Here's a classic run down of the two stage opamp. As a circuit designer, these fundamentals should be engrained. At a reputable company, probably at least 75% of these would be asked.
- Draw the basic CMOS two stage opamp.
- Label the inputs and outputs. Which input is the positive input?
- How do you know this is the correct positive input?
- Why would you use two stages instead of only one?
- What input differential pair FET type would you use? PFET or NFET? Why?
- In DC normal operation, What is the input resistance?
- In DC normal operation, What is the output resistance?
- What are the input and output voltage operating ranges/swings?
- If the input voltages are equal, and set such that all the transistors are in saturation. What is the voltage at the gate of the second stage input?
- What is the DC open loop gain?
- How would you increase the gain?
- Does increasing the 1st stage current increase or decrease the gain? Why is that?
- What is the dominant pole of a Miller compensated two stage opamp?
- What is the Miller compensation?
- What is the second dominant pole?
- What is the third dominant pole?
- Why do people usually not worry about the third pole?
- Is it possible to do o
- How much attenuation and phase shift does one pole give?
- For one pole, can the phase shift reach 90 degrees?
- What is the gain bandwidth product of the two stage opamp?
- Where is the second stage zero?
- Is this zero good or bad? Why?
- Do you know techniques to deal with this zero?
- If a nulling resistor is used, do you use a resistor or transistor?
- Would you put this resistor or transistor on the left or right side of the compensation capacitor? Why?
- What can you do to make your two stage opamp more stable?
- What is the positive slew rate?
- What is the negative slew rate?
- How can you increase slew rate?
- What is the common mode rejection ratio (CMRR)?
- Does CMRR get better or worse as you increase frequency? Why?
- What is power supply rejection ratio (PSRR)?
- Write the positive and negative PSRR equations.
- How does the Miller capacitance affect PSRR?
- What's the input offset mismatch?
- How do you ratio the stage 1 and stage 2 currents to reduce systematic offset?
- How would you decrease random mismatch? What drawbacks are there?
- How does each transistor in the first stage contribute to the input-referred noise?
- How would you decrease the input-referred noise? What are the drawbacks?
- Explain the difference between flicker and thermal noise.
- Floorplan a two stage opamp layout.
- Which devices should be matched?