Towards automatic gain control low-power amplifier in 130 nm CMOS technology

The paper addresses the design of a bulk-driven variable gain amplifier (VGA) in 130 nm general purpose CMOS technology. The VGA is intended to be employed within a low-power automatic gain control (AGC) block, which requires an examination of possible gain setting approaches. The mentioned investigation as well as the evaluation and comparison of the obtained results are presented. The amplifier has been designed to work with the power supply voltage of only 0.6 V, which introduces a whole series of challenges and obstacles. However, it also eliminates one of the main problems associated with bulk-driven circuits - the latch-up effect.