Electric feed-through for vacuum package using double-side anodic bonding of silicon-on-insulator wafer

It is not easy to hermetically seal using anodic bonding on both sides of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Taking this into consideration, we suggest an electrical feed-through method for anodic bonding on the both sides of SOI wafer. The suggested method is illustrated on the basis of vacuum package of a conventional two-dimensional (2-D) micro-scanner. Electric feed-through for anodic bonding and electrical interconnection through the glass/silicon interface to the 2-D micro-scanner in the package are presented. The proposed electrical feed-through method is investigated by characterizing bonding current. The bonding current characteristics show that the electric feed-through has formed electric field distribution required for double-side anodic bonding. The operation characteristics of packaged 2-D micro-scanner are also investigated, which show successfully performed electric interconnection between inside and outside of the package. The proposed method is an effective technique for double-side anodic bonding based package not only for micro-scanner but also for different mechanical oscillators such as accelerometer, gyroscope and etc.     

Silicon-on-insulator dynamic threshold ESD networks and active clamp circuitry

Active clamp circuits are essential to minimize electrical overshoot and undershoot and minimize reflected signals and achieve performance objectives and reliability requirements in high performance CMOS circuits. This paper discusses for the first time the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuits of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) active clamp networks, dynamic threshold MOSFET SOI ESD techniques and the synthesis of DTMOS concepts, ESD protection networks and active clamp circuitry for high-pin-count high-performance semiconductor chips.     

Experimental modelling of high frequency circuits at low audio frequencies part I

At microwave frequencies, frequent use is made in circuit design of the electrical properties of short lengths of resistively terminated transmission line. It will be shown in the following contribution that circuits based on high frequency distributed lines can usefully be modelled at low audio frequencies using lumped element lines.     

The effect of transmission lines and switching action on theelectrical signals in a powerful capacitive discharge

A numerical model for the equivalent electrical circuit of a capacitive discharge that includes the effects of finite closure time of switches and finite transit time in the transmission line is presented. An approximate analytical method to predict the oscillations that can be excited in the circuit is developed. The model yields complex behavior over time of the magnitudes of currents and voltages in pulsed circuits in the simple circuit configurations studies. Some of the oscillations predicted by the calculations admit simple physical interpretations in limiting cases (and are then predictable without the need of complex calculations); however, the rest of the observed features are not amenable to easy interpretation. The numerical solutions of the model are compared with experimental signals measured in a plasma focus device. Good agreement with many of the observed features is noted. The model can be extended easily to other types of circuits (Marx generators, Blumlein lines, etc.)     

Analysis of coupling in the semi-cylindrical surface plasmonic couplers

In this paper, we have investigated the performance of a nano-optical directional coupler based on gap plasmon waveguides. The coupler consists of two waveguides having a localized coupled plasmon propagating between two semi-cylindrical surfaces. It is clear that the wave number and correspondingly light confinement in the waveguides are the most effective parameters in coupling strength and coupling length. Some expected and unexpected dependencies of the coupling length on the structure parameters are shown. Simulation results of the coupler obtained by the compact-2D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method comply with those derived by an analytic method with the aid of the finite-element frequency-domain (FEFD) software package of COMSOL. The considered structures, because of their small coupling length and dimensions are appropriate for use in optical integrated circuits.     

Laser terahertz-emission microscope for inspecting electrical faults in integrated circuits

A laser terahertz-emission microscope (LTEM) system is proposed and developed for inspecting electrical faults in integrated circuits (IC). We test a commercial operational amplifier while the system is operating. Two-dimensional terahertz-emission images of the IC chip are clearly observed while the chip is scanned with a femtosecond laser. When one of the interconnection lines is cut, the damaged chip has a LTEM image different from that of normal chips. The results indicate that the LTEM system is a potential tool for IC inspection.     

Artificial Neural Network Models for the Crossover Discontinuities in Stripline Circuits

Crossover discontinuities between two adjacent orthogonal signal layers often appear in many stripline circuits, such as the multilayer microwave monolithic ICs and the interconnect systems in high-speed digital circuits. In this paper , a multilayer perceptron neural network(MLPNN) is used to model the electrical properties of the crossover discontinuities in stripline circuits. The MLPNN is electromagnetically developed with a set of training data that are produced by the full-wave finite-difference time-domain method. The full-factor design of experiments is used to determine the size of the training data.     

Reduced self-heating by strained silicon substrate engineering

Substrate engineering innovations such as SOI and the use of Si/SiGe virtual substrates become necessary in order to maintain performance leverage of integrated circuits with continued scaling. The relevance of thermal effects in device design increases since the thermal conductivity of these new materials is poor. The electrical performance of devices fabricated on thin virtual substrates grown by two different techniques is presented. It is found that self-heating is reduced and that thermal resistance measurements agree with modelling predictions. The reduction in performance enhancement seen in many strained Si MOSFETs is found here to be largely due to self-heating effects, rather than parasitics or the loss of strain.     

Consistency and advantage of loop regularization method merging with Bjorken–Drell’s analogy between Feynman diagrams and electrical circuits

The consistency of loop regularization (LORE) method is explored in multiloop calculations. A key concept of the LORE method is the introduction of irreducible loop integrals (ILIs) which are evaluated from the Feynman diagrams by adopting the Feynman parametrization and ultraviolet-divergence-preserving (UVDP) parametrization. It is then inevitable for the ILIs to encounter the divergences in the UVDP parameter space due to the generic overlapping divergences in the four-dimensional momentum space. By computing the so-called αβγ integrals arising from two-loop Feynman diagrams, we show how to deal with the divergences in the parameter space with the LORE method. By identifying the divergences in the UVDP parameter space to those in the subdiagrams, we arrive at the Bjorken–Drell analogy between Feynman diagrams and electrical circuits. The UVDP parameters are shown to correspond to the conductance or resistance in the electrical circuits, and the divergence in Feynman diagrams is ascribed to the infinite conductance or zero resistance. In particular, the sets of conditions required to eliminate the overlapping momentum integrals for obtaining the ILIs are found to be associated with the conservations of electric voltages, and the momentum conservations correspond to the conservations of electrical currents, which are known as the Kirchhoff laws in the electrical circuits analogy. As a practical application, we carry out a detailed calculation for one-loop and two-loop Feynman diagrams in the massive scalar ? ⁴ theory, which enables us to obtain the well-known logarithmic running of the coupling constant and the consistent power-law running of the scalar mass at two-loop level. Especially, we present an explicit demonstration on the general procedure of applying the LORE method to the multiloop calculations of Feynman diagrams when merging with the advantage of Bjorken–Drell’s circuit analogy.     

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT DESIGN AND TESTING OF INTEGRATED DISTRIBUTED STRUCTRONIC SYSTEMS

Modelling distributed parameter systems (DPS) by electric circuits and fabricating the complicated equivalent circuits to evaluate system responses poses many challenging research issues for many years. Electrical modelling and analysis of distributed sensing/control of smart structures and distributed structronic systems are even scarce. This paper is to present a technique to model distributed structronic control systems with electric circuits and to evaluate control behaviors with the fabricated equivalent circuits. Electrical analogies and analysis of distributed structronic systems is proposed and dynamics and control of beam/sensor/actuator systems are investigated. To determine the equivalent circuits and system parameters, higher order partial derivatives are simplified using the finite difference method; partial differential equations (PDE) are transformed to finite difference equations and further represented by electronic components and circuits. To provide better signal management and stability, active electrical circuit systems are designed and fabricated. Electrical signals from the distributed system circuits (i.e., soft and hard) are compared with results obtained by the classical theoretical, finite element, and experimental techniques.     

一种用于高性能铷频标的大尺寸开槽管微波腔的实现

铷原子频标的频率稳定度指标在很大程度上取决于物理系统所用微波腔的特性.本文设计了一款内径为40 mm的开槽管微波腔,并在此基础上实现了一款铷频标物理系统.计算和实验测量的微波腔内微波场的方向因子分别为0.87和0.91,表明微波场磁力线与量子化轴方向高度平行.测量了物理系统的鉴频斜率和散弹噪声,据此预计这种微波腔可满足设计稳定度优于2×10^-13τ^-1/2铷频标的需求.     

Modelling metamaterial transmission lines: a review and recent developments

This review paper is devoted to the discussion and comparison of the lumped element equivalent circuit models of the different types of metamaterial transmission lines that have been proposed so far, namely the CL-loaded lines, and those lines based on the resonant type approach. The latter category comprises both artificial lines loaded with split ring resonators (SRRs), or related topologies, and metamaterial transmission lines based on complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs). It will be the main aim of this paper to clearly justify the circuit elements of the models (and link such elements to the line physics and topology), to compare the different lines to the light of these models, and to point out the advantages and drawbacks of the different metamaterial transmission lines. As long as metamaterial transmission lines are exhaustively used for the design of compact microwave and millimeter wave components with improved performance and/or based on new functionalities, and their synthesis is based on the lumped element equivalent circuits, this paper is of actual interest for RF/microwave engineers and in general to those readers involved in metamaterial research and applications.     

Modeling and analysis of laminate composite plates with embedded active-passive piezoelectric networks

The objective of this work is to present the finite element modeling of laminate composite plates with embedded piezoelectric patches or layers that are then connected to active-passive resonant shunt circuits, composed of resistance, inductance and voltage source. Applications to passive vibration control and active control authority enhancement are also presented and discussed. The finite element model is based on an equivalent single layer theory combined with a third-order shear deformation theory. A stress-voltage electromechanical model is considered for the piezoelectric materials fully coupled to the electrical circuits. To this end, the electrical circuit equations are also included in the variational formulation. Hence, conservation of charge and full electromechanical coupling are guaranteed. The formulation results in a coupled finite element model with mechanical (displacements) and electrical (charges at electrodes) degrees of freedom. For a Graphite-Epoxy (Carbon-Fibre Reinforced) laminate composite plate, a parametric analysis is performed to evaluate optimal locations along the plate plane (xy) and thickness (z) that maximize the effective modal electromechanical coupling coefficient. Then, the passive vibration control performance is evaluated for a network of optimally located shunted piezoelectric patches embedded in the plate, through the design of resistance and inductance values of each circuit, to reduce the vibration amplitude of the first four vibration modes. A vibration amplitude reduction of at least 10 dB for all vibration modes was observed. Then, an analysis of the control authority enhancement due to the resonant shunt circuit, when the piezoelectric patches are used as actuators, is performed. It is shown that the control authority can indeed be improved near a selected resonance even with multiple pairs of piezoelectric patches and active-passive circuits acting simultaneously.     

Displacement damage analysis and modified electrical equivalent circuit for electron and photon-irradiated silicon solar cells

Solar modules and arrays are the conventional energy resources of space satellites. Outside the earth's atmosphere, solar panels experience abnormal radiation environments and because of incident particles, photovoltaic (PV) parameters degrade. This article tries to analyze the electrical performance of electron and photon-irradiated mono-crystalline silicon (mono-Si) solar cells. PV cells are irradiated by mono-energetic electrons and poly-energetic photons and immediately characterized after the irradiation. The mean degradation of the maximum power (P_max) of silicon solar cells is presented and correlated using the displacement damage dose (D_d) methodology. This method simplifies evaluation of cell performance in space radiation environments and produces a single characteristic curve for P_max degradation. Furthermore, complete analysis of the results revealed that the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) and the filling factor of mono-Si cells did not significantly change during the irradiation and were independent of the radiation type and fluence. Moreover, a new technique is developed that adapts the irradiation-induced effects in a single-cell equivalent electrical circuit and adjusts its elements. The “modified circuit” is capable of modeling the “radiation damage” in the electrical behavior of mono-Si solar cells and simplifies the designing of the compensation circuits.     

Automated synthesis of transmission lines loaded with complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) and open complementary split ring resonators (OCSRRs) through aggressive space mapping (ASM)

This paper is focused on the application of space mapping optimization to the automated synthesis of transmission lines loaded with complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) and open complementary split ring resonators (OCSRRs). These structures are of interest for the implementation of resonant-type metamaterial transmission lines and for the design of planar microwave circuits based on such complementary resonators. The paper presents a method to generate the layouts of CSRR- and OCSRR-loaded microstrip lines from the elements of their equivalent circuit models. Using the so-called aggressive space mapping, a specific implementation that uses quasi-Newton type iteration, we have developed synthesis algorithms that are able to provide the topology of these CSRR- and OCSRR-loaded lines in few steps. The most relevant aspect, however, is that this synthesis process is completely automatic, i.e., it does not require any action from the designers, other than initiating the algorithm. Moreover, this technique can be translated to other electrically small planar elements described by lumped element equivalent circuit models.     

The two independent equations of circuits in integral form of field theory:The fundamental law of circuits

1 Introduction Historically, circuit theory was initially considered as a part of the electromagnetic theory. Later on, it branched out to become an independent theory. After several stages of its development, Kirchhoff’s law was commonly regarded as the fundamental law of circuits[1]. Especially after the 1960s, the completely topological formulation of Kirchhoff’s law made even more important contribution to the development of moderncircuit theory. However, it has been also known for a l…     

Capacitance and power consumption quantification of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators

A new procedure for determining the characteristic capacitance of DBD plasma actuators during operation is introduced, based on time-resolved discharge cyclograms. The actuator performance is described extensively and the interaction of several key quantities is elucidated. Operating voltage and corresponding power consumption are identified as deciding factors influencing the actuator’s capacitance. Conclusions concerning plasma actuators as a time and power dependent load in electrical circuits are drawn from these new insights. The steps necessary to insure optimal impedance matching of DBD based systems are underlined as well as its sensitivity to simple parameters such as the operating voltage.     

Radio-Frequency Characteristics of Partial Dielectric Removal HR-SOI and TR-SOI Substrates

High-resistivity silicon-on-insulator(HR-SOI) and trap-rich high-resistivity silicon-on-insulator(TR-SOI) substrates have been widely adopted for high-performance rf integrated circuits. Radio-frequency loss and nonlinearity characteristics are measured from coplanar waveguide(CPW) transmission lines fabricated on HR-SOI and TR-SOI substrates. The patterned insulator structure is introduced to reduce loss and non-linearity characteristics. A metal-oxide-semiconductor(MOS) CPW circuit model is established to expound the mechanism of reducing the parasitic surface conductance(PSC) effect by combining the semiconductor characteristic analysis(pseudo-MOS and C-V test). The rf performance of the CPW transmission lines under dc bias supply is also compared. The TR-SOI substrate with the patterned oxide structure sample has the minimum rf loss(0.2 dB/mm up to 10 GHz), the best non-linearity performance, and reductions of 4 dB and 10 dB are compared with the state-of-the-art TR-SOI sample's, HD2 and HD3, respectively. It shows the potential application for integrating the two schemes to further suppress the PSC effect.     

Investigations of thickness-shear mode elastic constant and damping of shunted piezoelectric materials with a coupling resonator

Shear-mode piezoelectric materials have been widely used to shunt the damping of vibrations where utilizing surface or interface shear stresses. The thick-shear mode(TSM) elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor can change correspondingly when piezoelectric materials are shunted to different electrical circuits. This phenomenon makes it possible to control the performance of a shear-mode piezoelectric damping system through designing the shunt circuit. However, due to the difficulties in directly measuring the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor of piezoelectric materials, the relationships between those parameters and the shunt circuits have rarely been investigated. In this paper, a coupling TSM electro–mechanical resonant system is proposed to indirectly measure the variations of the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor of piezoelectric materials. The main idea is to transform the variations of the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor into the changes of the easily observed resonant frequency and electrical quality factor of the coupling electro–mechanical resonator. Based on this model, the formular relationships are set up theoretically with Mason equivalent circuit method and they are validated with finite element(FE) analyses. Finally, a prototype of the coupling electro–mechanical resonator is fabricated with two shear-mode PZT5 A plates to investigate the TSM elastic constants and the mechanical loss factors of different circuit-shunted cases of the piezoelectric plate. Both the resonant frequency shifts and the bandwidth changes observed in experiments are in good consistence with the theoretical and FE analyses under the same shunt conditions. The proposed coupling resonator and the obtained relationships are validated with but not limited to PZT5 A.     

人工表面等离激元超材料

以微带为代表的传统微波传输线无法精细操控电磁模式,因此传统电子信息系统在空间耦合、动态响应和性能鲁棒性等方面存在瓶颈.人工表面等离激元(SSPP)超材料可打破上述瓶颈,是光学与信息领域的研究热点之一.人工表面等离激元超材料是一类模拟光频段表面等离激元特性的新型超材料,可在微波和太赫兹频段精细操控表面波,具有与平面电路相...