Design and Fabrication of a Low-Voltage OPAMP Based on a-IGZO Thin-Film Transistors

TL;DR

This paper describes the design and fabrication of a low-voltage operational amplifier using a-IGZO thin-film transistors on a glass substrate.

Contribution

The novel integration of two design strategies improves output impedance and transconductance in a-IGZO OPAMPs.

Findings

The OPAMP achieved a gain of 26 dB and a bandwidth of 2.4 kHz.

A gain–bandwidth product of 48 kHz and a phase margin of 64° were measured.

The design confirms the reliability of a-IGZO TFTs for analog components.

Abstract

In the last few years, Thin Film Transistors (TFTs) based on materials such as amorphous Indium–Gallium–Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) have gained interest in large-area and low-cost electronics due to their high carrier mobility, high on/off current ratio, low off-state current, and steep subthreshold slope. These characteristics make IGZO TFTs suitable for radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), logic circuits, sensors, and analog components, including operational amplifiers (OPAMPs). This work presents the implementation and characterization of an OPAMP based on n-type a-IGZO TFTs fabricated on glass substrate. Two previously reported design strategies were integrated: a positive feedback network to increase the output impedance and a topology to enhance the transconductance of the driver transistors, both in the differential input stage. A gain of 26 dB, a bandwidth of 2.4 kHz, a gain–bandwidth product (GBWP) of 48 kHz, and a phase margin of 64° were obtained, which confirms the reliability of the design and the fabrication process.

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