Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-143). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Wireless systems, ranging from radio to optical frequencies, typically comprise two domains: the signal path and the local oscillator (LO) path. While signal processing is conventionally performed in the signal path, more recently, techniques that exploit LO-based signal processing are becoming increasingly popular. LO-based analog signal processing can be utilized for solving fundamental problems and for improving the performance of systems in a wide variety of applications that span radio to optical frequencies. In this dissertation, I explore LO-based signal processing to enable new functionalities and enhance performance in electrical, optical, and electro-optical circuits and systems. In the electro-optical domain, I use LO-based signal processing to improve the performance of a long-range Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system. As laser nonlinearity degrades the performance of ranging and imaging systems, it is essential to address this problem. In this dissertation, to linearize a laser, an integrated continuous-time Electro-Optical Phase-Locked Loop (EOPLL) is presented with a loop bandwidth equal to its reference frequency. Despite the high bandwidth, the proposed system is spurless, which is enabled by using Single-Sideband (SSB) and Harmonic-Reject mixing (HRM) techniques. These techniques are explored in Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) design for the first time. These features result in less area consumption and loss associated with the optical part of the system and increase the precision and accuracy of our long-range FMCW LIDAR significantly. In the electrical domain, I use LO engineering to address some of the challenges that exist in three different electrical systems including mm-wave Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) systems, ultra-low power RF systems, and wideband mm-wave systems. In the first project, to alleviate the challenge of supporting a high data rate Input/Output (I/O) interface in a large-scale tiled mm-wave MIMO array, a single-wire interface (SWI) is used in this dissertation, and a 60GHz 4-element scalable MIMO transmitter (TX) prototype is designed. In our work, we use frequency-domain multiplexing (FDM) to simultaneously support the signals of four MIMO channels. Then, in our proposed FDM, HRM is utilized to generate the different frequencies at which the various IF signals are multiplexed. This enables us to multiplex and de-multiplex the four modulated signals simultaneously to/from the single-wire using multiple phases of only one LO. The technique proposed in this research significantly reduces the number of lines needed for LO and signal routing in a massive MIMO system. The second electrical project in this dissertation targets ultra-low power receivers at RF frequency. Wake-up receivers (WURX) are integral to reducing the power consumed by the main or primary RX in ultra-low power systems. Thus, the ability to share one antenna for both RXs is essential and results in a compact hybrid system. Furthermore, linearity and sensitivity are two fundamental criteria in these RXs. In order to improve the linearity of these systems, mixer-first RX architecture can be used for both RXs. However, mixer-first architecture has some drawbacks, like low gain and high noise figure (NF), which degrade the sensitivity of the system. Here, in our research, we implement a hybrid primary RX and WURX in which, first, a Quadrature Hybrid Coupler (QHC) is used to share one antenna between the two RXs and to achieve wideband input matching. Secondly, to address the problem of sensitivity in the mixer-first structure, we exploit a LO-assisted noise-canceling technique combined with a bottom-plate capacitor mixer-first receiver. This structure exploits implicit capacitive stacking which enables us to achieve passive LO-defined voltage gain, high linearity, and a low NF. In the last electrical project in this dissertation, I present a novel frequency-interleaved (FI) channel aggregation architecture for wideband mm-wave systems that relaxes the requirements of their Analog-to-Digital/Digital-to-Analog Converters (ADC/DAC) and consequently reduces the total cost and power consumption. In our proposed architecture, the input bandwidth is channelized into four sub-channels, which are individually up/downconverted from/to baseband, where they can be digitized with multiple lower rate subconverters. We use the idea of HRM in the channelizer to simultaneously down(up)convert four sub-channels with only one LO. Four chips, including two mm-wave RX and TX chips and two baseband RX and TX chips, are designed and tested to show the functionality of the entire system as a transceiver. Finally, I conclude this dissertation with an optical project which is a Silicon Photonic (SiP) simultaneous Mode and Wavelength Division (De)Multiplexer (MWD(De)MUX) for optical frequencies at C-band. I use an advanced 3D simulation tool, RSOFT software, to design and test this novel compact SiP structure. Our circuit uses a cascade of Mode Division Multiplexer (MDM) and Wavelength Division Multiplexer (WDM) stages for (de)multiplexing. A novel phase shifter introduced and used in this work is designed using two close waveguides on a CMOS compatible SiP platform, which results in reduced loss and size compared to conventional techniques.

Silicon alternatives to quartz crystal based oscillators to electronic system clocking are explored. A study of clocking requirements reveals widely different specifications for different applications. Traditional CMOS oscillator-based solutions are optimized for low-cost fully integrated micro-controller clock applications. The frequency variability of these clock generators is studied and techniques to compensate for this variability are proposed. The efficacy of these techniques in reducing variability is proven theoretically and experimentally. MEMS-resonator based oscillators, due to their exceptional quality factors, are identified as suitable integrated replacements to quartz based oscillators for higher accuracy applications such as data converter clocks. The frequency variation in these oscillators is identified and techniques to minimize the same are proposed and demonstrated. The sources of short-term variation (phase noise) in these oscillators are discussed and an inclusive theory of phase noise is developed. Techniques to improve phase noise are proposed. Findings from this research indicate that MEMS resonator based oscillators, may in future, outperform quartz based solutions in certain applications such as voltage controlled oscillators. The implications of these findings and potential directions for future research are identified.

Wireless communication is witnessing tremendous growth with the proliferation of various standards covering wide, local, and personal area networks, which operate at different frequency bands. Future wireless terminals will not only need to support multiple standards, but also need to be multi-functional to keep pace with the demands of the consumers. For such an implementation, the local oscillator (LO) turns out to be the bottleneck, which must exhibit frequency agility by generating a very wide range of carrier frequencies in order to access all the specified communication standards. This dissertation presents various design techniques to realize compact low-cost low-power and broadband oscillators in silicon-based technologies. The two most suitable techniques for broadband signal generation: (1) Use of widely tunable active inductor, and (2) Use of switched resonator have been thoroughly evaluated. A fully reconfigurable active inductor with a widely tunable feedback resistor has been proposed. Using the proposed tunable active inductor in a VCO generates frequency tuning ranges higher than 100%, and helps achieve the highest PFTN Figure-of-Merit among Si-based active inductor VCOs reported in literature till date. The large-signal non-linearity of the active inductor has been utilized to develop the first reported broadband harmonic active inductor-based VCO. The degradation of phase noise due to active inductors is partially solved by a noise optimization guideline for active inductors. Utilizing the low saturation voltage of HBT technologies and high-Q short line inductors seems to be very useful to reduce power consumption of cross-coupled VCOs while achieving low phase noise performance simultaneously.

Sources of flicker noise generation in the cross-coupled negative resistance oscillator (NMOS, PMOS, and CMOS) are explored. Also, prior and current work in the area of phase noise modeling is reviewed, including the work of Leeson, Hajimiri, Hegazi, and others, seeking the mechanisms by which flicker noise is upconverted. A Figure of Merit (FOM) methodology suitable to the 1/f3 phase noise region is also developed, which allows a new quantity, FOM1, to be defined. FOM1 is proportional to flicker noise upconverted, thus allowing the effectiveness of flicker noise upconversion suppression techniques to be evaluated, despite possibly changing bias points or tank Q, which would change phase noise and FOM in the 1/f2 region. The work of Hajimiri is extended with a simple Amplitude ISF DC component estimator for the special case of LC CMOS oscillators. A method of adaptive control of an oscillator core is presented, as well, comprised of a CMOS oscillator with a digitally adjustable N and P width, and a circuit (which is essentially a tracking ADC) which repeatedly adjusts the relative N to P width dependent on the estimate to maintain the condition of minimum flicker noise upconversion. A fixed calibration constant is sufficient to allow convergence to within 0.7dB of optimal FOM1 for all cases of N width, for a varactorless oscillator test cell. Finally, a circuit is proposed which would allow the flicker noise reduction technique of cycling to accumulation to be applied to continuous time oscillators, but is not rigorously vetted.

Este trabalho tem como foco de estudo a análise automática de registros de perturbações em unidades geradoras do sistema elétrico. Propõe-se um método, baseado na transformada wavelet, para aplicar aos registros de perturbações de curta duração (forma de onda) e detectar instantes de faltas em geradores, realizar a segmentação dos registros e extrair informações que caracterizem a falta. Como saída deste método, se obtém um conjunto de informações representativas dos sinais monitorados em unidades geradoras. Essas informações podem ser aplicadas a um sistema especialista voltado para a classificação de faltas e demais condições anormais de operação. O grande volume de dados, produzidos pelos registradores digitais de perturbações do sistema elétrico, justifica a pesquisa e a busca por métodos de análise automática que auxiliem o trabalho dos analistas em busca das causas das perturbações. A revisão bibliográfica apontou as possíveis aplicações para as oscilografias e o estado da arte dessas. A revisão conceitual do padrão COMTRADE e da transformada wavelet embasa a escolha do método adequado à solução do problema. Testes foram realizados para determinar a melhor wavelet mãe no processo de segmentação. O método proposto foi aplicado a cinco estudos de casos com registros de oscilografias reais e o resultado obtido confirmou a eficiência deste. Espera-se, com esta pesquisa, aperfeiçoar o processo de análise pós-operação de ocorrências no Sistema Interligado Nacional, tendo como resultado direto a redução no tempo de indisponibilidade de equipamentos, como geradores. / The focus of this work is the automatic analysis of disturbance records for electrical power generating units. The main proposition is a method based on wavelet transform applied to short-term disturbance records (waveform records). The goal of the method is to detect the time instants of recorded disturbances and extract meaningful information that characterize the faults. The result is a set of representative information of the monitored signals in power generators. This information can be further classified by an expert system (or other classification method) in order to classify the faults and other abnormal operating conditions. The large amount of data produced by digital fault recorders during faults justify the research of methods to assist the analysts in their task of analysing the disturbances. The literature review pointed out the state of the art and possible applications for oscillography records. The review of the COMTRADE standard and wavelet transform underlines the choice of the method for solving the problem. The conducted tests lead to the determination of the best mother wavelet for the segmentation process. The application of the proposed method to five case studies with real oscillographic records confirmed the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme. With this research, the post-operation analysis of occurrences is improved and as a direct result is the reduction of the time that generators are offline.

Este trabalho tem como foco de estudo a análise automática de registros de perturbações em unidades geradoras do sistema elétrico. Propõe-se um método, baseado na transformada wavelet, para aplicar aos registros de perturbações de curta duração (forma de onda) e detectar instantes de faltas em geradores, realizar a segmentação dos registros e extrair informações que caracterizem a falta. Como saída deste método, se obtém um conjunto de informações representativas dos sinais monitorados em unidades geradoras. Essas informações podem ser aplicadas a um sistema especialista voltado para a classificação de faltas e demais condições anormais de operação. O grande volume de dados, produzidos pelos registradores digitais de perturbações do sistema elétrico, justifica a pesquisa e a busca por métodos de análise automática que auxiliem o trabalho dos analistas em busca das causas das perturbações. A revisão bibliográfica apontou as possíveis aplicações para as oscilografias e o estado da arte dessas. A revisão conceitual do padrão COMTRADE e da transformada wavelet embasa a escolha do método adequado à solução do problema. Testes foram realizados para determinar a melhor wavelet mãe no processo de segmentação. O método proposto foi aplicado a cinco estudos de casos com registros de oscilografias reais e o resultado obtido confirmou a eficiência deste. Espera-se, com esta pesquisa, aperfeiçoar o processo de análise pós-operação de ocorrências no Sistema Interligado Nacional, tendo como resultado direto a redução no tempo de indisponibilidade de equipamentos, como geradores. / The focus of this work is the automatic analysis of disturbance records for electrical power generating units. The main proposition is a method based on wavelet transform applied to short-term disturbance records (waveform records). The goal of the method is to detect the time instants of recorded disturbances and extract meaningful information that characterize the faults. The result is a set of representative information of the monitored signals in power generators. This information can be further classified by an expert system (or other classification method) in order to classify the faults and other abnormal operating conditions. The large amount of data produced by digital fault recorders during faults justify the research of methods to assist the analysts in their task of analysing the disturbances. The literature review pointed out the state of the art and possible applications for oscillography records. The review of the COMTRADE standard and wavelet transform underlines the choice of the method for solving the problem. The conducted tests lead to the determination of the best mother wavelet for the segmentation process. The application of the proposed method to five case studies with real oscillographic records confirmed the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme. With this research, the post-operation analysis of occurrences is improved and as a direct result is the reduction of the time that generators are offline.

Power systems have been historically designed at a time when the production was<p>centralized and the electricity had to be transmitted to the loads from the closest power<p>plant. Nowadays, there is an increasing integration of decentralized and intermittent pro-<p>duction. Moreover, the energy market coupling has enabled the transfer of electric power<p>for economical purposes. Also, former isolated power systems are now interconnected for<p>reliability and financial reasons.<p>All of these changes make difficult to predict the future behavior of the grid. Studies<p>are done in order to plan for the future needs of the system. However, building new in-<p>frastructures takes time and it is expected that these needs will not be completely fulfilled<p>in all the parts of the grid. Therefore, transmission of active power could be limited by<p>the existing infrastructure. For example, the presence of inter-area oscillations is often<p>the limiting factor when a high active power is transmitted on a long transmission line<p>between two groups of generators. Since higher levels of active power are exchanged on<p>longer distances, problems of inter-area oscillations may arise in power systems previously<p>not affected by this phenomenon.<p>In this work, a measurement-based approach, able to predict in the short-term the<p>future behavior of oscillations, is presented. This approach is complementary to the<p>long-term planning of the grid.<p>The mandatory first step towards a measurement-based approach is to have the ability<p>to extract useful information among a huge quantity of data. To face this issue, some<p>comparisons of data mining algorithms are performed. The proposed method combines<p>two decision tree algorithms to obtain both prediction accuracy and comprehensibility.<p>The second required step for building a measurement-based model is to take into<p>account the limitations of the measurements. Two types of wide area measurements are<p>used, synchronized measurements from PMUs and traditional unsynchronized data from<p>the SCADA/EMS system. Oscillation monitoring using PMUs is especially of interest<p>and an approach is presented to post-process damping estimates. This post-processing<p>method consists in a noise reduction technique followed by a damping change detection<p>algorithm.<p>Finally, the method, combining these two steps, is implemented to analyze the Con-<p>tinental European grid. This implementation takes place in the context of the European<p>project Twenties. The results, using several months of measurements, are described in<p>detail before being discussed. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin-film transistors (TFTs) constitute the central theme of this thesis. Within this theme, three primary areas of focus are pursued. The first focus is the realization of a transparent three-stage ring oscillator with buffered output and an output frequency in the megahertz range. This leads to the possibility of transparent radio frequency applications, such as transparent RFID tags. At the time of its fabrication, this ring oscillator was the fastest oxide electronics ring oscillator reported, with an output frequency of 2.16 MHz, and a time delay per stage of 77 ns. The second focus is to ascertain whether a three-terminal device (i.e., a TFT) is an appropriate structure for conducting space-charge-limited-current (SCLC) measurements. It is found that it is not appropriate to use a diode-tied or gate-biased TFT configuration for conducting a SCLC assessment since square-law theory shows that transistor action alone gives rise to I proportional to V² characteristics, which can easily be mistakenly attributed to a SCLC mechanism. Instead, a floating gate TFT configuration is recommended for accomplishing SCLC assessment of AOS channel layers. The final focus of this work is to describe an assessment procedure appropriate for determining if a dielectric is suitable for use as a TFT gate insulator. This is accomplished by examining the shape of a MIM capacitor's log(J)-ξ curve, where J is the measured current density and ξ is the applied electric field. An appropriate dielectric for use as a TFT gate insulator will have a log(J)-ξ curve that expresses a clear breakover knee, indicating a high-field conduction mechanism dominated by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. Such a dielectric produces a TFT with a minimal gate leakage which does not track with the drain current in a log(I[subscript D])-V[subscript GS] transfer curve. An inappropriate dielectric for use as a TFT gate insulator will have a log(J)-ξ curve that does not express a clear breakover knee, indicating that the dominate conduction mechanism is defect driven (i.e., pin-hole like shunt paths) and, therefore, the dielectric is leaky. It is shown that experimental log(J)-ξ leakage curves can be accurately simulated using Ohmic, space-charge-limited current (SCLC), and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling conduction mechanisms. / Graduation date: 2010

Dans ce travail, nous étudions deux types de problèmes à retard. Le premier traite des oscillateurs optoélectroniques (OOEs). Un OOE est un système bouclé permettant de délivrer une onde électromagnétique radio-fréquence de grande pureté spectrale et de faible bruit électronique. Le second problème traite du couplage retardé de neurones. Une nouvelle forme de synchronisation est observée où un régime oscillant est une alternative à un état stationnaire stable. Ces deux problèmes présentent des oscillations de type slow-fast. Une grande partie de ma thèse est dévouée à l’analyse de ces régimes. Etant donné qu’il s’agit d’équations nonlinéaires à retard, les techniques asymptotiques classiques ont dû être revues. En plus d’une étude théorique, des expériences ont été effectuées. Le travail sur les OOEs a été rendu possible grâce aux invitations respectives de L. Larger dans son laboratoire à l’Université de Franche-Comté et de D.J. Gauthier à Duke University. Le travail sur le couplage de neurones a bénéficié d’expériences réalisées par L. Keuninckx du groupe « Applied Physics » de la Vrije Universiteit Brussel.<p>Une contribution importante de cette thèse est à la fois l’analyse mathématique mais aussi l’observation expérimentale d’ondes carrées stables asymétriques présentant des longueurs de plateau différentes mais ayant la même période dans un OOE. Une bifurcation de Hopf primaire d’un état stationnaire est le mécanisme menant à ces régimes. Un deuxième phénomène qui a été à la fois observé pour l’OOE et pour les neurones couplés est la coexistence entre plusieurs ondes carrées ayant des périodes différentes. Pour l’OOE, ces oscillations peuvent être reliées à plusieurs bifurcations de Hopf primaires qui sont proches les unes des autres à cause du grand délai. Le mécanisme de stabilité est similaire à celui de "Eckhaus" pour les systèmes spatialement étendus. Pour le couplage de cellules excitables, nous avons étudié des équations couplées de type FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) linéaires par morceaux et obtenu des résultats analytiques. Nous montrons que le mécanisme menant à ces régimes périodiques correspond à un point limite d’un cycle-limite. La robustesse de ces régimes par rapport au bruit a ensuite été explorée expérimentalement en utilisant des circuits électroniques couplés et retardés. Ce système peut être modélisé mathématiquement par les mêmes équations de type FHN. Pour terminer, nous montrons que les équations pour l’OOE et le FHN possèdent des propriétés similaires. Ceci nous permet de généraliser nos principaux résultats à une plus grande variété d’équations différentielles à retard. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished