Novel Hybrid MTJ-CMOS Based Programmable Gain Amplifier for Portable Applications

This paper presents the design of novel magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based programmable gain amplifier (PGA). The proposed design has potential to be highly portable by virtue of 3D integration of MTJ with CMOS technology. Gain is proposed to be controlled by a current source. The proposed PGA design is demonstrated using industry standard 180-nm CMOS process design kit in Cadence Virtuoso and Spectre EDA tool. The proposed design achieves a 35dB range of gain. With the help of MTJ and using proposed technique, PGAs with high gain control can be designed.