A Functional Block Decomposition Method for Automatic Op-Amp Design

TL;DR

A method to decompose an op-amp into its functional blocks that is able to recognize functional blocks on a high level of abstraction as loads or amplification stages which have a large set of possible structural implementations.

Abstract

This paper presents a method to decompose an op-amp into its functional blocks. The method is able to recognize functional blocks on a high level of abstraction as loads or amplification stages which have a large set of possible structural implementations. The paper presents a hierarchical library of functional blocks. With every hierarchy level, the structural representation of the functional blocks becomes more variable while its function emerges. We use the hierarchical order to automatically compute the functional decomposition of an op-amp given as a flat netlist. Experimental results illustrate the method. The functional block decomposition enables a comprehensive formalization of design knowledge for computer-aided design of op-amps. Applications to circuit sizing and structural synthesis of op-amps are presented.

Figures (18)

• Figure 1: Hierarchical library of functional blocks in op-amps
• Figure 2: Symmetrical op-Amp with high PSRR LakerSansen (Definitions of abbreviations in Fig. \ref{['fig:functionalBlockPyramid']})
• Figure 3: Functional blocks on level 1
• Figure 4: Voltage bias and variants with stacks of 1 or 2 transistors (dashed lines: optional pins and functional blocks)
• Figure 5: Current bias and variants with stacks of 1 or 2 transistors (dashed lines: optional)