Intuitive analog circuit design: a problem-solving approach using design case studies

This book reflects Dr. Thompson's twenty years of experience designing and teaching analog circuit design, and is an outgrowth of course notes from his graduate-level analog circuit design course taught at Worcester Polytechnic Institute entitled "Analog Circuits and Intuition." In this class, he describes intuitive and "back of the envelope" techniques for designing and analyzing analog circuits, including transistor amplifiers (CMOS and bipolar), transistor switching, thermal circuit design, magnetic circuit design, control systems, and the like. The application of some simple rules-of-thumb and design techniques is the first step in developing an intuitive understanding of the behavior of complex electrical systems. This book outlines some ways of thinking about analog circuits and systems that hopefully develops such "circuit intuition" and a "feel" for what a good, working analog circuit design should be.

Introduction and motivation -- Review of signal-processing basics -- Review of diode physics and the ideal (and later, nonideal) diode -- Bipolar transistor models -- Basic bipolar transistor amplifiers and biasing -- Bandwidth estimation techniques and the method of open-circuit time constants -- Advanced transistor amplifier techniques -- High gain bipolar amplifiers and BJT current mirrors -- Introduction to mosfet devices and basic MOS amplifiers -- Bipolar transistor switching and the charge control model -- Review of feedback systems -- Basic operational amplifier topologies and a case study -- Review of current feedback operational amplifiers -- Analog lowpass filters -- Review of passive components and a case study in PC board layout -- Other useful design techniques and loose-ends.