High-Precision Open-Loop Time Amplifier Using Current Regulator

In this paper, we propose a high-precision open-loop time amplifier (TA) that utilizes a current regulator. In the current regulator, the VTH variation does not cause the current variation; therefore, the gain variation due to device mismatches can be reduced. Moreover, a pulse width extended switching scheme ensures that the current pulse reaches a desired current level completely even when the input is small. We performed simulations in 28-nm CMOS technology to evaluate the performance of the proposed TA. The results showed that the maximum gain error and the standard deviation of the error were 2.3% and 0.7%, respectively. Moreover, even when the input is small, gain error does not increase, and the proposed TA can amplify up to 1 ps input with high accuracy.