Integrated linear giga-ohm resistance using current scaling

Integrated grounded resistors of very large value are essential circuit elements for the design of compact filters with very low cut-off frequencies. A typical application of such filters is the rejection of DC voltages in amplifier circuits especially in physiological recording systems exhibiting electrode offset and low-frequency drift. In this letter, the implementation of a giga-ohm resistance is presented using a conventional fixed-gain OTA and a cascade of weak-inversion current scalers. The circuit yields a short design time, small power and area consumption as well as high linearity. A test circuit having an area of 0.011 mm2 integrated in 0.35 μm CMOS is presented which yields a 41 Hz cut-off frequency, 1 V input range and less than −52 dB THD when connected to an integrated 1 pF capacitor, making it a suitable solution for the rejection of mains interference and offset in wearable biomedical applications.