Analog Integrated Circuit Design, 2nd Edition

To develop good analog circuit design techniques, a basic understanding of noise sources and analysis is required. Another motivation to study noise analysis is to learn basic concepts of random signals for a proper understanding of oversampling converters. The purpose of this chapter is to present some fundamentals of noise analysis followed by an introduction to electronic noise sources and circuit analysis, and finally linearity.

It should be mentioned here that this chapter deals with inherent noise as opposed to interference noise. Interference noise is a result of unwanted interaction between the circuit and the outside world, or between different parts of the circuit itself. This type of noise may or may not appear as random signals. Examples are power supply noise on ground wires (such as a 60-Hz hum) or electromagnetic interference between wires. Interference noise can be significantly reduced by careful circuit wiring or layout. In contrast, inherent noise refers to random noise signals that can be reduced but never eliminated since this noise is due to fundamental properties of the circuits. Some examples of inherent noise are thermal, shot, and flicker noise. Inherent noise is only moderately affected by circuit wiring or layout, such as using multiple base contacts to change the resistance value of the base of a transistor. However, inherent noise can be significantly ...