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I'm making a Common Source amplifier using a mosfet and then comparing that to the same basic setup but with 2 mosfets in cascode. However I get a nearly identical response for both circuits. I'm trying to use a Mosfet with Kp=1 mA/V2, Cgd=8fF, Cgs=50fF, Vtn=2V, LAMBDA=0.I believe I've edited the model correctly, but I don't believe I should be getting the same response from both circuits. What am I doing wrong?

This is the Cascode Circuit

schematic

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

ed.

And this is the Cascode

schematic

simulate this circuit

When I run them trough PSpice I get this output Where Red is the response from the cascode and yellow is the response from the common-source enter image description here

And here is the model I'm using for the mosfet:

.model Mbreakn NMOS

  • LEVEL=1 VTO=2 GAMMA=0.45 PHI=0.9

  • NSUB=9E+14 LD=0.08E-6 WD=0.08E-6 KP=0.002 LAMBDA=0

  • TOX=9E-9 PB=0.9 CJ=0.56E-3 CJSW=0.35E-11

  • MJ=0.45 MJSW=0.2 CGDO=0.3E-9 JS=1.0E-8

  • CGSO=50fF

  • CGDO=8fF

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Are you aware that the symbols are PMOS, and the model is NMOS (?). Thus you are sending the input to the cascode transistor in the second schematic. Also the voltage gain depends on the load, e.g. the resistors are quite low. You might want to try an active load (cascode current source). And you should look for a bias circuit for the cascode gate voltage. \$\endgroup\$
    – HKOB
    Mar 5, 2015 at 0:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ @HKOB The symbols are NMOS. electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/69311/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Andy aka
    Mar 5, 2015 at 8:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Andyaka Thanks, when I was writing the comment I got confused about the arrow direction and googled for the symbol, and mixed it up with the symbol using an arrow for the body connection, which goes the other direction. Usually I never draw the arrows, just a circle for the PMOS. \$\endgroup\$
    – HKOB
    Mar 5, 2015 at 19:20

1 Answer 1

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Sorry about the MOS symbol confusion... Here's a better answer:

I think there are three reasons why you get a very similar voltage gain.

First off, your output resistance \$R_3\$ is quite low. The cascode transistor improves output impedance to allow a higher voltage gain, but there is no overall improvement since in the first circuit:

$$ r_{out} = R_3\parallel (r_{ds1}+10k) \approx R_3 $$

Adding a cascode transistor won't be able to improve this.

Secondly, the cascode bias voltage is probably too high. You want it to represent a large resistance. You can either alter the bias resistor network or use a diode coupled NMOS to ground (increasing it's length and adjust the current through it until you get a suitable setting).

Thirds, you should know you are limiting gain also with \$R_1\$. Effectively \$M_1\$ is acting like a source follower and the change in current through M1 is set by the voltage over \$R_1\$. Effectively you get the transconductance as \$g_m=1/R_1\$.

Summing this up voltage gain in both circuits should be approximately

$$ A_V=g_m r_{out} \approx R_3/R_1 $$

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