01 / Context
A stable reference in a changing circuit.
A voltage reference is intended to remain stable while the surrounding circuit conditions change. This project explored that problem at a 1.2 V supply using a bandgap core, bias generator, amplifier and startup circuit.
02 / Problem
Low power does not remove the constraints.
Low-power operation did not remove the need for gain, reliable startup or tolerance to variation. Improving one property could make another more difficult.
03 / What I did
Evaluate the blocks, then the interactions.
We sized and evaluated the component blocks, examined process and mismatch behavior, and carried the design through layout and parasitic extraction. The report discusses larger devices as one response to variation and the costs in area and operating speed.
04 / What mattered
A result with a clear operating range.
A reported simulated temperature coefficient of 13.14 ppm/°C over 0–70°C at 1.2 V.
The report's results section gives a simulated temperature coefficient of 13.14 ppm/°C at a 1.2 V supply over 0–70°C. It also discusses sensitivity to supply noise and opportunities to improve startup and yield.
05 / Reflection
Low power is a set of tradeoffs.
Low power was a set of tradeoffs, not a single setting. Each improvement had to be weighed against the limits the reference could tolerate.
06 / Selected evidence
The record behind
the work.
The reported 13.14 ppm/°C result is simulated at 1.2 V over 0–70°C. The abstract and later results contain inconsistencies; the results section is the source for this statement.
Team / Alan Maier, Bao Vo, Richard Wan and Amanda Whitley.