7 research outputs found
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Time and statistical information utilization in high efficiency sub-micron CMOS successive approximation analog to digital converters
In an industrial and consumer electronic marketplace that is increasingly demanding greater real-world interactivity in portable and distributed devices, analog to digital converter efficiency and performance is being carefully examined. The successive approximation (SAR) analog to digital converter (ADC) architecture has become popular for its high efficiency at mid-speed and resolution requirements. This is due to the one core single bit quantizer, lack of residue amplification, and large digital domain processing allowing for easy process scaling. This work examines the traditional binary capacitive SAR ADC time and statistical information and proposes new structures that optimize ADC performance. The Ternary SAR (TSAR) uses the quantizer delay information to enhance accuracy, speed and power consumption of the overall SAR while providing multi-level redundancy. The early reset merged capacitor switching SAR (EMCS) identifies lost information in the SAR subtraction and optimizes a full binary quanitzer structure for a Ternary MCS DAC. Residue Shaping is demonstrated in SAR and pipeline configurations to allow for an extra bit of signal to noise quantization ratio (SQNR) due to multi-level redundancy. The feedback initialized ternary SAR (FITSAR) is proposed which splits a TSAR into separate binary and ternary sub-ADC structures for speed and power benefits with an inter-stage encoding that not only maintains residue shaping across the binary SAR, but allows for nearly optimally minimal energy consumption for capacitive ternary DACs. Finally, the ternary SAR ideas are applied to R2R DACs to reduce power consumption. These ideas are tested both in simulation and with prototype results
Energy-efficient analog-to-digital conversion for ultra-wideband radio
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-222).In energy constrained signal processing and communication systems, a focus on the analog or digital circuits in isolation cannot achieve the minimum power consumption. Furthermore, in advanced technologies with significant variation, yield is traditionally achieved only through conservative design and a sacrifice of energy efficiency. In this thesis, these limitations are addressed with both a comprehensive mixed-signal design methodology and new circuits and architectures, as presented in the context of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for ultra-wideband (UWB) radio. UWB is an emerging technology capable of high-data-rate wireless communication and precise locationing, and it requires high-speed (>500MS/s), low-resolution ADCs. The successive approximation register (SAR) topology exhibits significantly reduced complexity compared to the traditional flash architecture. Three time-interleaved SAR ADCs have been implemented. At the mixed-signal optimum energy point, parallelism and reduced voltage supplies provide more than 3x energy savings. Custom control logic, a new capacitive DAC, and a hierarchical sampling network enable the high-speed operation. Finally, only a small amount of redundancy, with negligible power penalty, dramatically improves the yield of the highly parallel ADC in deep sub-micron CMOS.by Brian P. Ginsburg.Ph.D
Multi-gigabit CMOS analog-to-digital converter and mixed-signal demodulator for low-power millimeter-wave communication systems
The objective of the research is to develop high-speed ADCs and mixed-signal demodulator for multi-gigabit communication systems using millimeter-wave frequency bands in standard CMOS technology. With rapid advancements in semiconductor technologies, mobile communication devices have become more versatile, portable, and inexpensive over the last few decades. However, plagued by the short lifetime of batteries, low power consumption has become an extremely important specification in developing mobile communication devices. The ever-expanding demand of consumers to access and share information ubiquitously at faster speeds requires higher throughputs, increased signal-processing functionalities at lower power and lower costs. In today’s technology, high-speed signal processing and data converters are incorporated in almost all modern multi-gigabit communication systems. They are key enabling technologies for scalable digital design and implementation of baseband signal processors. Ultimately, the merits of a high performance mixed-signal receiver, such as data rate, sensitivity, signal dynamic range, bit-error rate, and power consumption, are directly related to the quality of the embedded ADCs. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on the analysis and design of high-speed ADCs and a novel broadband mixed-signal demodulator with a fully-integrated DSP composed of low-cost CMOS circuitry. The proposed system features a novel dual-mode solution to demodulate multi-gigabit BPSK and ASK signals. This approach reduces the resolution requirement of high-speed ADCs, while dramatically reducing its power consumption for multi-gigabit wireless communication systems.PhDGee-Kung Chang - Committee Chair; Chang-Ho Lee - Committee Member; Geoffrey Ye Li - Committee Member; Paul A. Kohl - Committee Member; Shyh-Chiang Shen - Committee Membe
Memristor-based design solutions for mitigating parametric variations in IoT applications
PhD ThesisRapid advancement of the internet of things (IoT) is predicated by two important factors
of the electronic technology, namely device size and energy-efficiency. With smaller
size comes the problem of process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations of delays
which are the key operational parameters of devices. Parametric variability is also
an obstacle on the way to allowing devices to work in systems with unpredictable
power sources, such as those powered by energy-harvesters. Designers tackle these
problems holistically by developing new techniques such as asynchronous logic, where
mechanisms such as matching delays are widely used to adapt to delay variations. To
mitigate energy efficiency and power interruption issues the matching delays need to
be ideally retained in a non-volatile storage. Meanwhile, a resistive memory called
memristor becomes a promising component for power-restricted applications owing to
its inherent non-volatility. While providing non-volatility, the use of memristor in delay
matching incurs some power overheads. This creates the first challenge on the way of
introducing memristors into IoT devices for the delay matching.
Another important factor affecting the use of memristors in IoT devices is the
dependence of the memristor value on temperature. For example, a memristance
decoder used in the memristor-based components must be able to correct the read data
without incurring significant overheads on the overall system. This creates the second
challenge for overcoming the temperature effect in memristance decoding process.
In this research, we propose methods for improving PVT tolerance and energy
characteristics of IoT devices from the perspective of above two main challenges:
(i) utilising memristor to enhance the energy efficiency of the delay element (DE), and
(ii) improving the temperature awareness and energy robustness of the memristance
decoder.
For memristor-based delay element (MemDE), we applied a memristor between two
inverters to vary the path resistance, which determines the RC delay. This allows power
saving due to the low number of switching components and the absence of external delay
storage. We also investigate a solution for avoiding the unintended tuning (UT) and a
timing model to estimate the proper pulse width for memristance tuning. The simulation
results based on UMC 180nm technology and VTEAM model show the MemDE can
provide the delay between 0.55ns and 1.44ns which is compatible to the 4-bit multiplexerbased
delay element (MuxDE) in the same technology while consuming thirteen times
less power. The key contribution within (i) is the development of low-power MemDE to
mitigate the timing mismatch caused by PVT variations.
To estimate the temperature effect on memristance, we develop an empirical temperature
model which fits both titanium dioxide and silver chalcogenide memristors. The
temperature experiments are conducted using the latter device, and the results confirm
the validity of the proposed model with the accuracy R-squared >88%. The memristance
decoder is designed to deliver two key advantages. Firstly, the temperature model is
integrated into the VTEAM model to enable the temperature compensation. Secondly, it
supports resolution scalability to match the energy budget. The simulation results of the
2-bit decoder based on UMC 65nm technology show the energy can be varied between
49fJ and 98fJ. This is the second major contribution to address the challenge (ii).
This thesis gives future research directions into an in-depth study of the memristive
electronics as a variation-robust energy-efficient design paradigm and its impact on
developing future IoT applications.sponsored by the Royal Thai Governmen
Beyond key velocity: Continuous sensing for expressive control on the Hammond Organ and Digital keyboards
In this thesis we seek to explore the potential for continuous key position to be
used as an expressive control in keyboard musical instruments, and how preexisting
skills can be adapted to leverage this additional control. Interaction between
performer and sound generation on a keyboard instrument is often restricted
to a number of discrete events on the keys themselves (notes onsets and
offsets), while complementary continuous control is provided via additional interfaces,
such as pedals, modulation wheels and knobs. The rich vocabulary of
gestures that skilled performers can achieve on the keyboard is therefore often
simplified to a single, discrete velocity measurement. A limited number of acoustical
and electromechanical keyboard instruments do, however, present affordances
of continuous key control, so that the role of the key is not limited to delivering
discrete events, but its instantaneous position is, to a certain extent, an element of
expressive control. Recent evolutions in sensing technologies allow to leverage continuous
key position as an expressive element in the sound generation of digital
keyboard musical instruments.
We start by exploring the expression available on the keys of the Hammond
organ, where nine contacts are closed at different points of the key throw for each
key onset and we find that the velocity and the percussiveness of the touch affect
the way the contacts close and bounce, producing audible differences in the onset
transient of each note.
We develop an embedded hardware and software environment for low-latency
sound generation controlled by continuous key position, which we use to create
two digital keyboard instruments. The first of these emulates the sound of a Hammond
and can be controlled with continuous key position, so that it allows for
arbitrary mapping between the key position and the nine virtual contacts of the
digital sound generator. A study with 10 musicians shows that, when exploring
the instrument on their own, the players can appreciate the differences between
different settings and tend to develop a personal preference for one of them. In the
second instrument, continuous key position is the fundamental means of expression:
percussiveness, key position and multi-key gestures control the parameters
of a physical model of a flute. In a study with 6 professional musicians playing
this instrument we gather insights on the adaptation process, the limitations of the
interface and the transferability of traditional keyboard playing techniques
LANDSAT-4 Science Characterization Early Results. Volume 3, Part 2: Thematic Mapper (TM)
The calibration of the LANDSAT 4 thematic mapper is discussed as well as the atmospheric, radiometric, and geometric accuracy and correction of data obtained with this sensor. Methods are given for assessing TM band to band registration