A Ringamp-Assisted, Output Capacitor-less Analog CMOS Low-Dropout Voltage Regulator

Continued advancements in state-of-the-art integrated circuits have furthered trends toward higher computational performance and increased functionality within smaller circuit area footprints, all while improving power efficiencies to meet the demands of mobile and battery-powered applications. A significant portion of these advancements have been enabled by continued scaling of CMOS technology into smaller process node sizes, facilitating faster digital systems and power optimized computation. However, this scaling has degraded classic analog amplifying circuit structures with reduced voltage headroom and lower device output resistance; and thus, lower available intrinsic gain. This work investigates these trends and their impact for fine-grain Low-Dropout (LDO) Voltage Regulators, leading to a presented design methodology and implementation of a state-of-the-art Ringamp-Assisted, Output Capacitor-less Analog CMOS LDO Voltage Regulator capable of both power scaling and process node scaling for general SoC applications

GaN vs. Si for Class D Audio Applications

The demands and applications of modern power electronics are quickly moving past the maximum performance capabilities of Silicon devices. As the processing of Wide Bandgap (WBG) materials matures and the commercial availability of WBG devices grows, circuit designers are exploring many applications to exploit the performance benefits over traditional Silicon devices. This work examines the under-explored application of GaN-based Class D audio by providing a side-by-side comparison of enhancement-mode GaN devices with currently available Silicon MOSFETs. It is suggested that GaN in Class D audio will allow for lower heat radiation, smaller circuit footprints, and longer battery life as compared to Si MOSFETs with a negligible trade-off for quality of sound