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This textbook is intended for EE majors envisioning industrial careers in analog electronics. Positions such as analog IC designers, product/process/reliability engineers, test/design-for-test engineers, and analog applications/customer-support/marketing engineers are always in strong demand. The textbook is the result of my teaching experience at San Francisco State University, where I have contributed to the formation of many hundreds of students now gainfully employed in Silicon Valley in a wide range of analog positions. Here are three important features of my book:
- Both bipolar and CMOS technologies are covered. While digital electronics is dominated by CMOS technology, analog electronics relies on CMOS as well bipolar technology, the latter being the technology of choice in high-quality analog circuits as well as an indispensable part of BiCMOS technology.
- Both discrete and integrated designs are covered. Though nowadays the ultimate form of an analog system is likely to be of the integrated-circuit type, testing and applications often require ancillary functions such as conditioning and interfacing that are best realized with ad-hoc discrete designs. (Anyone familiar with the work by recognized leaders in analog applications/testing/instrumentation like Jim Williams and Robert Pease will agree to this.) In this respect, BJTs are available in a wide selection of off-the-shelf discrete types to serve a variety of needs. Moreover, for pedagogical reasons it is convenient to cover simple discrete circuits before tackling the more complex integrated circuits.
- Semiconductor theory is presented in sufficient depth to closely reflect the daily needs of practicing engineers in industry. Every analog function is inextricably rooted on a physical phenomenon, so analog engineers, particularly IC designers and product/process/reliability engineers, need to be conversant with the physical world of semiconductors in order to function optimally.
