroms method
and analyzed impact of offset voltage on
reference voltage variation.

The simulated performance of the op-amp is
given in the Table 1. The plots of the op-amp
simulations are given in Figures 47.

From Figures 47 and from Table 1, it can be
observed that by taking Pelgroms model of
optimization, input offset voltage is much
reduced and other parameters are well within
acceptable range.


Table 1: Simulated Results of Op-Amp.
Parameters
Conventional
Method
Pelgroms Method
Mean
Value
()
Standard
Deviatio
n
()
Mean
Value()
Standard
Deviation
()
Gain (dB)

104.27 2.01 96.83 6.11
Phase
Margin (.)

71.41 3.26 54.16 2.88
Unity Gain
Freq. (MHz)

2.89 0.21 3.57 0.163
Input Offset
Voltage(mV)

18.58 1.59 29.48 0.892
Input Noise at DC (V)
at 1 MHz(nV)
2.006
45
0.918
39

PROPOSED BGR CIRCUIT
The proposed bandgap reference circuit is
shown in Figure 4, contains an op-amp, core
bandgap, supply independent biasing and a
startup circuit. High gain op-amp keeps the
upper nodes of the bipolar transistors Q1and
Q2 at the same voltage level. Q1 is unit
transistor and Q2 is combination of 24 devices
connected in parallel n=8 and 24 are generally
preferred choices from layout point of view,
but for n=8, ratio of R1 and R3 is more
compare to n= 24.

The output of reference voltage is taken from
source of MN4. The source voltage of MN4
and MN6 are same. Transistors MP12, MP8,
MP13, MN6 and MN7 are supply independent
biasing circuit which is biasing op-amp and an
extra biasing current can be taken from drain
of MP15. To improve the PSRR extra row of
transistors or cascoding from supply end has
been done.
Journal of VLSI Design Tools and Technology
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2249- 474X
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JoVDTT(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 5

Fig. 4: Bandgap Reference Circuit.

SIMULATED RESULTS
In order, to ensure the methodology used in
our design, Monte Carlo simulation was done
to include the mismatches. Results are shown
in Figures 56, for operational amplifier and
Figures 79, for bandgap reference circuit.
Monte Carlo Resistor and MOS/Bipolar
Transistor models are used for 1000
simulations. The simulations are carried out on
Cadence tool with AMS 0.35 m CMOS
technology. The simulated mean () value,
standard deviation () and plots are given in
Figure.



Fig. 5: Simulation for Op-Amp.


In Figure 5 (13) Monte Carlo simulation
results of gain, phase margin and unity gain
bandwidth are shown. In Figure 6 (14) Input
offset voltage and PSRR at 10 Hz, 1 kHz and 1
MHz are shown.

Fig. 6: Offset Voltage (1) and PSRR (2, 3, 4)
at l0 Hz, 1 KHz and 1 MHz Histogram of Op-
Amp.

The reference voltage variations with
temperature and supply voltage for typical
parameters are presented in Figures 7 and 8,
respectively.


Fig. 7: Vref versus Temperature.


Fig. 8: Vref versus Supply Voltage.

Authors have compared the simulation results
of the circuit designed by conventional method
and using low input offset op-amp in Table 2.
Using conventional op-amp which has more
offset voltage, V
REF
variation and temperature
coefficient are 1.63% and 102.46 ppm/C,
High Performance Reference Circuit with Operational Amplifier Rajput et al.
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JoPC(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 6
respectively. While, using low input offset op-
amp, the reference voltage of value 1.219 with
maximum 0.66% variation and temperature
coefficient of 41.99 ppm/C have been
achieved. From the simulated results, authors
have observed that more than 58% of
reference voltage variation and temperature
coefficient have been reduced by carefully
designing the circuit using Pelgroms device
mismatch model. Overall performance and
comparison of circuits designed by traditional
method and improved procedure are given in
Table 2. Monte Carlo simulation results of
improved circuit for reference voltage
variation and PSRR at 10 Hz, 1 KHz, 1 MHz
are shown in Figure 9 (14) respectively.


Fig. 9: Vref vs Temp., PSRR at 10 Hz, 1 KHz
and 1 MHz (14).

Table 2: Simulated Results of Reference Circuit.
Parameter Simulated Value
Traditional
Circuit
Improved
Circuit
Monte Carlo
Mean value() of
Reference
Voltage V
REF
(V)
1.22 1.21916
Standard
Deviation () of
V
REF
(mV)
20.03 8.16
Temperature
Coefficient
(ppm/C)
102.06 41.99
Maximum
Variation of
V
REF
(%)
1.63 0.66
PSRR (dB)
At 10 Hz
At 1 kHz
At 1 MHz
-54.27 5.97 -103.28 4.97
-53.36 4.19 -99.99 1.97
-16.40 0.713 -42.98 0.317
Maximum
Current (A)
100 100


TESTING RESULT
The designed BGR circuit has been fabricated
in AMS 0.35 m CMOS Process through
europractice. The circuit has been tested by
semiconductor characterization chamber
(SCC) for 10% supply voltage variation and
10/ C to 110/ C range. In order, to verify the
tested results the packaged circuit has been
tested in temperature variation chamber.

The fabricated circuit has been tested on 5
dies. The tested results are given as follows:


Fig. 10: Measured Results for Voltage
Reference Variation with Temperature.


Fig.11: Chip Micro-Photograph of BGR
Circuit.

The circuit has been tested for both supply and
temperature variation. The maximum variation
of reference voltage with supply is 0.89%
while, in case of temperature the maximum
variation is 0.31mV and temperature
coefficient 63 ppm/C throughout the
temperature range of 10 to 110C. The total
area of the circuit is 0.45 mm
2
in 0.35 m
CMOS.

CONCLUSION
A bandgap reference circuit has been designed
and simulated successfully in AMS 0.35 m
standard CMOS technology. A low input
Journal of VLSI Design Tools and Technology
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2249- 474X
__________________________________________________________________________________________

JoVDTT(2013) 1-7 STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 7
offset operational amplifier without trimming
is used in the circuit to upgrade the
performance. Pelgroms device mismatch
model is used in the design of operational
amplifier.
By using low input offset op-amp and
carefully designing the reference circuit, an
average 58% reduction in variation of
reference voltage with temperature has been
achieved. The PSRR obtained is 42 dB with
almost negligible standard deviation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank to group
members of IC Design Group, CEERI, Pilani
and DIT/MCIT (Government of India) for
hardware and software support through
SMDP-II Project at CEERI, Pilani.

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