Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 10, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

A relatively new area of analog integrated circuits is emerging which is likely to have an impact on the signal processing area --analog floating-gate circuits. Analog floating- gate circuits have the potential to deliver more sophisticated signal processing at less power in a smaller space. This is the result of a novel application of digital memory technology -- the floating-gate MOSFET, that is used as an analog memory and computational device. Critical to the success of analog floating-gate circuits is on-chip programming. After investigating integrated schemes for DC-DC converters to generate the necessary voltages on chip, this research focuses on charge pumps that are integrated into the programming structure of floating-gate circuits. The impact of this research is far reaching since programmability is an indispensable feature of analog floating-gate circuits. This research lays the foundation for meeting the requirement of on-chip programming. Charge pumps will eliminate the need for high voltages to be externally supplied or regulated for analog floating-gate circuits. To the design engineer, the utilization of floating-gate circuits will look identical to their non floating-gate counterparts in terms of the value and number of supply voltages. In addition, the integration of on-chip DC-DC converters will reduce pin count, reduce board space for the implementation of the chip and facilitate distributed on chip power supplies for mixed signal integrated circuits.

Passive wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are quickly becoming popular for many applications such as article tracking, position location, temperature sensing, and passive data storage. Passive tags and sensors are unique in that they collect their electrical energy by harvesting it from the ambient environment. Tags with charge pumps collect their energy from the signal they receive from the transmitting source. The efficiency of converting the received signal to DC power is greatly enhanced using a power-optimized waveform (POW). Measurements in the first part of this dissertation show that a POW can provide efficiency gains of up to 12 dB compared to a sine-wave input. Tracking the real-time location of these passive tags is a specialized feature used in some applications such as animal tracking. A passive WSN that uses POWs for the improvement of energy-harvesting may also estimate the range to a tag by measuring the time delay of propagation from the transmitter to the tag and back to the transmitter. The maximum-likelihood (ML) estimator is used for estimating this time delay, which simplifies to taking the cross-correlation of the received signal with the transmitted signal. This research characterizes key aspects of performing range estimations in passive WSNs using POWs. The shape of the POW has a directly-measurable effect on ranging performance. Measurements and simulations show that the RMS bandwidth of the waveform has an inversely proportional relationship to the uncertainty of a range measurement. The clutter of an environment greatly affects the uncertainty and bias exhibited by a range estimator. Random frequency-selective environments with heavy clutter are shown to produce estimation uncertainties more than 20 dB higher than the theoretical lower bound. Estimation in random frequency-flat environments is well-behaved and fits the theory quite nicely. Nonlinear circuits such as the charge pump distort the POW during reflection, which biases the range estimations. This research derives an empirical model for predicting the estimation bias for Dickson charge pumps and verifies it with simulations and measurements.

The objective of this research is to determine if it is possible to reduce the number of organic solar cells required to power a load using a DC to DC converter thereby reducing the cost of the organic solar array system. An organic solar power system designer may choose an organic implementation of a DC to DC converter to go along with the organic solar cell array. Common DC to DC converters include the buck converter, boost converter, buck/boost converter, and Cuk converter, all of which are not good candidates for organic implementation due to their use of inductors. Organic inductors are relatively more lossy than organic capacitors. So, an inductor-less DC to DC converter, such as the Dickson charge pump, would be a better candidate for organic implementation. Solar cells connected in an array configuration usually do not perform up to their full potential due to current and voltage mismatches between solar cells. These mismatches can be related to each solar cell's circuit model parameters such as the photon current density, diode ideality factor, diode reverse saturation current density, parallel resistance, and series resistance. This research varies these circuit model parameters as dependent variables, and observes the loads and power levels that make the Dickson charge pump a feasible option. The results show that current mismatch does produce an opportunity to use a DC to DC converter to save the use of a few solar cells. However, the Dickson charge pump was found to be infeasible due to an input voltage requirement that could not be met using the tested organic solar cells.

This dissertation is particularly focused on a novel approach of a wirelessly powered neuromodulation system for chronic patients. The inductively coupled transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) coils are designed through optimization to achieve maximum efficiency. A power management unit (PMU) consisting of a voltage rectifier, voltage regulator along with a stimulation circuitry is also designed to provide pulse stimulation to genetically modified neurons. For continuous health monitoring purposes, the response from the brain due to stimulation needs to be recorded and transmitted wirelessly outside the brain for analysis. A low-power high-data duty-cycled impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) transmitter is designed and implemented using the standard CMOS process. Another focus of this dissertation is the design of a reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric (REWOD) based energy harvesting circuit for wearable sensor applications which is capable of generating a very low-frequency signal from motion activity such a walking, running, jogging, etc. A commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) based and on-chip based energy harvesting circuit is designed for very low-frequency signals. The experimental results show promising progress towards the advancement in the wirelessly powered neuromodulation system and building the self-powered wearable sensor.

On-chip impedance tuning is used to overcome IC perturbations caused by packaging stress. Tuning is more important for matching networks of radio frequency (RF) systems. Possible package resonance and fabrication process variations may cause instability, which is a major problem in RF systems. Thus, precautions need to be taken in order to maintain the overall stability of components and the final system itself. Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory switches (EEPROMs) occupy less die area compared to e-fuses and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches, thus EEPROMs are proposed to be used as tuning switches in millimetre-wave (mm-wave) applications. It is anticipated that EEPROM switches will also enable multi-time programming because of the smaller area and the fact that more switches can be used for fine-tuning. The problem addressed in this research is how suitable EEPROMs are for switching applications in the mm-wave region. The main focus of this dissertation is to characterise the suitability of EEPROM switches qualitatively for tuning with systems operating in the mm-wave spectrum. 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS IBM 8HP process technology was used for simulation and the fabricated prototypes. The Dickson charge pump (CP), two voltage doubler CPs and four floating gate (FG) devices were investigated. Literature and theoretical verification was done using computer aided design (CAD) Cadence software through circuit analysis and the layouts were also designed for integrated circuit (IC) prototype fabrication. The qualitative evaluation of the hypothesis was based on investigating reliability issues, switching characteristics, CP output drive capability and mm-wave characterisation. The maximum measured drain current for FGs was 1.4 mA, 2.7 mA and 3 mA for devices 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The ratio between ON state switching current (after tunnelling) and OFF state switching current (after injection) was 1.5, 1.35 and 6 for devices 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The ratios correlated with the expected results in terms of FG transistor area: a high area results in a higher ratio. Despite the correlation, devices 2 and 3 may be unsuitable because the ratio is less than 2: a smaller ratio between the ON and OFF states could also result in higher losses. The Dickson CP achieved an output voltage of 2.96 V from an input of 1.2 V compared to 3.08 V as computed from the theoretical analysis and 4.5 V from the simulation results. The prototypes of the voltage doubler CP did not perform as expected: a maximum of 1 V was achieved compared to 4.1 – 5 V as in the simulation results. The suitability of FG devices for switching applications depends on the ratio of the ON and OFF states (associated to insertion and isolation losses): the larger the FG transistor area, the higher the ratio. The reliability issues are dominated by the oxide thickness of the transistor, which contributes to charge leakages and charge trapping: smaller transistor length causes more uncertainties. Charge trapping in the oxide increases the probability of leakages and substrate conduction, thus introduces more losses. Based on the findings of this research work, the FG devices promise to be suitable for mm-wave switching applications and there is a need for further research investigation to characterise the devices in the mm-wave region fully. AFRIKAANS : Impedansie-instelling op skyf word gebruik om steurings in geïntegreerde stroombane wat deur verpakkingstres veroorsaak word, te oorkom. Instelling is meer belangrik om netwerke van radiofrekwensiesisteme te paar. Moontlike verpakkingresonansie en variasies in die vervaardigingsproses kan onstabiliteit veroorsaak, wat ‟n groot probleem is in radiofrekwensiesisteme. Voorsorg moet dus getref word om die oorhoofse stabiliteit van komponente en die finale sisteem self te handhaaf. Elektries uitveebare programmeerbare slegs-lees-geheueskakelaars (EEPROMs) neem minder matrysarea op as e-sekerings en die sekerings van mikro-elektromeganiese sisteme en word dus voorgestel vir gebruik as instellingskakelaars in millimetergolfaanwendings. Daar word verwag dat EEPROM-skakelaars ook multi-tydprogrammering sal moontlik maak as gevolg van die kleiner area en die feit dat meer skakelaars gebruik kan word vir fyn instellings. Die probleem wat in hierdie navorsing aandag geniet, is die geskiktheid van EEPROMS vir skakelaanwendings in die millimetergolfstreek. The hooffokus van die verhandeling is om die geskiktheid van EEPROM-skakelaars kwalitatief te karakteriseer vir instelling met sisteme wat in die millimetergolfspektrum funksioneer. Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering v University of Pretoria 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS IBM 8HP-prosestegnologie is gebruik vir simulasie en die vervaardigde prototipes. Die Dickson-laaipomp is gebruik vir simulasie en die vervaardigde prototipes. Die Dickson-laaipomp, twee spanningverdubbelinglaaipompe en vier swewendehektoestelle is ondersoek. Literatuur- en teoretiese verifikasie is gedoen met behulp van rekenaarondersteunde-ontwerp (CAD) Cadence-sagteware deur stroombaananalise en die uitleg is ook ontwerp vir die vervaardiging van geïntegreerdestroombaanprototipes. Die kwalitatiewe evaluasie van die hipotese is gebaseer op die ondersoek van betroubaarheidkwessies, skakelingeienskappe, laaipompuitsetdryfvermoë en millimetergolfkarakterisering. Die maksimum gemete dreineerstroom vir swewende hekke was 1.4 mA, 2.7 mA en 3 mA vir onderskeidelik toestelle 2, 3 en 4. Die verhouding tussen die AAN-toestand van die skakelstroom (na tonnelling) en die AF-toestand van die skakelstroom (na inspuiting) was 1.5, 1.35 en 6 vir toestelle 2, 3 en 4, onderskeidelik. Die verhoudings het ooreengestem met die verwagte resultate rakende die swewendehek-transistorareas: ‟n groot area het ‟n hoër verhouding tot gevolg. Nieteenstaande die ooreenstemming, mag toestelle 2 en 3 moontlik nie geskik wees nie, omdat die verhouding kleiner as 2 is: ‟n kleiner verhouding tussen die AAN- en AF-toestande mag ook hoër verliese tot gevolg hê. Die Dickson-laaipomp het ‟n uitsetspanning van 2.96 V vanaf ‟n inset van 1.2 V vergeleke met 3.08 V soos bereken volgens die teoretiese analise en 4.5 V volgens die simulasieresultate. Die prototipes van die spanningverdubbelinglaaipomp het nie gefunksioneer soos verwag is nie: ‟n maksimum van 1 V is bereik vergeleke met 4.1 – 5 V soos in die simulasieresultate. Die geskiktheid van swewendehektoestelle vir skakelingtoepassings hang af van die verhouding van die AAN- en AF-toestande (wat met invoer-en isolasieverlies geassosieer word): hoe groter die swewendehektransistorarea, hoe hoër die verhouding. Die betroubaarheidkwessies word oorheers deur die oksieddikte van die transistor, wat bydra tot ladinglekkasies en ladingvasvangs: korter transistorlengte veroorsaak meer onsekerheid. Ladingvasvangs in die oksied verhoog die moontlikheid van lekkasies en substraatgeleiding en veroorsaak dus groter verlies. Die bevindings van hierdie navorsing toon dat swewendehektoestelle waarskynlik geskik is vir millimetergolfaanwendings en verdere navorsing is nodig om die toestelle volledig in die millimetergolfstreek te karakteriseer. Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted