Design and Optimization of Low-Power High-Speed CMOS Operational Amplifiers Using Subthreshold Conduction Techniques
Keywords:
CMOS operational amplifier, subthreshold conduction, low power, high speed, analog designAbstract
Purpose:
This paper investigates CMOS operational amplifier (op-amp) architectures optimized for low power consumption and high-speed operation using subthreshold conduction techniques. The primary objective is to achieve an effective trade-off between power efficiency and dynamic performance in modern low-voltage integrated circuits.
Design/methodology/approach:
A systematic design methodology is presented that integrates subthreshold biasing, optimized device sizing, and frequency compensation techniques. The proposed op-amp is designed and evaluated using circuit-level simulations in a 65 nm CMOS technology, focusing on transient response, frequency characteristics, and power consumption.
Findings:
Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed design achieves approximately 60% reduction in power consumption and a 20% improvement in bandwidth compared to conventional CMOS op-amp designs. These improvements are achieved while maintaining acceptable gain, stability, and noise performance.
Practical implications:
The proposed subthreshold-based op-amp architecture is well suited for power-constrained applications such as portable consumer electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes, and biomedical instrumentation, where extended battery life and reliable analog performance are critical.
Originality/value:
Unlike existing approaches that primarily optimize either low power or high speed, this work presents a unified optimization framework that simultaneously addresses both objectives using subthreshold conduction techniques, offering valuable insights for energy-efficient analog circuit design.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rosie Shaun Declan, Imogen Elliot (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
