A power efficient (PE) amplifier includes a cascode amplifier, a transistor amplifier, and a voltage supply. The transistor amplifier includes at least one differential pair of transistors and a plurality of transformers having a primary winding and a tapped secondary winding. The secondary winding is connected across emitters or sources of each transistor pair. The tap of each secondary has a current source. The primary windings of the plurality of transformers are connected in series. The transistor bases or gates are alternating current (AC) grounded. The collector or drain terminal pairs are connected in parallel. The voltage supply is low voltage and supplies a current to the cascode amplifier. The PE amplifier further includes a plurality of current sources which provide a total current to the transistor amplifier. The PE amplifier has, among other things, improved power gain, improved reverse isolation, improved power dissipation, and improved peak differential swing.

A variable gain amplifier circuit is disclosed. In one embodiment, an amplifier circuit includes first and second stages. Each stage includes one or more inverter pairs, with one inverter of each pair coupled to receive an inverting component of a differential signal and the other inverter of the pair coupled to receive a non-inverting component. The first stage receives a differential input signal and produces an intermediate differential signal. The second stage receives the intermediate differential signal and produces a differential output signal, the differential output signal being an amplified version of the differential input signal.

An apparatus is disclosed for bidirectional amplification with phase-shifting. In example implementations, an apparatus includes a phase shifter with a bidirectional amplifier. The bidirectional amplifier includes a first transistor coupled between a first plus node and a second minus node, a second transistor coupled between a first minus node and a second plus node, a third transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second minus node, and a fourth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second plus node. The bidirectional amplifier also includes a fifth transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second plus node, a sixth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second minus node, a seventh transistor coupled between the first plus node and the second plus node, and an eighth transistor coupled between the first minus node and the second minus node.

A class AB buffer includes an output stage and an input stage. The output stage includes a first output transistor and a second output transistor. The second output transistor is coupled to the first output transistor. The input stage is coupled to the output stage. The input stage includes a first cascode transistor, a first switch, a second cascode transistor, and a second switch. The first switch is coupled to the first cascode transistor and the first output transistor. The second switch is coupled to the first switch, the second cascode transistor, and the first output transistor.

A MIMO amplifier circuit operable to couple one or more selectable input ports to one or more selectable output ports. The circuit includes N input transistors and M output transistors. Each input transistor has its base coupled to a respective input port node, its emitter coupled to ground, and its collector connected to an intermediate node. Each output transistor has its base coupled to a bias node, its emitter connected to the intermediate node, and its collector coupled to a respective output port nodes. Each input transistor enables the respective input port node when its base is biased. Each output transistor enables the respective output port node when its bias node is asserted. The base of the input transistor for each enabled port is biased to provide a quiescent current I.sub.0*m/n through that input transistor, where m is the number of enabled output ports and n is the number of enabled input ports.

According to one embodiment, an operational amplifier includes first and second input terminals, an output terminal, differential circuitry, and output circuitry. The differential circuitry including first and second nodes, and first and second transistors. The output circuitry including third through fifth nodes, and third through eighth transistors. The third transistor being coupled to the first node at a gate and coupled to the third node at one end. The fourth transistor being coupled to the second node at a gate and coupled to the fourth node at one end. The fifth transistor being coupled to the fourth node at a gate and coupled to the third node at one end. The sixth transistor being coupled to the fourth node at each of a gate and one end.

A MOSFET has a current conduction path between source and drain terminals. A gate terminal of the MOSFET receives an input signal to facilitate current conduction in the current conduction path as a result of a gate-to-source voltage reaching a threshold voltage. A body terminal of the MOSFET is coupled to body voltage control circuitry that is sensitive to the voltage at the gate terminal of the MOSFET. The body voltage control circuitry responds to a reduction in the voltage at the gate terminal of the MOSFET by increasing the body voltage of the MOSFET at the body terminal of the MOSFET. As a result, there is reduction in the threshold voltage. The circuit configuration is applicable to amplifier circuits, comparator circuits and current mirror circuits.

Described is high-current drive class AB operational trans-conductance amplifier (OTA) output that can operate under low supply voltages (e.g., below 0.9 V) while maintaining desired functionality (e.g., reliable startup behavior, well-defined biasing currents, phase margins for improved stability) over a broad range of process, voltage, and temperature variations. The class AB OTA comprises a pre-amplifier stage, and a differential OTA output stage coupled to the pre-amplifier stage, wherein the differential OTA output stage comprises at least four folded cascode transistors.

An operational amplifier circuit is provided. The operational amplifier circuit includes a differential input stage circuit and a loading stage circuit. The differential input stage circuit includes an input circuit, a voltage maintaining circuit, and a current source. The input circuit includes a first input transistor and a second input transistor, for receiving a first and a second input signals, respectively. The voltage maintaining circuit includes a first branch circuit and a second branch circuit. The first branch circuit is coupled to the first input transistor for receiving the first input signal, and the second branch circuit is coupled to the second input transistor for receiving the second input signal. The current source is coupled to the first input transistor and the second input transistor. The loading stage circuit is coupled to the voltage maintaining circuit.

A circuit for implementing an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) based on telescopic topology, wherein cascode transistors of the operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) are self-biased without using additional biasing circuitry, which not only reduces power consumption but also achieves high gain without extra current, and each cascode stage of the OTA has a pair of transistors so that the swing of the output differential signals of the OTA can be completely symmetrical so as to benefit second-order harmonic rejection, CMRR and PSRR.