°c Copyright 2010. W. Marshall Leach, Jr.

, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology,

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The Common-Source Amplifier

Basic Circuit
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a single stage common-emitter amplifier. The object is
to solve for the small-signal voltage gain, input resistance, and output resistance.

Figure 1: Common-source amplifier.

DC Solution
(a) Replace the capacitors with open circuits. Look out of the 3 MOSFET terminals and
make Thévenin equivalent circuits as shown in Fig. 2.
V + R2 + V − R1
VGG = RGG = R1 kR2
R1 + R2

VSS = V − RSS = RS VDD = V + RDD = RD

(b) Write the loop equation between the VGG and the VSS nodes.
VGG − VSS = VGS + IS RSS = VGS + ID RSS

(c) Use the equation for the drain current to solve for VGS .
r
ID
VGS = + VT O
K

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 Figure 2: Bias circuit.

(d) Solve the equations simultaneously.

r
ID
ID RSS + + [(VGG − VSS ) − VT O ] = 0
K
(e) Let V1 = (VGG − VSS ) − VT O . Solve the quadratic for ID .
µ√ ¶2
1 + 4KV1 RSS − 1
ID = √
2 KRSS
p
(d) Verify that VDS > VGS − VT O = ID /K for the active mode.
¡ ¢
VDS = VD − VS = (VDD − ID RDD ) − V − + ID RSS = VDD − VSS − ID RDD

Small-Signal or AC Solutions
(a) Redraw the circuit with V + = V − = 0 and all capacitors replaced with short circuits as
shown in Fig. 3.
(b) Calculate gm , rs , and r0 from the DC solution.
p 1 λ−1 + VDS
gm = 2 KID rs = r0 =
gm ID

(c) Replace the circuits looking out of the gate and source with Thévenin equivalent
circuits as shown in Fig. 4.

R1 kR2
vtg = vi Rtg = R1 kR2 vte = 0 Rts = RS kR3
Ri + R1 kR2

2
 Figure 3: Signal circuit.

Figure 4: Signal circuit with Thévenin gate circuit.

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Exact Solution
(a) Replace the circuit seen looking into the drain with its Norton equivalent circuit as shown
in Fig. 5. Solve for id(sc) .

R1 kR2
id(sc) = Gmg vtg = Gmg vi
Ri + R1 kR2
1 r0
Gmg =
rs + Rts kr0 r0 + Rts

Figure 5: Norton drain circuit.

(b) Solve for vo .

R1 kR2
vo = −id(sc) rid kRD kRL = −Gmg vi rid kRD kRL
Ri + R1 kR2
µ ¶
r0 + rs kRts Rts
rid = = r0 1 + 0 + Rts
1 − Rts / (rs + Rte ) rs
(c) Solve for the voltage gain.
vo R1 kR2
Av = = −Gms rid kRD kRL
vi Ri + R1 kR2
(d) Solve for rin .
rin = R1 kR2
(e) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD
(d) Special case for Rts = 0.
1
Gmg = = gm rid = r0
rs
Example 1 For the CS amplifier of Fig. ??, it is given that Ri = 5 kΩ, R1 = 5 MΩ,
R2 = 1 MΩ, RD = 10 kΩ, RS = 3 kΩ, R3 = 50 Ω, RL = 20 kΩ, V + = 24 V, V − = −24 V,
K0 = 0.001 A/ V2 , VT O = 1.75 V, λ = 0.016 V−1 . Solve for the gain Av = vo /vi , the input
resistance rin , and the output resistance rout . The capacitors can be assumed to be ac short
circuits at the operating frequency.

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 Solution. For the dc bias solution, replace all capacitors with open circuits. The Thévenin
voltage and resistance seen looking out of the gate are

V + R2 + V − R1
VGG = = −16 V RBB = R1 kR2 = 833.3 kΩ
R1 + R2
The Thévenin voltage and resistance seen looking out of the source are VSS = V − and
RSS = RS . To calculate ID , we neglect the Early effect by setting K = K0 . The bias
equation for ID is
µ√ ¶2
1 + 4KV1 RSS − 1
ID = √ = 1.655 mA
2 KRSS
To test for the active mode, we calculate the drain-source voltage
¡ ¢ ¡ ¢
VDS = VD − VS = V + − ID RD − V − + ID RSS = 26.491 V
p
This must be greater than VGS − VT O = ID /K = 1.286 V. It follows that the MOSFET is
biased in its active mode.
For the small-signal ac analysis, we need gm , rs , and r0 . When the Early effect is ac-
counted for, the new value of K is given by

K = K0 (1 + λVDS ) = 1.424 × 10−3 A/ V2

Note that this is an approximation because the Early effect was neglected in calculating VDS .
However, the approximation should be close to the true value. It follows that gm , rs , and r0
are given by
p 1
gm = 2 KID = 3.07 × 10−3 A/ V rs = = 325.758 Ω
gm

λ−1 + VDS
r0 = = 53.78 kΩ
ID
For the small-signal analysis, V + and V − are zeroed and the three capacitors are replaced
with ac short circuits. The Thévenin voltage and resistance seen looking out of the gate are
given by
R1 kR2
vtg = vi = 0.994vi Rtg = Ri kR1 kR2 = 4.97 kΩ
Ri + R1 kR2
The Thévenin resistances seen looking out of the source and the drain are

Rts = RS kR3 = 49.18 Ω Rtd = RD kRL = 6.667 kΩ

Next, we calculate Gmg and rid

1 r0 1
Gmg = = S
rs + Rts kr0 r0 + Rts 375.237
µ ¶
Rts
rid = r0 1 + + Rts = 61.95 kΩ
rs

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 The output voltage is given by

vo = −Gmg × (rid kRtd ) vtg = −Gmg × (rid kRtd ) × 0.916vi = −15.945vi

Thus the voltage gain is

vo
= −15.945
Av =
vi
The input and output resistances are given by

rin = R1 kR2 = 833.3 kΩ rout = rid kRD = 8.61 kΩ

Approximate Solutions
These solutions assume that r0 = ∞ except in calculating rid . In this case, id(sc) = i0d = i0s .

Source Equivalent Circuit Solution

(a) After making the Thévenin equivalent circuits looking out of the gate and source, replace
the MOSFET with the source equivalent circuit as shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 6: Source equivalent circuit.

(b) Solve for i0d = i0s and rid .

1
vtg = i0s (re0 + Rte ) = i0d (rs + Rts ) =⇒ i0d = vtg
rs + Rts
µ ¶
r0 + rs kRts or Rts
rid = = r0 1 + 0 + Rts
1 − Rts / (rs + Rte ) rs
(c) Solve for vo and Av = vo /vi .

−1 R1 kR2 1
vo = −i0d rid kRD kRL = vtg rid kRD kRL = −vi rid kRD kRL
rs + Rts Ri + R1 kR2 rs + Rts

Rts = RS kR3

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 vo R1 kR2 1
Av = =− rid kRD kRL
vi Ri + R1 kR2 rs + Rts
Note that this is of the form
vtg i0 i0 vo
Av = × s × d0 × 0
vi vtg is id
(d) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD
Example 2 Use the simplified T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout
for Example 1.

¡ ¢ ¡ ¢
Av = 0.994 × 2.667 × 10−3 × −6.019 × 103 = −15.957
rin = 833.3 kΩ rid = 61.95 kΩ rout = 8.61 kΩ

π Model Solution
(a) After making the Thévenin equivalent circuits looking out of the gate and source, replace
the MOSFET with the π model as shown in Fig. 7.

Figure 7: Hybrid π model circuit.

(b) Solve for i0d and rid .

i0d vtg
vtg = vπ + i0s Rts = + i0d Rts =⇒ i0d =
gm 1
+ Rts
gm
µ ¶
r0 + rs kRts Rts
rid = = r0 1 + 0 + Rts
1 − Rts / (rs + Rte ) rs
(c) Solve for vo .
vtg R1 kR2 −rid kRD kRL
vo = −i0d rid kRD kRL = − rid kRD kRL = vi
1 Ri + R1 kR2 1
+ Rts + Rts
gm gm

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 (d) Solve for the voltage gain.

vo R1 kR2 1
Av = = (−rid kRD kRL )
vi Ri + R1 kR2 1
+ Rts
gm
This is of the form
vtg i0 vo
Av = × d × 0
vi vtg id
(e) Solve for rin .
rin = R1 kR2
(f) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD

Example 3 Use the π-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Example
1. ¡ ¢ ¡ ¢
Av = 0.994 × 2.667 × 10−3 × −6.019 × 103 = −15.957
rin = 833.3 kΩ rid = 61.95 kΩ rout = 8.61 kΩ

T Model Solution
(a) After making the Thévenin equivalent circuits looking out of the gate and source, replace
the MOSFET with the T model as shown in Fig. 8.

Figure 8: T model circuit.

(b) Solve for i0d .

vtg
vtg = i0s (rs + Rts ) = i0d (rs + Rts ) =⇒ i0d =
rs + Rts
(c) Solve for vo .

vtg R1 kR2 −rid kRD kRL

vo = −i0d rid kRD kRL = − rid kRD kRL = vi
rs + Rts Ri + R1 kR2 rs + Rts

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 (d) Solve for the voltage gain.

vo R1 kR2 1
Av = = (−rid kRD kRL )
vi Ri + R1 kR2 rs + Rts

(e) Solve for rin .

rin = R1 kR2
(f) Solve for rout .
rout = rid kRD

Example 4 Use the T-model solutions to calculate the values of Av , rin , and rout for Ex-
ample 1. ¡ ¢ ¡ ¢
Av = 0.994 × 2.667 × 10−3 × −6.019 × 103 = −15.957
rin = 833.3 kΩ rid = 61.95 kΩ rout = 8.61 kΩ