An OTA with Positive Feedback Bias Control for Power Adaptation Proportional to Analog Workloads

Abstract

This paper reports an adaptive positive feedback bias control technique for operational transconductance amplifiers to adjust the bias current based on the output current monitored by a current replica circuit. This technique enables operational transconductance amplifiers to quickly adapt their power consumption to various analog workloads when they are configured with negative feedback. To prove the concept, a test voltage follower is fabricated in 0.5-mu m CMOS technology. Measurement result shows that the power consumption of the test voltage follower is approximately linearly proportional to the load capacitance, the signal frequency, and the signal amplitude for sinusoidal inputs as well as square pulses.