Scaling for Optimum Dynamic Range and Noise-Power Tradeoff: A Review of Analog Circuit Design Techniques

In a recent overview article [1], Prof. Yannis Tsividis reviewed the connection between dynamic range (DR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the signal bandwidth, and the required power dissipation for analog circuits. As a follow-up to that tutorial, this article reviews circuit design techniques available for optimizing the DR and the tradeoff between power dissipation and SNR. The discussion is restricted to the special cases of simple active-resistor-capacitor (active-RC), active-switched-capacitor (active-SC), and transconductancebased (Gm-C) circuits. However, the principles can easily be extended to other active or passive linear circuits. Proper scaling using the proposed methods can greatly improve the figures of merit of analog and mixedmode ICs.