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A 250-μW, 18-nV/rtHz current-feedback chopper instrumentation amplifier in 180-nm cmos for high-performance bio-potential sensing applications

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Abstract

This paper presents a low-power, high-performance current-feedback instrumentation amplifier (CFIA) for portable bio-potential sensing applications. Noise analysis is performed to assign an optimized current for the input stage of the amplifier. Analysis on selecting nested chopping frequencies is performed, further reducing 1/f noise and the residual offset. Enhanced power efficiency is achieved by sharing cascode branches and using a Class-AB output stage. Through these methods, a good balance between noise performance and other parameters such as output ripples and power consumption of the ripple reduction feedback loop (RRFL) is achieved. The amplifier is developed using a 1-poly 6-metal 0.18 μm CMOS process. Three gain stages with a gain-boosting input stage provide a low-frequency, open-loop gain >250 dB. When configured to a closed-loop gain of 60 dB, the amplifier achieves a noise voltage density of 18 \({\text{nV}}/\sqrt {{\text{H}}z}\) and a 1/f noise corner of 3 Hz. With a current of 75 μA and a supply voltage of 3.3 V, a CMRR of 110 dB and a PSRR of 120 dB are achieved, with an average input offset of about 6.5 μV. The amplifier achieves a state-of-art noise efficiency factor of 4.2. Practical application of the CFIA is demonstrated with an in vivo electrocardiogram detection.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a National Research Foundation (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIP) (No. 2015R1A5A1037656) and in part by the Basic Science Research Program through the NRF of Korea (No. 2015R1A2A2A03004160).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electronics and Information, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi, 17104, Korea

    Hyun-Sik Lee, Van Nhan Nguyen, Xuan Lap Pham & Jong-Wook Lee

  2. College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 022447, Korea

    Hun-Kuk Park

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  1. Hyun-Sik Lee
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  2. Van Nhan Nguyen
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  3. Xuan Lap Pham
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  4. Jong-Wook Lee
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Correspondence to Jong-Wook Lee.

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Lee, HS., Nguyen, V.N., Pham, X.L. et al. A 250-μW, 18-nV/rtHz current-feedback chopper instrumentation amplifier in 180-nm cmos for high-performance bio-potential sensing applications. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 90, 137–148 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-016-0853-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-016-0853-7

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