ABSTRACT
Parametric converters are circuits that rely on reactive components to affect signal amplification. This chapter discusses the theory and operation of parametric circuits in an integrated system setting. The vast majority of continuous-time parametric designs overcome the degenerate topology’s constraints by increasing the pump frequency and the filtering complexity. The chapter reviews the parametric conversion/amplification principle and explores its potential in a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor context. Parametric conversion promotes amplification by using a local power source to modulate an oscillatory system’s physical parameters. Amplification by conductivity modulation can be divided into two broad classes: negative-resistance amplification and transistor amplification. Common to both of these techniques is the fact that a dissipative property is used in the amplification process. In transistor amplifiers the input signal modulates the conductivity of a material, although here the intention is to control the amount of power drained from the bias source.
