The design, simulation, and measurement of two bulk-driven down-conversion mixers with on-chip transformer baluns in 0.18 μm CMOS is presented. Applying either the RF signal or the local oscillator (LO) signal to the bulk connection of the transistors allows the amplification and switching stages of a conventional mixer to be combined into a single stage, thus improving the voltage headroom of the mixer. The addition of a transformer balun to the mixers improves the input impedance match, provides passive voltage gain, and performs single-ended to balanced conversion. A semi-analytical power-series analysis of the mixers is also presented. The mixer in which the RF signal is applied to the gates of the mixing transistors achieves a measured input-referred 1-dB compression point (P1dB) of −14 dBm, an input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of −5.2 dBm, a gain of 13.6 dB, a noise figure (NF) of 26 dB, and an LO-to-RF isolation of 50 dB. The overall performance of both mixers is found to be comparable with other CMOS mixers, but with a higher noise figure (which can be mitigated with a high gain low-noise amplifier (LNA)). / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Suffisante pour exécuter les algorithmes à la cadence de ces capteurs d’images performants, tout en gardant une faible consommation d’énergie. Les systèmes monoprocesseur n’arrivent plus à satisfaire les exigences de ce domaine. Ainsi, grâce aux avancées technologiques et en s’appuyant sur de précédents travaux sur les machines parallèles, les systèmes multiprocesseurs sur puce (MPSoC) représentent une solution intéressante et prometteuse. Dans de précédents travaux à cette thèse, la cible technologique pour développer de tels systèmes était les FPGA. Or les résultats ont montré les limites de cette cible en terme de ressource matérielles et en terme de performance (vitesse notamment). Ce constat nous amène à changer de cible c’est-à-dire à passer sur cible ASIC nécessitant ainsi de retravailler profondément l’architecture et les IPs qui existaient autour de la méthode existante (appelée HNCP, pour Homogeneous Network of Communicating Processors). Afin de bénéficier de la performance offerte par la cible ASIC, les systèmes multiprocesseurs proposés s’appuient sur la flexibilité de son architecture. Combinés à des squelettes de parallélisation facilitant la programmabilité de l’architecture, les circuits proposés permettent d’offrir des systèmes supportant le portage en temps réels de différentes classes d’algorithme de traitement d’images. Le résultat de ce travail a abouti à la fabrication d’un circuit intégré à base d’un seul processeur et de ses périphériques en technologie ST CMOS 65nm dont la surface est d’environ 1 mm² et à la définition de 2 architectures multiprocesseurs flexibles basées sur le concept des squelettes de parallélisation (une architecture de 16 coeurs de processeur en technologie ST CMOS 65 nm et une deuxième architecture de 64 coeurs de processeur en technologie ST CMOS FD-SOI 28 nm). / Smart sensors today require processing components with sufficient power to run algorithms at the rate of these high-performance image sensors, while maintaining low power consumption. Monoprocessor systems are no longer able to meet the requirements of this field. Thus, thanks to technological advances and based on previous works on parallel computers, multiprocessor systems on chip (MPSoC) represent an interesting and promising solution. Previous works around this thesis have used FPGA as technological target. However, results have shown the limits of this target in terms of hardware resources and in terms of performance (speed in particular). This observation leads us to change the target from FPGA to ASIC. This migration requires deep rework at the architecture level. Particularly, existing IPs around the method (called HNCP for Homogeneous Network of Communicating Processors) have to be revisited. To take advantage of the performance offered by the ASIC target, proposed multiprocessor systems are based on the flexibility of its architecture. Combined with parallel skeletons that ease programmability of the architecture, the proposed circuits allow to offer systems that support various real-time image processing algorithms. This work has led to the fabrication of an integrated circuit based on a single processor and its peripheral using ST CMOS 65nm technology with an area around 1 mm². Moreover, two flexible multiprocessor architectures based on the concept of parallel skeletons have been proposed (a 16 cores 65 nm CMOS multiprocessors and a 64 cores 28 nm FD-SOI CMOS multiprocessors).

Ce travail concerne l'étude et la réalisation de stratégies d'auto-test intégrées pour VCO radiofréquence (RF). La complexité des circuits intégrés RF devient un obstacle pour la mesure des principaux blocs RF des chaines de transmission/réception. Certains nœuds ne sont pas accessibles, l'excursion en tension des signaux baisse et les signaux haute fréquence ne peuvent pas être amenés à l'extérieur de la puce sans une forte dégradation. Le s techniques habituelles de test deviennent très couteuses et lentes. Le test pour le wafer-sort est étudié en premier. La solution proposée est la mise en œuvre d'une stratégie d'auto-test intégrée (BIST) qui puisse discriminer entre circuits sans fautes et circuits avec fautes pendant le wafer-test. La méthodologie utilisée est le test structurel. La couverture des fautes est étudiée pour connaitre la quantité à capter au niveau intégré afin de maximiser la probabilité de trouver tous les défauts physiques dans le VCO. Le résultat de cette analyse montre que la couverture des fautes est maximisée quand la tension crête-crête en sortie du VCO est captée. La caractérisation complète (validation de la puce et process-monitoring) du VCO est étudiée dans la deuxième étape. Les informations à extraire de la puce sont: amplitude des signaux, consommation du VCO, fréquence d'oscillation, gain de conversion (Kvco) et une information à propos du bruit de phase. Un démonstrateur pour le test au niveau wafer est réalisé en technologie ST CMOS 65nm. Le démonstrateur est composé d'un VCO 3.5GHz (le circuit sous test), un LDO, une référence de tension indépendante de température et variations d'alimentation, un capteur de tension crête-crête et un comparateur. Le capteur Vpp donne en sortie une information DC qui est comparée avec une plage de valeurs acceptables. Le BIST donne en sortie une information numérique pass/fail. / This work deals with the study and the realization of Built-In Self-Tests (BIST) for RF VCOs (Voltage Controlled Oscillators) The increasing complexity of RF integrated circuits is creating an obstacle for the correct measurement of the main RF blocks of any transceiver. Some nodes are not accessible, the voltage excursion of the signals is getting lower and lower and high frequency signals cannot be driven off the die without a main degradation. The common test techniques become then very expensive and time consuming. The wafer sort is firstly approached. The proposed solution is the implementation of a BIST strategy able to discriminate between faulty and good circuits during the wafer test. The chosen methodology is the structural test (fault-oriented). A fault coverage campaign is carried out in order to find the quantity to monitor on-chip that maximizes the probability to find all possible physical defects in the VCO. The result of the analysis reveals that the fault coverage is maximized if the peak-to-peak output voltage is monitored. The complete on-chip characterization of the VCO is then addressed, for chip validation and process monitoring. The information that need to be extracted on-chip concern: amplitude of the signal, consumption of the VCO, frequency of oscillation, its conversion gain (voltage-to-frequency) and eventually some information on the phase noise. A silicon demonstrator for wafer sort purposes is implemented using the ST CMOS 65nm process. It includes a 3.5GHz VCO, an LDO, a temperature and supply-voltage independent voltage reference, a peak-to-peak voltage detector and a comparator. The Vpp detector outputs a DC-voltage that is compared to a predefined acceptance boundary. A logic pass/fail signal is output by the BIST. The attention is then turned to the study of the proposed architecture for an on-chip frequency-meter able to measure the RF frequency with high accuracy. Behavioral simulations using VHDL-AMS lead to the conclusion that a TDC (Time-to-Digital Converter) is the best solution for our goal. The road is then opened to the measure of long-time jitter making use of the same TDC.

This diploma thesis deals with processes of electrical circuits calculations in the last years' worldwide standards like Dymola, MATLAB, Maple or SPICE applications. Circuits calculations are linked with methods for solving linear differential equations, used in this work also by verification of functionality of designed models for CMOS inverter, CMOS NAND, CMOS NOR. Numerical integration method in combination with Taylor series is a suitable method also for parallel calculations of CMOS VLSI circuits. CMOS circuits simulation was implemented with this method in applications in MATLAB language, solving circuits, represented by differential equations. Functionality of the applications was verified by some real examples. Significant acceleration of calculations using Taylor series compared to other methods is an important factor in choosing methods used in circuit simulations.

This thesis offers the design and improvement of a 2 GHz to 20 GHz low noise amplifier (LNA) utilizing pHEMT technology. The pHEMT technology allows the LNA to generate a boosted signal at a lower noise figure (NF) while consuming less power and achieving smooth overall gain. The design achieves an overall gain (S21) of ≥ 10 dB with an NF ≤ 2 dB while consuming ≤ 30 mA of power while using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components.

No description available.

abstract: This dissertation explores thermal effects and electrical characteristics in metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) devices and circuits using a multiscale dual-carrier approach. Simulating electron and hole transport with carrier-phonon interactions for thermal transport allows for the study of complementary logic circuits with device level accuracy in electrical characteristics and thermal effects. The electrical model is comprised of an ensemble Monte Carlo solution to the Boltzmann Transport Equation coupled with an iterative solution to two-dimensional (2D) Poisson’s equation. The thermal model solves the energy balance equations accounting for carrier-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions. Modeling of circuit behavior uses parametric iteration to ensure current and voltage continuity. This allows for modeling of device behavior, analyzing circuit performance, and understanding thermal effects. The coupled electro-thermal approach, initially developed for individual n-channel MOSFET (NMOS) devices, now allows multiple devices in tandem providing a platform for better comparison with heater-sensor experiments. The latest electro-thermal solver allows simulation of multiple NMOS and p-channel MOSFET (PMOS) devices, providing a platform for the study of complementary MOSFET (CMOS) circuit behavior. Modeling PMOS devices necessitates the inclusion of hole transport and hole-phonon interactions. The analysis of CMOS circuits uses the electro-thermal device simulation methodology alongside parametric iteration to ensure current continuity. Simulating a CMOS inverter and analyzing the extracted voltage transfer characteristics verifies the efficacy of this methodology. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of the dual-carrier electro-thermal solver in simulating thermal effects in CMOS circuits. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2019

abstract: Recent years have seen fin field effect transistors (finFETs) dominate modern complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, [1][2], e.g., at the sub 20 nm technology nodes, as they alleviate short channel effects, provide lower leakage, and enable some continued VDD scaling. However, a realistic finFET based predictive process design kit (PDK) that supports investigation into both circuit and physical design, encompassing all aspects of digital design, for academic use has been unavailable. While the finFET based FreePDK15 was supplemented with a standard cell library, it lacked full physical verification (LVS) and parasitic extraction at the time [3][4]. Consequently, the only available sub 45 nm educational PDKs are the planar CMOS based Synopsys 32/28 nm and FreePDK45 (45 nm PDK) [5][6]. The cell libraries available for those processes are not realistic since they use large cell heights, in contrast to recent industry trends. Additionally, the SRAM rules and cells provided by these PDKs are not realistic. Because finFETs have a 3D structure, which affects transistor density, using planar libraries scaled to sub 22 nm dimensions for research is likely to give poor accuracy. Commercial libraries and PDKs, especially for advanced nodes, are often difficult to obtain for academic use, and access to the actual physical layouts is even more restricted. Furthermore, the necessary non disclosure agreements (NDAs) are un manageable for large university classes and the plethora of design rules can distract from the key points. NDAs also make it difficult for the publication of physical design as these may disclose proprietary design rules and structures. This work focuses on the development of realistic PDKs for academic use that overcome these limitations. These PDKs, developed for the N7 and N5 nodes, even before 7 nm and 5 nm processes were available in industry, are thus predictive. The predictions have been based on publications of the continually improving lithography, as well as estimates of what would be available at N7 and N5. For the most part, these assumptions have been accurate with regards to N7, except for the expectation that extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography would be widely available, which has turned out to be optimistic. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2019

CMOS technology scaling has resulted in reduced supply voltage and intrinsic voltage gain of the transistor. This presents challenges to the analog circuit designers due to lower signal swing and achievable signal to noise ratio (SNR), leading to increased power consumption. At the same time, device speed has increased in lower design nodes, which has not been directly beneficial for analog circuit design. This thesis presents voltage-domain and time-domain circuit scaling friendly circuit architectures that minimize the power consumption and benefit from the increasing transistor speeds. In the voltage-domain, an on-the-fly gain selection block is demonstrated as an alternative to the traditional MDAC architecture to enhance the input dynamic range of a medium-resolution medium-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC) at reduced supply voltages. The proposed design also eliminates the need for a reference buffer, thus providing power savings. The measured prototype enhances the input dynamic range of a 12bit, 40MSPS ADC to 80.6dB at 1.2V supply voltage. In the time-domain, a generic circuit design approach is presented, followed by an in-depth analysis of Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator based Operational Transconductance Amplifiers (VCO-OTAs). A discrete-time-domain small-signal model based on the zero crossings of the internal VCOs is developed to predict the stability, the step response, and the frequency response of the circuit when placed in feedback. The model accurately predicts the circuit behavior for an arbitrary input frequency, even as the VCO free-running frequency approaches the unity-gain bandwidth of the closed-loop system, where other intuitive small-signal models available in the literature fail. Next, we present an application of VCO-OTA in designing a baseband trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for current-mode receivers as a scaling-friendly and power-efficient alternative to the inverter-based OTA. We illustrate a design methodology for the choice of the VCO-OTA parameters in the context of a receiver design with an example of a 20MHz RF-channel-bandwidth receiver operating at 2GHz. Receiver simulation results demonstrate an improvement of up to 12dB in blocker 1dB compression point (B1dB) for slightly higher power consumption or up to 2.6x power reduction of the TIA resulting in up to 2x power reduction of the receiver for similar B1dB performance. Next, we present some examples of VCO-OTAs. We first illustrate the benefit of a VCO-OTA in a low-dropout-voltage regulator to achieve a dropout voltage of only100mV and operating down to 0.8V input supply, compared to the prototype based on traditional OTA with a minimum dropout voltage of 150mV, operating at a minimum of 1.2V supply. Both the capacitor-less prototypes can drive up to 1nF load capacitor and provide a current of 60mA. The next prototype showcases a method to reduce the power consumption of a VCO-OTA and spurs at the VCO frequency, with an application in the design of a fourth-order Butterworth filter at 4MHz. The thesis concludes with a design example of 0.2V VCO-OTA.

This work investigates the optimal measurement matrices that can be used in compressive sensing (CS) image sensors. It also optimizes CMOS current-model pixel cell circuits for CS image sensors. Based on the outcomes from these optimization studies, three CS image senor circuits with compression ratios of 4, 6, and 8 are designed with using a 130 nm CMOS technology. The pixel arrays used in the image sensors has a size of 256X256. Circuit simulations with benchmark image Lenna show that the three images sensors can achieve peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) values of 37.64, 33.29, and 32.44 dB respectively.