Analog-circuit-component optimization with genetic algorithm

This paper presents an automatic parameter-optimization method for components in analog circuits, so as to facilitate design tasks such as smallest power consumption or fastest operational speed. For solution space exploration a genetic algorithm (GA) is used. In addition, design know-how of the target circuit is incorporated in the GA to improve effectiveness and time consumption of the solution search. The proposed method enables exploration of a larger solution space than possible for the human designer, while reducing the designer's workload at the same time. The efficiency of the proposed method is verified through its application to a complex analog circuit including feedback, which is used as minimum-distance-search circuit in fully-parallel associative memories.