low voltage buffer IC CMOS design

Hello Jutek,

Does it absoluetly have to be a CMOS process? How about bipolar? Check the LM10. That thing runs from just above 1V to 40V supply.

Regards, Joerg

I think it's homework, so it has to be CMOS ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Hello Jim,

Even then, if it doesn't make sense and there is a much better alternative to some leaky CMOS design I'd make a strong point about that. After all, engineers should be trained to have good ideas, spot bottlenecks, figure out alternatives and not blindly follow some prescribed recipe.

I did that a few times. The first time was a bit scary because the assistant prof didn't want to have anything of it. So, I had to make my case in front of the academic director (2nd in command after the lead prof) sitting behind a plume of smoke from his pipe. What a relief when he finally said "Ahm, well, ...., I think you are right". The really nice thing was that he then asked me whether I'd like to work there.

Regards, Joerg

Your bias is showing ;-) To do rail-rail I/O CMOS is best.

My famous case was an exam question that had to do with solving the "trajectory" of an oscillator during start-up.

As originally graded, I was 100% wrong and everyone else had partial credit.

I went to instructor Jim Melcher (MIT graduate student then, later to become full professor and then EE Dean) and explained it to him.

He did an "aw-s*it", and everyone else was marked wrong and I got full credit.

I was not popular ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Hello Jim,

He didn't say RR. You should be able to get to within his 200mV with bipolar. Of course, CMOS has a much easier time to do that. But to make that work from 1.3V to 3.3V for VDD will be a stretch if you want any kind of performance.

Had a similar one, telling the academians that it ain't true that RF transmitters must have a source impedance equal to the antenna or coax Z. Basically I told them that if that were so they'd hear all the fire engines rushing to the Deutsche Welle station in the next town right now because it would be on fire. A few days later I followed that up with the data sheet of a 'real' AM transmitter, pointing out its efficiency of over 80%. "Hmmm...., oh drat".

But they didn't re-grade anyone (except me).

Regards, Joerg

it's not a homework but it has to be CMOS