Harmonic distortion in CMOS current mirrors

One of the origins of harmonic distortion in CMOS current mirrors is the inevitable mismatch between the MOS transistors involved. In this paper we examine both single current mirrors and complementary class AB current mirrors and develop an analytical model for the mismatch induced harmonic distortion. This analytical model is verified through simulations and is used for a discussion of the impact of mismatch on harmonic distortion properties of CMOS current mirrors. It is found that distortion levels somewhat below 1% can be attained by carefully matching the mirror transistors but ultra low distortion is not achievable with CMOS current mirrors.