IITM BS Analog Circuits (EE3107): Syllabus and Tips

Analog Circuits (EE3107) is a 4 credit department elective at the degree level of the IITM BS Electronic Systems programme. It teaches how transistor amplifiers work, mostly with MOSFETs and then BJTs: biasing, small-signal analysis, op-amp stages, frequency compensation and noise. The handbook lists no prerequisite. The syllabus names Prof. Aniruddhan S, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, as the instructor.

The Sep 2025 syllabus gives the credit pattern 4-0-0-4. The ES handbook lists the same code as a degree level department elective, but prints no credit value next to it. It says the 5 department electives add up to 20 credits, which is 4 each.

What you learn in Analog Circuits

The syllabus lists 12 modules. It does not tie them to weeks, but the handbook says a 4 credit course runs for 12 weeks, so plan on about one module a week. The modules group into four parts.

1. Modules 1 to 4: one transistor, one amplifier. How to analyse small signals around a bias point in circuits with nonlinear parts, with a review of MOSFET current and voltage behaviour. Then the common source amplifier: AC coupling with a capacitor, its small-signal and large-signal behaviour, and biasing it with negative feedback.
2. Modules 5 to 7: more amplifier types. PMOS amplifiers, then common drain, common gate and transimpedance amplifiers. Active loads, and the CMOS inverter used as an amplifier and how to bias it.
3. Modules 8 to 10: op-amps and frequency. Differential amplifiers and a single-stage op-amp. MOSFET capacitances and how they limit an amplifier's frequency response. The two-stage op-amp, the Miller effect, and dominant pole compensation to keep it stable.
4. Modules 11 and 12: BJTs and noise. A review of BJT behaviour and the common emitter, common base and common collector amplifiers. Finally, noise: thermal noise, flicker noise and how to refer noise to the input.

The textbook is "Microelectronic Circuits" by Sedra, Smith and Chandorkar (Oxford, 6th edition). The reference is "Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits" by Behzad Razavi (2nd edition).

How the course is assessed

The syllabus does not describe grading. The handbook's general pattern for ES courses is weekly online assignments, two in-person quizzes and an in-person end term exam, with details in each course's grading document. No lab is paired with this course.

Where it counts

It is one of 8 courses on the ES department elective list. You must take 5 of them, worth 20 credits, for the BS degree. It is not part of any ES minor. The full list is in ES degree level courses.

If chip design interests you, this course fits well next to the VLSI Design and Testing minor, even though it is not one of the minor's courses.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

Students who passed Analog Electronic Systems by treating the op-amp as a black box find this course a step up. Here you open the box and study the transistors inside. There are many circuit types, and each one needs its own small-signal model. Frequency compensation also needs you to be fluent with Bode plots.

• Revise Analog Electronic Systems. It uses the same Sedra and Smith textbook, and its weeks on feedback, stability and Bode plots lead straight into Modules 9 and 10 here.
• For every new circuit, draw the small-signal model yourself and derive the gain. Do not just copy the final formula.
• Make a table of amplifier types with their gain, input resistance and output resistance. Fill it in as the course goes.
• Check your hand results with a free SPICE simulator. When they differ, find out why.

What to take before and after

Before: Analog Electronic Systems. Alongside or after: Semiconductor Devices and VLSI Technology explains the device physics behind the MOSFET models used here. Digital IC Design looks at the same transistors from the digital side, and Biomedical Electronic Systems uses amplifier and noise ideas in its first module.

Common questions

Is Analog Circuits the same as Analog Electronic Systems?

No. Analog Electronic Systems (EE2102) is a compulsory diploma course built around op-amps and systems. Analog Circuits (EE3107) is a degree level elective that goes inside the amplifier, down to single transistors.

Is this course mostly MOSFET or BJT?

Mostly MOSFET. Ten of the 12 modules use MOS transistors. BJTs come in Module 11, and noise in Module 12.

Is Analog Circuits offered every term?

The handbook says foundation, diploma and BS level core courses run every term. It does not say the same for electives, so check the course list when registration opens.