In a communication system, the group delay variation (GDV) causes the distortion of signal and the degradation of symbol error rate. Usually, the compensation of group delay (GD) utilizing positive group delay (PGD) results in further propagation delay. Therefore, this research studies the negative group delay (NGD) behavior of metamaterial. Through analyzing the effects on GD caused by poles and zeros of circuit, the group delay circuit capable of switching between NGD and PGD is presented. Further, adjustable negative group delay circuits (NGDCs) are designed based on the concept of poles and zero. The NGD generated by NGDC is used to achieve the equalization of GD and recover the distorted signal in time domain. Additionally, owing to the limited frequency band of communication, a filter with high selectivity is required to utilize the available bandwidth. The character of left-handed metamaterial is applied to the design of filter for reducing the size and cost of traditional microstrip line filters with high selectivity. Under the balanced condition, composite right/left-handed (CRLH) transmission line behaves right- and left- handed characteristics in different frequency bands. Thus, a coplanar waveguide (CPW) filter with high selectivity, size reduction and low cost is presented utilizing such a CRLH structure.

Esta dissertação propõe a utilização da técnica de filtragem adaptativa de pulsos transientes de modo a proteger os circuitos integrados sob efeito da radiação ionizante. Para garantir o uso desta técnica é necessária a utilização de um flip-flop tolerante à radiação que possua a capacidade de ter um ajuste de atraso configurável. O objetivo do uso do flip-flop programável é ter a opção de selecionar o atraso mais apropriado para filtragem temporal de pulsos de SET para cada circuito. Sendo assim, cada flip-flop pode filtrar SETs pelo uso de diferentes atrasos, baseado no atraso de propagação de cada caminho lógico. A variação nos atrasos de propagação entre múltiplos caminhos combinacionais pode ser usada para aumentar ou reduzir o atraso da filtragem de SET. Esta abordagem foi validada com o estudo de caso através de simulação elétrica e pela injeção de milhares de pulsos de SET com diferentes larguras em um circuito com filtragem adaptativa de pulsos tolerantes, os quais foram injetados de forma randômica no circuito. Os resultados mostraram o uso eficiente desta técnica de filtragem de SET em circuitos integrados. De modo a maximizar os resultados, um novo elemento de atraso programável foi desenvolvido e inserido no flip-flop. Para validação deste novo elemento, um segundo estudo de caso, utilizando o conjunto de circuitos dos benchmarks do ISCAS'85 foi também avaliado com a injeção de falhas. Os resultados mostraram que o uso do método proposto, reduz o número de erros sem perda de desempenho e com baixo incremento de área. / This dissertation proposes the use of an adaptive filtering technique of transient pulses in order to protect the integrated circuit under the effect of radiation. To ensure this technique it is necessary to use a tolerant radiation flip-flop having the ability to have a configurable delay adjustment. The purpose of the use a programmable radiation hardened flip-flop is having option of to select the most appropriate delay in the SET temporal filtering for each flip-flop in a circuit. Thus, each flip-flop can filter SETs by using different delays based on the propagation-delay of its logical path. The propagation-delay variances among multiple paths can be used to increase or reduce the delay of the SET filtering. This approach was validated in a case-study by electrical simulation with injection of thousands of SET pulses of different widths, which were randomly injected in a circuit with adaptive filtering technique and the results showed efficient use of this SET filtering technique in integrated circuits. In order to maximize the results of this technique a new programmable delay element was developed and inserted into the flip-flop. This approach of the new element was validated in a second case-study, using a set of benchmark circuits from ISCAS’85 was also evaluated by injecting faults. Results showed that using the proposed method, the number of errors can be reduced without decreasing the performance and with low area overhead.

Esta dissertação propõe a utilização da técnica de filtragem adaptativa de pulsos transientes de modo a proteger os circuitos integrados sob efeito da radiação ionizante. Para garantir o uso desta técnica é necessária a utilização de um flip-flop tolerante à radiação que possua a capacidade de ter um ajuste de atraso configurável. O objetivo do uso do flip-flop programável é ter a opção de selecionar o atraso mais apropriado para filtragem temporal de pulsos de SET para cada circuito. Sendo assim, cada flip-flop pode filtrar SETs pelo uso de diferentes atrasos, baseado no atraso de propagação de cada caminho lógico. A variação nos atrasos de propagação entre múltiplos caminhos combinacionais pode ser usada para aumentar ou reduzir o atraso da filtragem de SET. Esta abordagem foi validada com o estudo de caso através de simulação elétrica e pela injeção de milhares de pulsos de SET com diferentes larguras em um circuito com filtragem adaptativa de pulsos tolerantes, os quais foram injetados de forma randômica no circuito. Os resultados mostraram o uso eficiente desta técnica de filtragem de SET em circuitos integrados. De modo a maximizar os resultados, um novo elemento de atraso programável foi desenvolvido e inserido no flip-flop. Para validação deste novo elemento, um segundo estudo de caso, utilizando o conjunto de circuitos dos benchmarks do ISCAS'85 foi também avaliado com a injeção de falhas. Os resultados mostraram que o uso do método proposto, reduz o número de erros sem perda de desempenho e com baixo incremento de área. / This dissertation proposes the use of an adaptive filtering technique of transient pulses in order to protect the integrated circuit under the effect of radiation. To ensure this technique it is necessary to use a tolerant radiation flip-flop having the ability to have a configurable delay adjustment. The purpose of the use a programmable radiation hardened flip-flop is having option of to select the most appropriate delay in the SET temporal filtering for each flip-flop in a circuit. Thus, each flip-flop can filter SETs by using different delays based on the propagation-delay of its logical path. The propagation-delay variances among multiple paths can be used to increase or reduce the delay of the SET filtering. This approach was validated in a case-study by electrical simulation with injection of thousands of SET pulses of different widths, which were randomly injected in a circuit with adaptive filtering technique and the results showed efficient use of this SET filtering technique in integrated circuits. In order to maximize the results of this technique a new programmable delay element was developed and inserted into the flip-flop. This approach of the new element was validated in a second case-study, using a set of benchmark circuits from ISCAS’85 was also evaluated by injecting faults. Results showed that using the proposed method, the number of errors can be reduced without decreasing the performance and with low area overhead.

Esta dissertação propõe a utilização da técnica de filtragem adaptativa de pulsos transientes de modo a proteger os circuitos integrados sob efeito da radiação ionizante. Para garantir o uso desta técnica é necessária a utilização de um flip-flop tolerante à radiação que possua a capacidade de ter um ajuste de atraso configurável. O objetivo do uso do flip-flop programável é ter a opção de selecionar o atraso mais apropriado para filtragem temporal de pulsos de SET para cada circuito. Sendo assim, cada flip-flop pode filtrar SETs pelo uso de diferentes atrasos, baseado no atraso de propagação de cada caminho lógico. A variação nos atrasos de propagação entre múltiplos caminhos combinacionais pode ser usada para aumentar ou reduzir o atraso da filtragem de SET. Esta abordagem foi validada com o estudo de caso através de simulação elétrica e pela injeção de milhares de pulsos de SET com diferentes larguras em um circuito com filtragem adaptativa de pulsos tolerantes, os quais foram injetados de forma randômica no circuito. Os resultados mostraram o uso eficiente desta técnica de filtragem de SET em circuitos integrados. De modo a maximizar os resultados, um novo elemento de atraso programável foi desenvolvido e inserido no flip-flop. Para validação deste novo elemento, um segundo estudo de caso, utilizando o conjunto de circuitos dos benchmarks do ISCAS'85 foi também avaliado com a injeção de falhas. Os resultados mostraram que o uso do método proposto, reduz o número de erros sem perda de desempenho e com baixo incremento de área. / This dissertation proposes the use of an adaptive filtering technique of transient pulses in order to protect the integrated circuit under the effect of radiation. To ensure this technique it is necessary to use a tolerant radiation flip-flop having the ability to have a configurable delay adjustment. The purpose of the use a programmable radiation hardened flip-flop is having option of to select the most appropriate delay in the SET temporal filtering for each flip-flop in a circuit. Thus, each flip-flop can filter SETs by using different delays based on the propagation-delay of its logical path. The propagation-delay variances among multiple paths can be used to increase or reduce the delay of the SET filtering. This approach was validated in a case-study by electrical simulation with injection of thousands of SET pulses of different widths, which were randomly injected in a circuit with adaptive filtering technique and the results showed efficient use of this SET filtering technique in integrated circuits. In order to maximize the results of this technique a new programmable delay element was developed and inserted into the flip-flop. This approach of the new element was validated in a second case-study, using a set of benchmark circuits from ISCAS’85 was also evaluated by injecting faults. Results showed that using the proposed method, the number of errors can be reduced without decreasing the performance and with low area overhead.

Abnormal electromagnetic wave propagation characterized by negative group velocity and consequently negative group delay (NGD) has been observed in certain materials as well as in artificially built structures. Within finite frequency intervals where an NGD phenomenon is observed, higher frequency components of the applied waveform are propagated with phase advancement, not delay, relative to the lower frequency components. These media have found use in many applications that require positive delay compensation and an engineered phase characteristic, such as eliminating phase variation with frequency in phase shifters, beam-squint minimization in phased array antenna systems, size reduction of feed-forward amplifiers and others. The three principal questions this thesis addresses are: can a generic formulation for artificial NGD structures based on electric circuit resonators be developed; is it possible to derive a quantitative functional relationship (asymptotic limit) between the maximum achievable NGD and the identified trade-off quantity (out-of-band gain); and, can a microwave circuit exhibiting a fully loss-compensated NGD propagation in both directions be designed and implemented? A generic frequency-domain formulation of artificial NGD structures based on electric circuit resonators is developed and characterized by three parameters, namely center frequency, bandwidth and the out-of-band gain. The developed formulation is validated through several topologies reported in the literature. The trade-off relationship between the achievable NGD on one hand, and the out-of-band gain on the other, is identified. The out-of-band gain is shown to be proportional to transient amplitudes when waveforms with defined “turn on/off” times are propagated through an NGD medium. An asymptotic limit for achievable NGD as a function of the out-of-band gain is derived for multi-stage resonator-based NGD circuits as well as for an optimally engineered linear causal NGD medium. Passive NGD media exhibit loss which can be compensated for via active elements. However, active elements are unilateral in nature and therefore do not allow propagation in both directions. A bilateral gain-compensated circuit is designed and implemented, which overcomes this problem by employing a dual-amplifier configuration while preserving the overall circuit stability.

Abnormal electromagnetic wave propagation characterized by negative group velocity and consequently negative group delay (NGD) has been observed in certain materials as well as in artificially built structures. Within finite frequency intervals where an NGD phenomenon is observed, higher frequency components of the applied waveform are propagated with phase advancement, not delay, relative to the lower frequency components. These media have found use in many applications that require positive delay compensation and an engineered phase characteristic, such as eliminating phase variation with frequency in phase shifters, beam-squint minimization in phased array antenna systems, size reduction of feed-forward amplifiers and others. The three principal questions this thesis addresses are: can a generic formulation for artificial NGD structures based on electric circuit resonators be developed; is it possible to derive a quantitative functional relationship (asymptotic limit) between the maximum achievable NGD and the identified trade-off quantity (out-of-band gain); and, can a microwave circuit exhibiting a fully loss-compensated NGD propagation in both directions be designed and implemented? A generic frequency-domain formulation of artificial NGD structures based on electric circuit resonators is developed and characterized by three parameters, namely center frequency, bandwidth and the out-of-band gain. The developed formulation is validated through several topologies reported in the literature. The trade-off relationship between the achievable NGD on one hand, and the out-of-band gain on the other, is identified. The out-of-band gain is shown to be proportional to transient amplitudes when waveforms with defined “turn on/off” times are propagated through an NGD medium. An asymptotic limit for achievable NGD as a function of the out-of-band gain is derived for multi-stage resonator-based NGD circuits as well as for an optimally engineered linear causal NGD medium. Passive NGD media exhibit loss which can be compensated for via active elements. However, active elements are unilateral in nature and therefore do not allow propagation in both directions. A bilateral gain-compensated circuit is designed and implemented, which overcomes this problem by employing a dual-amplifier configuration while preserving the overall circuit stability.