62.2. Multi-Transistor Amplifiers: Cascode Amplifier (Part B)

Try these first

1. 1.

   Define a cascode amplifier.

   Hint

   Think about the structure of how the amplifier stages are arranged.

2. 2.

   What is the primary benefit of using a cascode configuration?

   Hint

   Consider the motivation for cascading stages.

3. 3.

   What is the primary configuration of a cascode amplifier?

   • Common source followed by common gate
   • Common gate followed by common source
   • Common drain followed by common source

   Hint

   Think about the sequence of connections in the amplifier.

4. 4.

   True or False: The output impedance of a cascode amplifier is lower than that of a common source amplifier.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Consider how cascading amplifiers influences impedance.

5. 5.

   Design a cascode amplifier circuit with specified parameters for voltage gain and discuss the effects of mismatched biasing.

   Hint

   Consider how transconductance impacts current flow in saturation versus triode modes.

6. 6.

   Evaluate the performance of a cascode amplifier against a single-stage amplifier in terms of frequency response. Consider both bandwidth and stability.

   Hint

   Reflect on how cascading stages influences both gain and bandwidth.