A Physically Based Compact Model of Partially Depleted MOSFETs for Analog Circuit Stimulation

In this paper, the Southampton Thermal Analogue (STAG) compact model for partially depleted (PD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs is presented. The model uses a single expression to model the channel current, thereby ensuring continuous transition between all operating regions. Furthermore, care has been taken to ensure that this expression is also infinitely differentiable, resulting in smooth and continuous conductances and capacitances as well as higher order derivatives. Floating-body effects, which are particular to PD SOI and which are of concern to analog circuit designers in this technology, are well modeled. Small geometry effects such as channel length modulation (CLM), drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), charge sharing, and high field mobility effects have also been included. Self-heating (SH) effects are much more apparent in SOI devices than in equivalent bulk devices. These have been modeled in a consistent manner, and the implementation in SPICE3f5 gives the user an additional thermal node which allows internal device temperature rises to be monitored and also accommodates the modeling of coupled heating between separate devices. The model has been successfully used to simulate a variety of circuits which commonly cause problems with convergence. Due to its inherent robustness, the model can normally achieve convergence without recourse to the setting of initial nodal voltage estimates

Absence of mutations in four genes encoding for congenital cataract and expressed in the human brain in Tunisian families with cataract and mental retardation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To identify the genetic defect associated with autosomal recessive congenital cataract (ARCC), mental retardation (MR) and ARCC, MR and microcephaly present in most patients in four Tunisian consanguineous families.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We screened four genes implicated in congenital cataract by direct sequencing in two groups of patients; those affected by ARCC associated to MR and those who presented also microcephaly. Among its three genes <it>PAX6</it>, <it>PITX3 </it>and <it>HSF4 </it>are expressed in human brain and one gene <it>LIM2 </it>encodes for the protein MP20 that interact with the protein galectin-3 expressed in human brain and plays a crucial role in its development. All genes were screened by direct sequencing in two groups of patients; those affected by ARCC associated to MR and those who presented also microcephaly.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report no mutation in the four genes of congenital cataract and its flanking regions. Only variations that did not segregate with the studied phenotypes (ARCC associated to MR, ARCC associated with MR and microcephaly) are reported. We detected three intronic variations in <it>PAX6 </it>gene: IVS4 -274insG (intron 4), IVS12 -174G>A (intron12) in the four studied families and IVS4 -195G>A (intron 4) in two families. Two substitutions polymorphisms in <it>PITX3 </it>gene: c.439 C>T (exon 3) and c.930 C>A (exon4) in one family. One intronic variation in <it>HSF4 </it>gene: IVS7 +93C>T (intron 7) identified in one family. And three intronic substitutions in <it>LIM2 </it>gene identified in all four studied families: IVS2 -24A>G (intron 2), IVS4 +32C>T (intron 4) and c.*15A>C (3'-downstream sequence).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the role of the four studied genes: <it>PAX6</it>, <it>PITX3</it>, <it>HSF4 </it>and <it>LIM2 </it>in both ocular and central nervous system development, we report the absence of mutations in all studied genes in four families with phenotypes associating cataract, MR and microcephaly.</p

The Effect of Body Contact Series Resistance on SOI CMOS Amplifier stages

This paper examines some implications for analogue design of using body ties as a solution to the problem of floating body effects in partially-depleted (PD) SOI technologies. Measurements on H-gate body-tied structures in a 0.7-um SOI process indicate body-tie series resistances increasing into the M region. Both circuit simulation and measurement results reveal a delayed but sharper kink effect as this resistance increases. The consequences of this effect are shown in the context of a simple amplifier configuration, resulting in severe bias-dependent degradation in the small signal gain characteristics as the body-tie resistance enters the M region. It is deduced that imperfectly body tied devices may be worse for analogue design than using non body-tie at all