Conventionally, the performances of Analog and Mixed-Signal (AMS) circuits have been characterized using specification-based functional tests. In these test methods, the correct functionalities of AMS circuits are verified by measuring pre-determined specification parameters of AMS circuits. The conventional test methods provide accurate test results by using various test equipments which generate functional test signals and capture the test responses externally. However, due to rapid increase in the performance of AMS circuits in recent years, the conventional test methods face various challenges in the aspects of test cost, test time and testability. The goal of this dissertation is to develop innovative functional test methods for AMS circuits which are aimed at reducing the test cost and test time while providing comparable test accuracy to the conventional test methods. To achieve this goal, efforts have been made to explore the characteristics of AMS circuits in a system level and to research efficient performance characterization methods based on the system level modeling of Devices Under Test (DUTs). As a part of these efforts, the pseudorandom test methods for nonlinear AMS circuits have been developed. In these methods, the pseudorandom signal is used to excite the DUT and to generate the test response which has sufficient information to characterize DUT performances. The pseudorandom test methods use the Volterra series model to capture the nonlinear behaviors of AMS circuits and to calculate various specification parameters of the DUT using the pseudorandom test response. In doing so, the performances of nonlinear AMS circuits can be characterized straightforwardly and accurately using a low-cost test setup. Also, in an effort to reduce the test time, parallel test methods of AMS circuits have been developed in which multiple DUTs are tested simultaneously by sharing a common test setup. In these methods, the test responses generated from different DUTs are combined together and the resulting composite test response is used to characterize the performance of each DUT individually. This will reduce the use of tester resources and will increase the test throughput beyond the level limited by the test equipments. The spectral characteristics of test stimulus are studied along with the system level behavior of AMS circuits to develop the efficient parallel test methods. Finally, in order to consider the practical issue of generating at-speed test stimuli for high-speed DUTs using a low-cost test setup, a reconfigurable built-off test interface is developed which can be used to generate various test patterns, including high-speed pseudorandom signal, using a low-speed tester. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [152]-159).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-11-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:01:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_vjs_dr_ilha.pdf: 2584742 bytes, checksum: ae7b3113a196a5051a808dbb371dece4 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Nesta tese, propõe-se um sintetizador de freqüência baseado em phase locked loops (PLL) usando uma arquitetura que utiliza um dual-path loop filter, constituído de componentes passivos e um integrador digital. A proposta é empregar técnicas digitais, para reduzir o custo da implementação do sintetizador de freqüência, e flexibilizar o projeto do loop filter, para possibilitar que a arquitetura opere em uma faixa de freqüência larga de operação e com redução de tons espúrios. O loop filter digital é constituído de um contador crescente/ decrescente cujo clock é proveniente da amostragem da diferença de fase de entrada. As técnicas digitais aplicadas ao loop filter se baseiam em alterações da operação do contador, em tempos pré-estabelecidos, os quais são controlados digitalmente. Essas técnicas possibilitam reduzir o tempo de estabelecimento do PLL ao mesmo tempo em que problemas de estabilidade são resolvidos. No desenvolvimento da técnica de dual-path foi realizado o estudo de sua estabilidade, primeiramente, considerando a aproximação do PLL para um sistema linear e depois usando controle digital. Nesse estudo foram deduzidas as equações do sistema, no domínio contínuo e discreto, tanto para o projeto da estabilidade, quanto para descrever o comportamento do PLL. A metodologia top-down é usada no projeto do circuito integrado. As simulações em nível de sistema são usadas, primeiramente, para as criações das técnicas e posteriormente para a verificação do seu comportamento, usando modelos calibrados com os blocos projetados em nível de transistor. O circuito integrado é proposto para ser aplicado em identificação por rádio freqüência (RFID) na banda de UHF (Ultra High Frequency), usando multi-standard, e deve operar na faixa de 850 MHz a 1010 MHz. O sintetizador de freqüência foi projetado na tecnologia CMOS... / In this thesis, a frequency synthesizers phase locked loops (PLL) based with an architecture that uses a dual-path loop filter consisting of passive components and a digital integrator are proposed. The objective is to employ digital techniques to reduce the implementation cost and get loop filter design flexibility to enable the architecture to have a large tuning range operation and spurious reduction. The digital loop filter is based in an up/down counter where the phase difference is sampled to generate the clock of the counter. The techniques applied in the digital path are based in digitally controlled changes in the counter operation in predefined time points. These techniques provide PLL settling time reductions whiling the stability issues are solved. The stability study of the proposed dual path has been developed. First the linear system approximation for the PLL has been assumed and then employing digital control. The continuous and discrete time equations of architecture were derived in that study applied to stability design as well as to describe the architecture behavior. The top-down methodology has been applied to the integrated circuit design. In the beginning, the system level simulations are used for the techniques creation and then the behavioral models that were calibrated with transistor level blocks are simulated. The application of the circuit is proposed to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) using UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band for multi-standards application and will operate in range of 850 MHz to 1010 MHz. The proposed frequency synthesizer has been designed in the AMS 0.35 μm CMOS technology with 2V power supply. A 300 μs of settling time and 140 Hz of resolution was obtained in simulations. The proposed frequency synthesizer have low complexity and shown a reference noise suppression about 45.6 dB better than the conventional architecture

Orientador: Nobuo Oki / Banca: Suely Cunha Amaro Mantovani / Banca: Jozué Vieira Filho / Banca: Marcelo Arturo Jara Perez / Banca: Paulo Augusto Dal fabbro / Resumo: Nesta tese, propõe-se um sintetizador de freqüência baseado em phase locked loops (PLL) usando uma arquitetura que utiliza um dual-path loop filter, constituído de componentes passivos e um integrador digital. A proposta é empregar técnicas digitais, para reduzir o custo da implementação do sintetizador de freqüência, e flexibilizar o projeto do loop filter, para possibilitar que a arquitetura opere em uma faixa de freqüência larga de operação e com redução de tons espúrios. O loop filter digital é constituído de um contador crescente/ decrescente cujo clock é proveniente da amostragem da diferença de fase de entrada. As técnicas digitais aplicadas ao loop filter se baseiam em alterações da operação do contador, em tempos pré-estabelecidos, os quais são controlados digitalmente. Essas técnicas possibilitam reduzir o tempo de estabelecimento do PLL ao mesmo tempo em que problemas de estabilidade são resolvidos. No desenvolvimento da técnica de dual-path foi realizado o estudo de sua estabilidade, primeiramente, considerando a aproximação do PLL para um sistema linear e depois usando controle digital. Nesse estudo foram deduzidas as equações do sistema, no domínio contínuo e discreto, tanto para o projeto da estabilidade, quanto para descrever o comportamento do PLL. A metodologia top-down é usada no projeto do circuito integrado. As simulações em nível de sistema são usadas, primeiramente, para as criações das técnicas e posteriormente para a verificação do seu comportamento, usando modelos calibrados com os blocos projetados em nível de transistor. O circuito integrado é proposto para ser aplicado em identificação por rádio freqüência (RFID) na banda de UHF (Ultra High Frequency), usando multi-standard, e deve operar na faixa de 850 MHz a 1010 MHz. O sintetizador de freqüência foi projetado na tecnologia CMOS... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In this thesis, a frequency synthesizers phase locked loops (PLL) based with an architecture that uses a dual-path loop filter consisting of passive components and a digital integrator are proposed. The objective is to employ digital techniques to reduce the implementation cost and get loop filter design flexibility to enable the architecture to have a large tuning range operation and spurious reduction. The digital loop filter is based in an up/down counter where the phase difference is sampled to generate the clock of the counter. The techniques applied in the digital path are based in digitally controlled changes in the counter operation in predefined time points. These techniques provide PLL settling time reductions whiling the stability issues are solved. The stability study of the proposed dual path has been developed. First the linear system approximation for the PLL has been assumed and then employing digital control. The continuous and discrete time equations of architecture were derived in that study applied to stability design as well as to describe the architecture behavior. The top-down methodology has been applied to the integrated circuit design. In the beginning, the system level simulations are used for the techniques creation and then the behavioral models that were calibrated with transistor level blocks are simulated. The application of the circuit is proposed to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) using UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band for multi-standards application and will operate in range of 850 MHz to 1010 MHz. The proposed frequency synthesizer has been designed in the AMS 0.35 μm CMOS technology with 2V power supply. A 300 μs of settling time and 140 Hz of resolution was obtained in simulations. The proposed frequency synthesizer have low complexity and shown a reference noise suppression about 45.6 dB better than the conventional architecture / Doutor