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MOSFET Non-Idealities in Analog IC Design

MOS transistors exhibit a wide variety of second-order effects not covered by ideal models. To design analog integrated circuits that will work in the real world, we need to understand these non-idealities.

November 10, 2023 by Nicholas St. John

MOSFET Structure and Operation for Analog IC Design

Learn about the theory and implementation of MOSFETs, a key component of today’s analog integrated circuits.

November 01, 2023 by Nicholas St. John

Introduction to Analog IC Design

Interested in learning about analog integrated circuits? This article explores the design metrics and applications of these essential but underappreciated ICs.

October 27, 2023 by Nicholas St. John

An Introduction to Filters

Learn about various types of filters, including common terminology and important characteristics.

September 30, 2023 by Nick Davis

Pulse-Frequency Modulation for Switching Regulators

What’s the difference between PFM and PWM? We explore pulse-frequency modulation as a technique for controlling the output voltage of a switch-mode voltage regulator.

September 27, 2023 by Robert Keim

Fundamentals of Binary-Coded Decimal (BCD)

This article provides an introduction to the computational number system known as binary-coded decimal or BCD. This numeric encoding scheme is historically significant and still advantageous in certain applications.

July 07, 2023 by Robert Keim

Boolean Canonical Forms: Sum-of-Products and Product-of-Sums

Understanding two key Boolean canonical forms, the sum-of-products and the product-of-sums, is important in digital system design and optimization. We will introduce how to generate these forms and provide guidelines on when it is typically best to use each form.

June 30, 2023 by William Bahn

Exploring Output Ripple in a Negative Voltage Charge Pump Using LTspice

In this article, we’ll use LTspice simulations to more thoroughly understand output-voltage ripple and consider techniques for mitigating it within a charge pump circuit.

June 21, 2023 by Robert Keim

Analyzing Oscillator Frequency in an LTspice Negative Voltage Charge Pump

Continuing our in-depth look at a simple SPICE circuit that can generate a negative supply voltage, we’ll consider the effect of oscillator frequency on the system’s performance parameters.

June 18, 2023 by Robert Keim

What is an Application-specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)?

Indispensable for modern electrical engineering, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) form a diverse group of integrated circuits (ICs) that help designers to optimize sophisticated electronic devices.

June 14, 2023 by Robert Keim

Explore Negative Voltage Using LTspice and a Negative Voltage Generator

In this article, we’ll use SPICE simulations to explore the theory and behavior of negative voltages.

May 26, 2023 by Robert Keim

Analyzing a Negative Voltage Charge Pump in LTspice—Source and Load Resistance

Learn about using LTspice simulations to provide important insight into the performance of a switched-capacitor voltage-inverting power supply.

May 14, 2023 by Robert Keim

Can Voltage Be Negative? Understanding Negative Voltage

In addition to explaining the nature of a negative voltage, this article briefly discusses how negative voltages are generated and why they are useful in circuit design.

April 02, 2023 by Robert Keim

Receiving and Sampling Signals in Digital Pulse Amplitude Modulation

The receiver in a digital PAM system must sample and measure the amplitude of a signal that is affected by the frequency response of the transmission channel.

March 05, 2023 by Robert Keim

Introduction to Double Date Rate (DDR) Memory

Learn about double date rate (DDR) memory key concepts and applications surrounding this digital communication technique, where two data words are transferred during one clock cycle.

February 03, 2023 by Robert Keim

Investigating Lossless Transmission Line Phase Constant and Infinite Bandwidth

Learn how to derive the wave equations for a lossless transmission line and look at its infinite bandwidth and phase constant.

January 27, 2023 by Dr. Steve Arar

A Primer on Digital Pulse Amplitude Modulation

An encoding technique used for digital communication, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) converts a discrete-time signal into a variable-amplitude continuous-time signal that is suitable for high-speed wired communication systems.

January 22, 2023 by Robert Keim

From Parallel to Serial and Back Again: Understanding SerDes

Serialization/deserialization circuitry, known collectively as SerDes, provides important benefits for digital communication systems, especially when high data rates are required.

January 15, 2023 by Robert Keim

RF Design Basics—Introduction to Transmission Lines

Learn about voltage waves and how they relate to an important basic concept of radio frequency (RF) circuit design: transmission lines.

January 13, 2023 by Dr. Steve Arar

An Introduction to Current Sources

Current sources are less familiar than voltage sources like batteries and AC wall power. Current sources usually are buried, unseen, inside electronic circuitry. Learn what they are and how they are designed.

January 02, 2023 by Harry Trietley