Design and Testing of Electronic Devices for Harsh Environments

In this thesis an overview of the research activity focused on development, design and testing of electronic devices and systems for harsh environments has been reported. The scope of the work has been the design and validation flow of Integrated Circuits operating in two harsh applications: Automotive and High Energy Physics experiments. In order to fulfill the severe operating electrical and environmental conditions of automotive applications, a systematic methodology has been followed in the design of an innovative Intelligent Power Switch: several design solutions have been developed at architectural and circuital level, integrating on-chip selfdiagnostic capabilities and full protection against high voltage and reverse polarity, effects of wiring parasitics, over-current and over-temperature phenomena. Moreover current slope and soft start integrated techniques has ensured low EMI, making the Intelligent Power Switch also configurable to drive different interchangeable loads efficiently. The innovative device proposed has been implemented in a 0.35 μm HV-CMOS technology and embedded in mechatronic 3rd generation brush-holder regulator System-on-Chip for an automotive alternator. Electrical simulations and experimental characterization and testing at componentlevel and on-board system-level has proven that the proposed design allows for a compact and smart power switch realization, facing the harshest automotive conditions. The smart driver has been able to supply up to 1.5 A to various types of loads (e.g.: incadescent lamp bulbs, LED), in operating temperatures in the wide range -40 °C to 150 °C, with robustness against high voltage up to 55 V and reverse polarity up to -15 V. The second branch of research activity has been framed within the High Energy Physics area, leading to the development of a general purpose and flexible protocol for the data acquisition and the distribution of Timing, Trigger and Control signals and its implementation in radiation tolerant interfaces in CMOS 130 nm technology. The several features integrated in the protocol has made it suitable for different High Energy Physics experiments: flexibility w.r.t. bandwidth and latency requirements, robustness of critical information against radiation-induced errors, compatibility with different data types, flexibility w.r.t the architecture of the control and readout systems, are the key features of this novel protocol. Innovative radiation hardening techniques have been studied and implemented in the test-chip to ensure the proper functioning in operating environments with a high level of radiation, such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva. An FPGA-based emulator has been developed and, in a first phase, employed for functional validation of the protocol. In a second step, the emulator has been modified as test-bed to assess the Transmitter and Receiver interfaces embedded on the test-chip. An extensive phase of tests has proven the functioning of the interfaces at the three speed options, 4xF, 8xF and 16xF (F = reference clock frequency) in different configurations. Finally, irradiation tests has been performed at CERN X-rays irradiation facility, bearing out the proper behaviour of the interfaces up to 40 Mrad(SiO2)

Catching allergy by a simple questionnaire

Background: Identifying allergic rhinitis requires allergy testing, but the first-line referral for rhinitis are usually primary care physicians (PCP), who are not familiar with such tests. The availability of easy and simple tests to be used by PCP to suggest allergy should be very useful. Methods: The Respiratory Allergy Prediction (RAP) test, based on 9 questions and previously validated by a panel of experts, was evaluated in this study. Results: An overall number of 401 patients (48.6% males, age range 14-62 years) with respiratory symptoms was included. Of them, 89 (22.2%) showed negative results to SPT, while 312 (77.8%) had at least one positive result to SPT. Cohen's kappa coefficient showed that all questions had an almost perfect excellent agreement between pre and post-test. The algorithm of decision-tree growth Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector showed that answering yes to the question 4 (Your nasal/ocular complains do usually start or worsen during the spring?), 6 (Did you ever had cough or shortness of breath, even during exercise?) and 8 (Do you use nasal sprays frequently?) gave a probability to have a positive SPT of 85%. Conclusions: These findings show that RAP test can be proposed as an useful tool to be used by physician other than allergists when evaluating patients with rhinitis, suggesting the need of allergy testing

Design and Testing of Electronic Devices for Harsh Environments

This thesis reports an overview and the main results of the research activity carried out within the PhD programme in Information Engineering of the University of Pisa (2010-2012). The research activity has been focused on different fields, including Automotive and High Energy Physics experiments, according to a common denominator: the development of electroni c devices and systems operating in harsh environments. There are many applications that forc e the adoption of design methodologies and strategies focused on this type of envir onments: military, biom edical, automotive, industrial and space. The development of solutions fulfilling specific operational requirements, therefore represents an interesting field of research. The first research activity has been framed within the ATHENIS project, funded by the CORDIS Commission of the European Community, and aiming at the development of a System-on-Chip, a r egulator for alternators employed on vehicles, presenting both configurability an d the ability to work at the harshest operating conditions of the automotive industry. Specifically, a novel Intelligent Power Switch has been conceived, capable of driving different kind of loads, such as incandescent bulbs and LED, showing a high level of flexibility and adaptability to the most extreme operating conditions. Several features have been integrated, including current limitation, voltage regul ation, reverse polar ity and over-voltage capability, control of current slope, combi ned with strategies as over-current and over-temperature protection, that hav e required the design of an innovative architecture. The first test-chip, realized in AMS CMOS High Voltage 0,35 μm technology, has been validated thanks to the development of a dedicated test-bed, which has allowed the deep characterization of the dev ice, proving its excellent performance. The second branch of research has been carried out within the FF-LYNX project, which has involved the section of Pisa of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the Department of Physics of the University of Calif ornia Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The aim of this multidisciplinary project has been the def inition of a protocol for the distribution of Timing, Trigger and Control signals and for the readout in High Energy Physics experiments. In particular, the focus of t he activity has been the implementation of the protocol into Transmitter-Receiver in terfaces within the test-chip FF-TC1, realized in IBM CMOS 130 nm technology. During this phase, novel radiation hardening techniques have been studied and implemented in order to ensure the proper functioning in operating environments with a high level of radiation, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva. Besides that, an emulator for functional validation of the FF-LYNX protocol has been developed, embedded on the XpressGXII PLDA board, equipped with PCI-Express to interface with a host PC. An additional activity has required the modification of the emulator as a test- bed for the test-chip FF-TC1, allowing the ex ecution of extensive functional tests. Finally, irradiation tests hav e been performed at the X-rays facility at CERN, which have demonstrated the good yield of t he radiation hardening techniques implemente

Studio, progettazione e validazione di un Intelligent Power Switch realizzato in tecnologia HV-CMOS per applicazioni automotive.

Questa attività di tesi ha riguardato la progettazione di un Intelligent Power Switch collocato all'interno di un SoC realizzato in tecnologia HV-CMOS per applicazioni automotive. Questo lavoro, svolto interamente presso il design center di Austriamicrosystems a Navacchio, è stato inquadrato all'interno del progetto ATHENIS, finanziato dalla Comunità Europea, con lo scopo di gettare le basi per lo sviluppo di un innovativo regolatore per alternatore auto in cui vengono unite caratteristiche come flessibilità, adattabilità a condizioni operative estreme e programmabilità. In particolare il circuito sviluppato è in grado di pilotare una lampadina ad incandescenza, gestendo le problematiche connesse, e di rilevare l'inserimento della chiave del quadro comandi, offrendo ulteriori funzionalità che estendono notevolmente il suo campo di applicazione. É stata progettata una Evaluation Board e gestita in ambiente LabVIEW la comunicazione con il chip, al fine di controllarne le funzionalità nella fase di testing. Con la validazione finale si è dimostrata l'ottima efficienza del sistema

Le topoisomerasi come bersaglio di farmaci antitumorali

Le DNA-topoisomerasi sono la classe di enzimi che ha la funzione di eliminare i “superavvolgimenti” di DNA che si formano in processi cellulari quali la replicazione o la trascrizione. Comprendere nel dettaglio il loro funzionamento, potrebbe consentire di intervenire nelle fasi di riproduzione e moltiplicazione cellulare. Infatti, molti farmaci antitumorali sono stati concepiti per interferire nel meccanismo di rilassamento del DNA operato dalle topoisomerasi, così da bloccare la replicazione cellulare e provocare la morte delle cellule maligne. Tra i farmaci più usati, già dagli anni settanta, ci sono le camptotecine, che hanno come unico “bersaglio” la topoisomerasi di tipo I (Top1) e, soprattutto, alcuni loro derivati, come il topotecano, oggi usato in chemioterapia oncologica con risultati eccellenti su una vasta classe di tumori