Analog circuit design optimization through the particle swarm optimization technique

This paper details the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique for the optimal design of analog circuits. It is shown the practical suitability of PSO to solve both mono-objective and multiobjective discrete optimization problems. Two application examples are presented: maximizing the voltage gain of a low noise amplifier for the UMTS standard and computing the Pareto front of a bi-objective problem, maximizing the high current cut off frequency and minimizing the parasitic input resistance of a second generation current conveyor. The aptness of PSO to optimize difficult circuit problems, in terms of numbers of parameters and constraints, is shown.