Jitter Limitations on Multi-Carrier Modulation

A feasibility study is made of an OFDM system based on analog multipliers and integrate-and-dump blocks, targeted at Gb/s copper interconnects. The effective amplitude variation of the integrator output caused by jitter is explained in an intuitive way by introducing correlation plots. For a given rms jitter and error rate, high frequency carriers allow for less modulation depth than low frequency carriers. A jitter limit on the total system bit rate is calculated, which is a function of rms jitter, bandwidth, and specified system symbol error rate. It is concluded that, because of the high sensitivity to timing errors inherent in OFDM, traditional PAM systems with equal bandwidth and error rate are more feasible

CMOS Transmitter using Pulse-Width Modulation Pre-Emphasis achieving 33dB Loss Compensation at 5-Gb/s

A digital transmitter pre-emphasis technique is presented that is based on pulse-width modulation, instead of finite impulse response (FIR) filtering. The technique fits well to future high-speed low-voltage CMOS processes. A 0.13 /spl mu/m CMOS transmitter achieves more than 5 Gb/s (2-PAM) over 25 m of standard RG-58U low-end coaxial copper cable. The test chip compensates for up to 33 dB of channel loss at the fundamental signaling frequency (2.5 GHz), which is the highest figure compared to literature

A Radiation hard bandgap reference circuit in a standard 0.13um CMOS Technology

With ongoing CMOS evolution, the gate-oxide thickness steadily decreases, resulting in an increased radiation tolerance of MOS transistors. Combined with special layout techniques, this yields circuits with a high inherent robustness against X-rays and other ionizing radiation. In bandgap voltage references, the dominant radiation-susceptibility is then no longer associated with the MOS transistors, but is dominated by the diodes. This paper gives an analysis of radiation effects in both MOSdevices and diodes and presents a solution to realize a radiation-hard voltage reference circuit in a standard CMOS technology. A demonstrator circuit was implemented in a standard 0.13 m CMOS technology. Measurements show correct operation with supply voltages in the range from 1.4 V down to 0.85 V, a reference voltage of 405 mV 7.5 mV ( = 6mVchip-to-chip statistical spread), and a reference voltage shift of only 1.5 mV (around 0.8%) under irradiation up to 44 Mrad (Si)

Pulse-Width Modulation Pre Emphasis applied in a Wireline Transmitter, achieving 33dB Loss Compensation at 5-Gb/s in 0.13-μm CMOS

Abstract—A transmitter pre-emphasis technique for copper cable equalization is presented that is based on pulse-width modulation (PWM). This technique is an alternative to the usual 2-tap symbol-spaced FIR (SSF) pre-emphasis. The technique uses timing resolution instead of amplitude resolution to adjust the filter transfer function, and therefore fits well with future high-speed low-voltage CMOS processes. Spectral analysis and time domain simulations illustrate that PWM pre-emphasis offers more relative high frequency boost than 2-tap SSF. Only one coefficient needs to be set to fit the equalizer transfer function to the channel, which makes convergence of an algorithm for automatic adaptation straightforward. A proof-of-concept 0.13- m CMOS transmitter achieves in excess of 5 Gb/s (2-PAM) over 25 m of standard RG-58U low-end coaxial copper cable with 33 dB of channel loss at the Nyquist frequency (2.5 GHz). Measured BER at this speed and channel loss is 10 12

Wireline equalization using pulse-width modulation

Abstract-High-speed data links over copper cables can be effectively equalized using pulse-width modulation (PWM) pre-emphasis. This provides an alternative to the usual 2-tap FIR filters. The use of PWM pre-emphasis allows a channel loss at the Nyquist frequency of ~30dB, compared to ~20dB for a 2-tap symbol-spaced FIR filter. The use of PWM fits well with future high-speed low-voltage CMOS processes. The filter has only one ‘knob’, which is the duty-cycle. This makes convergence of an algorithm for automatic adaptation straightforward. Spectral analysis illustrates that, compared to a 2-tap FIR filter, the steeper PWM filter transfer function fits better to the copper channel. This applies to both half-symbol-spaced and symbol-spaced 2-tap FIR filters. Circuits for implementation are as straightforward as for FIR pre-emphasis. In this paper new measurements are presented for a previous transmitter chip, and a new high-swing transmitter chip is presented. Both coaxial and differential cables are used for the tests. A bit rate of 5 Gb/s (2-PAM) was achieved with all cable assemblies, over a cable length of up to 130 m. Measured BER at this speed is <10-12

The detection of single electrons by means of a Micromegas-covered MediPix2 pixel CMOS readout circuit

A small drift chamber was read out by means of a MediPix2 readout chip as direct anode. A Micromegas foil was placed 50 $\mu$m above the chip, and electron multiplication occurred in the gap. With a He/Isobutane 80/20 mixture, gas multiplication factors up to tens of thousands were achieved, resulting in an efficiency for detecting single electrons of better than 90% . We recorded many frames containing 2D images with tracks from cosmic muons. Along these tracks, electron clusters were observed, as well as delta-rays.Comment: 15 pages, 9 included postscript figures, 5 separate jpeg figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A. A complete postscript version with high resolution figures 1, 3, 11, 12 and 14 can be found at http://www.nikhef.nl/~i06/RandD/final/letter4.p

Resistance to three thrips species in <i>Capsicum</i> spp. depends on site conditions and geographic regions

Capsicum species are commercially grown for pepper production. This crop suffers severely from thrips damage and the identification of natural sources of thrips resistance is essential for the development of resistant cultivars. It is unclear whether resistance to Frankliniella occidentalis as assessed in a specific environment holds under different conditions. Additionally, other thrips species may respond differently to the plant genotypes. Screening for robust and general resistance to thrips encompasses testing different Capsicum accessions under various conditions and with different thrips species. We screened 11 Capsicum accessions (C. annuum and C. chinense) for resistance to F. occidentalis at three different locations in the Netherlands. Next, the same 11 accessions were screened for resistance to Thrips palmi and Scirtothrips dorsalis at two locations in Asia. This resulted in a unique analysis of thrips resistance in Capsicum at five different locations around the world. Finally, all accessions were also screened for resistance to F. occidentalis in the Netherlands using a leaf disc choice assay, allowing direct comparison of whole plant and leaf disc assays. Resistance to F. occidentalis was only partially consistent among the three sites in the Netherlands. The most susceptible accessions were consistently susceptible, but which accession was the most resistant differed among sites. In Asia, one C. chinense accession was particularly resistant to S. dorsalis and T. palmi, but this was not the most resistant accession to F. occidentalis. Overall, resistance to F. occidentalis correlated with S. dorsalis but not with T. palmi resistance in the C. annuum accessions. Damage inflicted on leaf discs reflected damage on the whole plant level. Our study showed that identifying broad spectrum resistance to thrips in Capsicum may prove to be challenging. Breeding programmes should focus on developing cultivars suitable for growing in defined geographic regions with specific thrips species and abiotic conditions