A noise insensitive high speed versatile operational amplifier library cell

Probably the most important building block in a mixed-signal system is the operational amplifier. Power consumption is the critical performance characteristic in fast op-amp design. Low power supplies have become dominant in modern mixed-signal VLSI systems. Unlike CMOS digital modules, which are functionally insensitive to power supply variations, traditional analog cells not only fail to perform and achieve the expected performance characteristics but also may become totally non-functional. This fact, together with the requirement of high density mixed analog-digital VLSI systems by the commercial microelectronic industry, urges the research into new analog architectures capable of achieving high performance characteristics in exceedingly noisy environments, where the presence of digital circuitry is abandoned. Furthermore, modularity and easy implementation is another crucial factor that can drastically reduce a product´s overall development time and determine its commercial and financial success or failure. For such reasons, power supply insensitive, self-biasing architectures are highly advantageous, successfully limiting the design, layout and routing effort and ruling the economic prosperity of the product