Preparing for Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Technical Interviews
50 Questions to Sharpen Your Circuit Intuition
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 1. December 2026
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-394-43107-6 (ISBN)
Description
Develop circuit intuition through fifty real technical interview questions
Circuit intuition separates successful IC designers from those who struggle in interviews and real-world projects. Preparing for Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Technical Interviews: 50 Questions to Sharpen Your Circuit Intuition connects classroom equations to practical design thinking through systematic two-part analyses. Each question receives both intuitive and quantitative treatment, accelerating the transition from graduate to seasoned circuit designer.
Six chapters progress from impedance analysis through amplifiers, bias and reference circuits, discrete-time analog circuits including switched capacitor and switched inductor topologies, and digital circuitry from an analog perspective covering inverters, D Flip-Flops, digital phase frequency detectors in PLLs. The final chapter addresses the often-neglected skill of circuit layout preparation for interviews.
The author also provides:
Comprehensive coverage spanning analog, mixed-signal, and digital domains representing the major portion of IC design interview content
Detailed treatment of switched capacitor circuits, comparators, and switched inductor circuits used in discrete-time analog applications
Analysis of phase lock loops and digital phase frequency detectors from the analog designer's perspective for mixed-signal positions
Practical circuit layout guidance addressing a critical but frequently overlooked component of technical interview preparation
Analog and mixed-signal IC designers preparing for technical interviews will find systematic guidance for developing the intuitive skills interviewers expect. Graduate students, senior undergraduates, and junior engineers gain accelerated pathways from textbook knowledge to professional-level circuit analysis capabilities.
Circuit intuition separates successful IC designers from those who struggle in interviews and real-world projects. Preparing for Integrated Circuit (IC) Design Technical Interviews: 50 Questions to Sharpen Your Circuit Intuition connects classroom equations to practical design thinking through systematic two-part analyses. Each question receives both intuitive and quantitative treatment, accelerating the transition from graduate to seasoned circuit designer.
Six chapters progress from impedance analysis through amplifiers, bias and reference circuits, discrete-time analog circuits including switched capacitor and switched inductor topologies, and digital circuitry from an analog perspective covering inverters, D Flip-Flops, digital phase frequency detectors in PLLs. The final chapter addresses the often-neglected skill of circuit layout preparation for interviews.
The author also provides:
Comprehensive coverage spanning analog, mixed-signal, and digital domains representing the major portion of IC design interview content
Detailed treatment of switched capacitor circuits, comparators, and switched inductor circuits used in discrete-time analog applications
Analysis of phase lock loops and digital phase frequency detectors from the analog designer's perspective for mixed-signal positions
Practical circuit layout guidance addressing a critical but frequently overlooked component of technical interview preparation
Analog and mixed-signal IC designers preparing for technical interviews will find systematic guidance for developing the intuitive skills interviewers expect. Graduate students, senior undergraduates, and junior engineers gain accelerated pathways from textbook knowledge to professional-level circuit analysis capabilities.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
John Wiley & Sons Inc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-1-394-43107-6 (9781394431076)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Song Liu is a Technical and Product Line Director at Monolithic Power Systems in San Jose, California. With extensive experience in analog and mixed-signal IC design, he brings real-world industry expertise to guide readers through the circuit intuition skills that distinguish successful candidates in technical interviews and enable effective transitions into professional circuit design roles.
Content
Preface 3
Chapter 1 Impedance 7
Question 1 Input and output resistance of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) 13
Question 2 Input capacitance of a source follower 17
Question 3 Input capacitance of a differential pair 21
Question 4 Output resistance of a tied-gate current source 23
Question 5 Folded cascode amplifier and input Miller effect reduction 28
Question 6 Impedance of a cross-coupled load 30
Chapter 2 Amplifiers - Open-Loop and Closed-Loop 34
Question 7 Stability of an uncompensated two-stage op-amp 35
Question 8 Compensation for a two-stage op-amp, pole splitting 38
Question 9 Nyquist stability criterion and conditional stability 43
Question 10 Device noise contribution in a folded cascode amplifier 49
Question 11 Slew rate limitations of a two-stage op-amp 56
Question 12 Distortion in a common-source amplifier due to device nonlinearity 60
Question 13 Common-emitter amplifier (BJT) with emitter degeneration 63
Question 14 Amplifier input common-mode range and distortion 66
Question 15 Common mode feedback control (CMFB) in fully differential amplifiers 69
Question 16 Frequency response of two op-amp based low-pass filters 74
Question 17 Feedback factors of inverting amplifiers and unity-gain buffers 78
Question 18 Power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of a voltage regulator 83
Question 19 Power optimization of multistage open-loop amplifiers 89
Question 20 Frequency response of a source follower 93
Chapter 3 Bias and References 98
Question 21 Designing a precision current mirror 99
Question 22 Degeneration in current mirrors 103
Question 23 Impact of resistance in current mirrors 106
Question 24 Bandgap reference basics 111
Question 25 Stability of beta-multiplier references 115
Chapter 4 Switched-Capacitor Circuits and Comparators 120
Question 26 Input impedance and kickback noise of switched-capacitor circuits 121
Question 27 Sizing the switch for better linearity and less charge injection 126
Question 28 Bottom plate sampling and signal-dependent charge injection 131
Question 29 Requirements of the amplifier in a charge-transfer track/hold circuit 134
Question 30 Impact of the amplifier input capacitance in switched-capacitor circuits 140
Question 31 Thermal noise in switched-capacitor circuits 143
Question 32 Switched-capacitor common-mode feedback (CMFB) circuits 148
Question 33 Comparator - regenerative latch 152
Question 34 Comparator - preamplifier 158
Question 35 Comparator - offset cancellation (IOS) 162
Question 36 Switched-inductor circuits - buck converters 167
Chapter 5 Digital Circuits from an Analog Perspective 174
Question 37 Inverter-based ring oscillators 175
Question 38 Inverter optimization of propagation delay and duty cycle distortion 177
Question 39 Designing buffers for driving long RC lines 181
Question 40 Inverter switching current and power consumption 184
Question 41 Master/slave D flip-flops and setup/hold time 188
Question 42 Clock divider with D flip-flops 192
Question 43 Digital phase-frequency detectors and phase-locked loops (PLLs) 195
Question 44 Metastability in digital systems 202
Chapter 6 Circuit Layout Techniques 206
Question 45 Transistor layout for parasitic reduction 207
Question 46 Interdigitation for matching 210
Question 47 Layout of decoupling capacitors 213
Question 48 Substrate/well contact and latch-up 215
Question 49 Shielding in layout - grounded or not grounded? Which ground? 219
Question 50 Optimizing the padframe for power and ground 225
Appendix 1 Device Equations 231
Section 1 MOSFET (long-channel) equations 231
Section 2 Bipolar transistor (BJT) equations 234
Section 3 Diode (PN junction) equations 238
Section 4 Resistor, capacitor and inductor equations 239
Appendix 2 Circuit Theorems 240
Section 1 Kirchhoff's circuit laws 240
Section 2 Thevenin's theorem and Norton's theorem 242
Section 3 The superposition theorem 244
Section 4 Miller theorem 245
Appendix 3 Circuit Analysis in the Complex Frequency Domain (s-domain) 246
Section 1 Laplace transform and transfer functions 246
Section 2 First-order systems 250
Section 3 Transfer function of feedback systems 252
Section 4 Second-order systems 254
Section 5 S-domain and frequency domain 258
Appendix 4 Basic Circuit Analysis Examples 261
Section 1 Voltage and current dividers 261
Section 2 RC circuits - transient and frequency response 265
Section 3 Basic amplifiers 270
Section 4 Basic op-amp based closed-loop circuits 278
Section 5 Types of negative feedback in amplifier circuits 283
Section 6 Circuit noise fundamentals 288
Section 7 Basic digital circuits 297
Chapter 1 Impedance 7
Question 1 Input and output resistance of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) 13
Question 2 Input capacitance of a source follower 17
Question 3 Input capacitance of a differential pair 21
Question 4 Output resistance of a tied-gate current source 23
Question 5 Folded cascode amplifier and input Miller effect reduction 28
Question 6 Impedance of a cross-coupled load 30
Chapter 2 Amplifiers - Open-Loop and Closed-Loop 34
Question 7 Stability of an uncompensated two-stage op-amp 35
Question 8 Compensation for a two-stage op-amp, pole splitting 38
Question 9 Nyquist stability criterion and conditional stability 43
Question 10 Device noise contribution in a folded cascode amplifier 49
Question 11 Slew rate limitations of a two-stage op-amp 56
Question 12 Distortion in a common-source amplifier due to device nonlinearity 60
Question 13 Common-emitter amplifier (BJT) with emitter degeneration 63
Question 14 Amplifier input common-mode range and distortion 66
Question 15 Common mode feedback control (CMFB) in fully differential amplifiers 69
Question 16 Frequency response of two op-amp based low-pass filters 74
Question 17 Feedback factors of inverting amplifiers and unity-gain buffers 78
Question 18 Power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of a voltage regulator 83
Question 19 Power optimization of multistage open-loop amplifiers 89
Question 20 Frequency response of a source follower 93
Chapter 3 Bias and References 98
Question 21 Designing a precision current mirror 99
Question 22 Degeneration in current mirrors 103
Question 23 Impact of resistance in current mirrors 106
Question 24 Bandgap reference basics 111
Question 25 Stability of beta-multiplier references 115
Chapter 4 Switched-Capacitor Circuits and Comparators 120
Question 26 Input impedance and kickback noise of switched-capacitor circuits 121
Question 27 Sizing the switch for better linearity and less charge injection 126
Question 28 Bottom plate sampling and signal-dependent charge injection 131
Question 29 Requirements of the amplifier in a charge-transfer track/hold circuit 134
Question 30 Impact of the amplifier input capacitance in switched-capacitor circuits 140
Question 31 Thermal noise in switched-capacitor circuits 143
Question 32 Switched-capacitor common-mode feedback (CMFB) circuits 148
Question 33 Comparator - regenerative latch 152
Question 34 Comparator - preamplifier 158
Question 35 Comparator - offset cancellation (IOS) 162
Question 36 Switched-inductor circuits - buck converters 167
Chapter 5 Digital Circuits from an Analog Perspective 174
Question 37 Inverter-based ring oscillators 175
Question 38 Inverter optimization of propagation delay and duty cycle distortion 177
Question 39 Designing buffers for driving long RC lines 181
Question 40 Inverter switching current and power consumption 184
Question 41 Master/slave D flip-flops and setup/hold time 188
Question 42 Clock divider with D flip-flops 192
Question 43 Digital phase-frequency detectors and phase-locked loops (PLLs) 195
Question 44 Metastability in digital systems 202
Chapter 6 Circuit Layout Techniques 206
Question 45 Transistor layout for parasitic reduction 207
Question 46 Interdigitation for matching 210
Question 47 Layout of decoupling capacitors 213
Question 48 Substrate/well contact and latch-up 215
Question 49 Shielding in layout - grounded or not grounded? Which ground? 219
Question 50 Optimizing the padframe for power and ground 225
Appendix 1 Device Equations 231
Section 1 MOSFET (long-channel) equations 231
Section 2 Bipolar transistor (BJT) equations 234
Section 3 Diode (PN junction) equations 238
Section 4 Resistor, capacitor and inductor equations 239
Appendix 2 Circuit Theorems 240
Section 1 Kirchhoff's circuit laws 240
Section 2 Thevenin's theorem and Norton's theorem 242
Section 3 The superposition theorem 244
Section 4 Miller theorem 245
Appendix 3 Circuit Analysis in the Complex Frequency Domain (s-domain) 246
Section 1 Laplace transform and transfer functions 246
Section 2 First-order systems 250
Section 3 Transfer function of feedback systems 252
Section 4 Second-order systems 254
Section 5 S-domain and frequency domain 258
Appendix 4 Basic Circuit Analysis Examples 261
Section 1 Voltage and current dividers 261
Section 2 RC circuits - transient and frequency response 265
Section 3 Basic amplifiers 270
Section 4 Basic op-amp based closed-loop circuits 278
Section 5 Types of negative feedback in amplifier circuits 283
Section 6 Circuit noise fundamentals 288
Section 7 Basic digital circuits 297