Creating new page entry

= Structure of each ICclopedia circuit entry =

Don't hesitate to create a new page (even a placeholder page to help others start) or add a couple of content or material here or there: It does not need to be perfect or complete. Remember that even small contributions and efforts compounded over time can lead to amazing results!

Sections 1-3 are most important to start, sections 4 and 5 will tend to evolve over time.

The introduction of each ICclopedia entry starts with the name of the circuit and a short one to two paragraphs description (1 and 2 below)

1. Circuit Name (e.g. common source)
A short description of the circuit in brief, what it is. A small intro and background intro.

In simple terms, what is the primary function of this circuit (e.g. transconductance amplifier ...etc) and why is it useful in practice.

2. Schematic
Use schematic entry software that is able to export SPICE netlists and generate clean and visually pleasing schematic diagrams. Make sure to indicate all device sizes and component values to aid others in reproducing your work. Also We highly recommend the use of open software (e.g. KiCad...) so that others can easily contribute to each circuit post.

3. Simulation Results
We encourage the use of simulations to help follow a top-down approach to learning. Starting with the visual results/graphs that illustrate the primary functionality at work (this helps beginners in understanding and others in recalling information), and subsequently displaying specific results that elaborate on important circuit performance parameters. Make sure each graph/result is labelled appropriately.

Note it is important to use open SPICE software (NGSPICE is strongly recommended) and open educational design kits (e.g. NCSU PDK) for simulating the circuits. While these educational kits may not be adequate for practical fabrication purposes, they are incredibly useful for educational and reference purposes to gain experience and intuition which is fundamental to relate simulation and theory. The use of open tools also allows for others to reproduce your work in order to provide feedback and improve each post.

4. How it works? Theory of operation
Explaining the principle of operation of the circuit and the theory behind it.

Explain each of the simulation results from the theoretical framework and justify performance results accordingly.

5. Design procedure
Over time, with a good intuition gained from simulations and a solid theoretical understanding in place: incrementally, some design guidelines will start to evolve based on community feedback. In time, these guidelines will be consolidated to conform to a helpful design procedure.

Ultimately, in the long-term future the hope will be to reproduce this procedure using analog tools such as BAG.