Uncalibrated automatic bridge-based CMOS integrated interfaces for wide-range resistive sensors portable applications

In this work the authors describe improved solutions on automatic fully-analog uncalibrated Wheatstone bridge-based interfaces suitable for wide-range resistive sensors. The proposed topologies are enhanced and integrated interfaces, based on automatic bridge configurations, completely designed in a standard CMOS technology (AMS 0.35 μm), where Voltage Controlled Resistors (VCRs), formed by MOS transistors, have been properly tuned through the use of a suitable closed feedback loop that continuously ensures the bridge equilibrium condition. The microelectronic design has been performed through the use of symmetrical Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (OTAs) with low-voltage (2 V, single supply) and low-power (63.5 μW) characteristics, so the overall system can be fabricated in a single chip suitable for portable applications. Referring to the first configuration where only one VCR has been employed for both grounded and floating resistive sensors, Orcad PSpice simulations have confirmed the interface capability to estimate the sensor resistance for about 2.7 decades variations (430 Ω; 220 kΩ), with a relative error of about ±4%. Moreover, in the second version for an extended estimation range, the interface is able to evaluate the sensor resistance for about 6.6 decades (0.1 Ω; 400 kΩ) with a reduced relative error within (−1.5%; +4%).     

Design and testing of a self-powered 3D integrated SOI CMOS system

A self-powering 3D integrated circuit built using an SOI CMOS process is presented. The 3D integrated circuit has three tiers connected by vertical vias through the intertier oxides. The circuit elements are a photodiode array, a charge-integrating capacitor, and a local oscillator with an output buffer, each on a separate tier. The final system size is 250 μm × 250 μm × 696 μm. Our results demonstrate the circuit as a feasible proof-of-concept 3D “system”. The photodiode array stores charge on the capacitor and powers the oscillator as designed.     

Electromagnetically compatible CMOS auto-balanced current sensor for highly integrated power control System-On-Chip

This paper describes the design and prototyping of an auto-balanced contactless current sensor in standard Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor (CMOS) technology, without any additional post-processing cost. The architecture includes two high-sensitivity Hall plates with differential amplification electronics. A high common mode rejection is insured by the integrated auto-balancing system based on the use of integrated coils. When a common current is applied in the embedded coils, the integrated system provides a feedback signal to a digital control unit which in turn adjusts the biasing current of one of the Hall plates in order to balance the amplification of the two Hall plates. Designed in a standard CMOS technology, this sensor can be integrated in power control System-On-Chip requiring extremely electro-magnetically compatible current sensor.     

A wide speed range and high precision position and velocity measurements chip with serial peripheral interface

This paper presents a VLSI chip, with a serial peripheral interface (SPI), that obtains position and velocity measurements from incremental optical encoder feedback. It combines period and frequency countings to provide velocity estimates with good dynamic behavior over a wide speed range (10 Hz-50 MHz). By sensing the velocity of the encoder, it reserves the computational power of a supervisory microcontroller, and subsequently enhances the performance of the total system. It is compact with lower power consumption when compared to traditional FPGA implementations. Although designed for use in the control unit of a medical robot with 34-axes and tight space and power constraints, it can be readily used in other applications. It is implemented in a 2P3 M 0.5 μm CMOS process and consumes 4.82 mW power with active area of 0.45 mm².     

Scalable High Voltage CMOS technology for Smart Power and sensor applications

Summary  Integration of low voltage analog and logic circuits as well as high-voltage (HV) devices for operation at greater than 5 V enables Smart Power ICs used in almost any system that contains electronics. HVCMOS (High-Voltage CMOS) technologies offer much lower process cost, if compared to BCD technologies, they enable multiple HV levels on a single chip, and need less effort when scaling to smaller CMOS technology nodes or when integrating embedded non-volatile memory. In this work we propose a new 0.35 μm HVCMOS technology that can overcome the previous limitations in drive currents. It can match the low HV chip sizes (Rdson) of typical BCD processes while maintaining the low process complexity with only 2 mask level adders on top of CMOS. We also introduce a figure of merit (FOM) for comparing HV technologies. Key elements of making this newly proposed 0.35 μm HVCMOS so competitive to BCD technologies are discussed and a device lifetime of more than 10 years, operating temperatures of 150 °C and ESD robustness of 4 kV HBM and higher, as well as the integration of a highly robust embedded EEPROM/Flash technology is shown. We also provide first verification results of the scalability of the proposed 0.35 μm HVCMOS technology to 0.18 μm and beyond as well as to currents of up to 8 A.      

高精度半导体激光器温控系统的设计与实现

为了使半导体激光器辐射波长和发光强度的稳定性不受环境温度的影响,设计了一款高精度半导体激光器温控系统。采用AD620和LTC1864芯片设计了温度采集电路,用MAX1968和LTC1655设计了温度控制电路,而用TMS320F2812实现对整个系统的精确控制;提出了自适应模糊比例-积分-微分控制策略并完成了软件实现。在环境温度约15℃时,分别设定25℃和20℃进行试验,温度控制精度达±0.05℃。结果表明,该温控系统响应速度快、稳定性高。     

高功率激光装置集中控制系统关键技术

高功率激光装置集中控制系统在研制过程中遇到了从系统构架设计到软件模拟等不同层面上的技术问题,经过多年的研究和测试,解决了控制系统研制中的关键技术,达到了装置对控制系统的性能指标要求,保证了控制系统的稳定可靠运行,并为未来同类装置的控制系统研制提供了重要的技术保障。     

A CMOS image sensor with light-controlled oscillating pixels for an investigative optobionic retinal prosthesis system

This paper presents a high-dynamic range CMOS image sensor architecture incorporating light-controlled oscillating pixels which can act as front-end for an investigative optobionic retinal prosthesis research effort. Each pixel acts as an independent oscillator, whose frequency is proportional to the local light intensity. A 9×9 pixel array has been fabricated in the AMS CMOS opto process. Each pixel's area amounts to , each pixel photodiode area is while the array occupies . Measured results show that the sensor can achieve a linear optical dynamic range of 80 dB (from 0.24 Hz to 2.2 kHz). Its linear electrical dynamic range exceeds 134 dB (from 100 mHz to 502 kHz). The nominal power dissipation is about 50 nW per pixel.     

A polymer based miniature loop heat pipe with silicon substrate and temperature sensors for high brightness light-emitting diodes

Solid State Lighting (SSL) systems, powered by light-emitting diodes (LEDs), are revolutionizing the lighting industry with energy saving and enhanced performance compared to traditional light sources. However, around 70%–80% of the electric power will still be transferred to heat. As the elevated temperature negatively affects the maximum luminous output, efficiency, light quality, reliability and the lifetime of the SSL systems, thermal management is a key design aspect for LED products. In this work, an innovative thermal management with a package, a silicon substrate with temperature sensors and a polymer based loop heat pipe (LHP) was designed, manufactured and assembled. It can supply a low and relatively stable temperature to maintain higher optical power, more luminous flux and less color shift. In a word, the novel design can provide LEDs with the efficient thermal management and temperature monitoring with reduced weight, easy fabrication, less energy consumption and better light quality.     

应用于高速CMOS图像传感器的具有动态功耗控制的12比特紧凑型列并行逐次逼近ADC

本文提出了一个应用于高速CMOS图像传感器的12比特列并行逐次逼近模数转换器。为了减小面积并使它的版图与两倍的像素间距相适应,采用了分段二进制权重开关电容数模转化器和交错结构的金属-氧化物-金属单位电容。为了消除单位电容上极板的寄生电容,提出了电场屏蔽的版图结构画法。提出了动态功耗控制技术,有效地降低了读出通道的功耗。用片外前台数字校准算法补偿开关电容数模转化器电容失配引起的非线性。芯片采用1P5M CMOS图像传感器工艺制造,其面积为20×2020μm2。采样率为833kS/s时,校准后的DNL、INL、ENOB分别为：0.9/-1 LSB、1/-1.1LSB、11.24比特。在1.8V的电源电压下,功耗为0.26 mW。随着帧率的减小,功耗线性减少。