Simulation Techniques for Improving Fabrication Yield of RF-CMOS ICs

2012 ◽  
pp. 61-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amparo Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Rf Circuits ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Simulation Techniques ◽  
Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuits ◽  
Reliable Design

One of the industry sectors with the largest revenue in the telecommunication field is the wireless communications field. Wireless operators compete for being the first to place their products in the market to obtain the highest revenues. Moreover, they try to offer products that fulfill the user demands in terms of price, battery life, and product quality. All these requirements must be also fulfilled by the designer of the MMIC (Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuits) circuits that will be used in those wireless terminals, achieving a reliable design, with high performance, low cost, and if possible, in one or two foundry iterations so as to bring the product out to the market as soon as possible. Silicon based technologies are the lowest cost. The demand to use them is simply based on that fact, but their usage in these applications is limited by the ease of use for the designer, in particular, by the lack of adequate simulation models. These technologies don’t include some essential components for the design of RF circuits, which leads to measurement results quite different from those simulated. On the other hand, GaAs based technologies, more mature in the RF and microwave field, provide very accurate models, as well as additional tools to verify the design reliability (yield and sensitivity analysis), allowing good results often with only one foundry iteration. The deep study of the problems presented when designing Si-based RF circuits will convince the reader of the need to use special tools as electromagnetic simulation or coo simulation to prevent it. The chapter provides different simulation techniques that help the designer to obtain better designs with a lower cost, as foundry iterations are reduced.

scholarly journals Low-Cost Test and Characterization Platform for Memristors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyle Jones
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electrical Characterization ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Voltage Range ◽  
Threshold Voltages ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Test Platform ◽  
Software And Hardware

The electrical Testing and Characterization of the devices built under research conditions on silicon wafers, diced wafers, or package parts have hampered research since the beginning of integrated circuits. The challenges of performing electrical characterization on devices are to acquire useful and accurate data, the ease of use of the test platform, the portability of the test equipment, the ability to automate quickly, to allow modifications to the platform, the ability to change the configuration of the Device Under Test (DUT) or the Memristor Based Design (MBD), and to do this within budget. The devices that this research is focused on are memristors with unique test challenges. Some of the tests performed on memristors are Voltage sweeps, pulsing of Voltages, and threshold Voltages. Standard methods of testing memristors usually require hands-on experience, multiple bulky work stations, and hours of training. This work reports a novel, low-cost, portable test and characterization platform for many types of memristors with a voltage range from -10V to +10V, which is portable, low-cost, built with off-the-shelf components, and with configurability through software and hardware. To demonstrate the performance of the platform, the platform was able to take a virgin memristor from “forming” to operation voltages, and then incrementally change resistances by Voltage Pulsing. The platform within this work allows the researcher flexibility in electrical characterization by being able to accept many memristor types and MBDs, and applying environmental conditions to the MBD, with this flexibility of the platform the productivity of the researcher will increase.

Passivating Organic Coatings with Silicone Gels: The Correlation Between the Material Cure & its Electrical Reliability

1989 ◽  
Vol 154 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Protective Coatings ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Chip Surface ◽  
Surface Protection ◽  
Cure Time ◽  
Silicone Gels ◽  
Cure Temperature ◽  
Electrical Reliability

AbstractSilicone gels are becoming some of the most accepted protective coatings for VLSI integrated circuits due to their excellent electrical, thermal, and soft gel-like nature and properties, as well as their ultra-purity and ability to protect IC devices against severe environments. Recent studies indicate that proper IC Chip surface protection with high performance silicone gels in low-cost, non-hermetic plastic packaging might well replace the conventional hermetic ceramic packaging. This paper describes the use of the soft silicone gels and coatings in IC devices. It also describes the correlation between the material cure temperature and cure time versus their adhesion and electrical reliability during 85°C, 85% RH and bias accelerating testing.

scholarly journals P049: Modelling and manufacturing of a 3D printed trachea for cricothyroidotomy simulation

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S94 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Doucet ◽  
S. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cricoid Cartilage ◽  
Thyroid Cartilage ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Emergency Airway ◽  
Simulation Techniques ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas

Introduction: Most current cricothyroidotomy simulation models are either expensive or low fidelity and limit the learner to an unrealistic simulation experience. The goal of this project is to innovate current simulation techniques by 3D printing anatomically accurate trachea models. By doing so emergency cricothyroidotomy simulation can be accessible, high fidelity, cost effective and replicable. Methods: 3D modelling software was used in conjunction with a desktop 3D printer to design and manufacture an anatomically accurate model of the cartilage within the trachea (thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, and the tracheal rings). The initial design was based on dimensions found in studies measuring the dimensions of tracheal anatomy. This ensured an appropriate anatomical landmark design was achieved. Several revisions of the model were designed and qualitatively assessed by medical and simulation professionals to ensure anatomical accuracy that exceeded that of the currently used, low cost, cricothyroidotomy simulation model in St. John’s. Results: Using an entry level desktop 3D printer, a low cost tracheal model was successfully designed that can be printed in under 3 hours. Due to its anatomical accuracy, flexibility and durability, this model is ideal for use in emergency medicine simulation training. Additionally, the model can be assembled in conjunction with a membrane to simulate tracheal ligaments and skin for appearance. Conclusion: The end result is a high fidelity simulation that will provide users with an anatomically correct model to practice important skills used in emergency airway surgery, specifically land marking, incision and intubation. This design is a novel, easy to manufacture, replicable, low fidelity trachea model that can be used by educators with limited resources such as those in rural and remote areas.

Thin-film Micro-Batteries Based on Metal Nanoparticles

2012 ◽  
Vol 1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Peng ◽  
Wenjun Du ◽  
Leela Rakesh ◽  
Axel Mellinger ◽  
Tolga Kaya
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Metal Nanoparticles ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Energy Storage And Conversion ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Zn Nanoparticles

ABSTRACTWe proposed the use of Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) nanoparticles as the electrodes for thin-film microbatteries in the applications of micro-scale sensors. Compared to the widely used lithium-based batteries, Cu and Zn nanoparticles are less expensive, less prone to oxidation (thus involving simpler fabrication steps) and flammability, safe to use, and only requires very simple fabrication processes.Even though the voltage output is inherently smaller (∼1V) than conventional lithium-based batteries, it is sufficient for low-voltage Integrated Circuits (IC) technologies such as 130 nm and 90 nm channel length transistor processes.Commercial paper will be used as the separator to demonstrate the battery capacity. Paper that acts as the separator is slurry-casted with nanoparticles (30-40 nm in size) on both sides. The thickness of the metal nanoparticles-coated thin films and the paper separator are 1 μm and 100 μm, respectively.The electrodes were developed to achieve high conductivity (lower than 1 (Ω·cm)-1) with smooth surface, good adhesion, and flexibility. The metal nanoparticles will be formulated to slurry solutions for screen printing or ink-jet printing for the battery fabrication. For fabrication purposes, the slurries viscosity is approximately in the range of 10-12 cPs at the operating temperature, a surface tension between 28-33 dynes/cm. During the fabrication process including printing/coating and sintering, reductive environment is required to minimize the oxidation. AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) and EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) results will be employed to demonstrate the surface morphology as well as the percentages of metal oxides. Batteries will be tested with and without an ionic liquid for comparison. Humidity effects on the battery performance will also be discussed.Different geometries that are designed to make the batteries with higher voltage or charge will be proposed. Characterization results will include the open-circuit voltage, dielectric property, charging and discharging curve, capacitance and capacity, AFM of the surface test, EDS of the electrodes and the SEM (Scanning Electron microscopy) of the particles.Ourresearch suggest that conductive paper can be scalable and could make high-performance energy storage and conversion devices at low cost and would bring new opportunities for advanced applications.

scholarly journals Advances in Low Cost Silver-Containing Thick Film Conductors

1981 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry E. Taylor ◽  
John J. Felten ◽  
Samuel J. Horowitz ◽  
John R. Larry ◽  
Richard M. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Thick Film ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Film Material ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Thick Film Technology

Extensive use of thick film materials to manufacture resistor networks and hybrid integrated circuits has come about because of economic, processing and functional advantages over other technologies in the high volume production of miniaturized circuits. Inherent in the adoption of thick film technology for increasingly diverse applications has been the ability of thick film material suppliers to provide progressive performance improvements at lower cost concurrent with circuit manufacturer's needs. Since the first major commercial thick film adoption in the early sixties, when IBM adopted platinum gold conductors and palladium silver resistors in their 360 computers, rapid technological advances over the last decade have produced an increasing variety of hybrid circuits and networks. The wide adoption of thick film technology in all segments of the electronic industry has placed increasing demands on performance and processing latitude. This paper outlines the development of low cost silver-bearing conductors and describes the evolution of technology improvements to present day systems. The initial segment reviews the deficiencies of early Pd/Ag conductors, particularly solder leach resistance and degradation of soldered adhesion following high temperature storage, and focuses on the first Pd/Ag system which overcame these problems. Extension of this technology and subsequent improvements in both binders and vehicles to fulfill adhesion requirements to Al2O3substrates of varying chemistries and to meet demands for high speed printing are also described. The second segment gives an overview of the present understanding of thick film conductor composites from a mechanistic point of view. The various types of binder systems commonly employed in conductors are discussed in terms of how they effect a bond between the sintered metal and the substrate, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Metallurgical aspects of conductor/solder connections are considered and their effects on bond reliability following exposure to high temperature discussed. Rheological considerations of paste design are presented and related to printing performance. The final segment focuses on newer low cost, high performance material systems that have evolved over the past two years. The technologies of each system are reviewed in terms of metallurgy, binder and vehicle. Important functional properties are presented to illustrate cost/performance tradeoffs. Special emphasis is given to recently developed high Ag containing conductors which have outstanding soldered adhesion even after 1000 hours of storage at 150℃.

scholarly journals Low Power and High Performance MTCMOS Conditional Discharge Flip Flop

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S2) ◽  
pp. 341-345
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Low Power ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Leakage Power ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Flip Flop ◽  
Circuit Performance ◽  
Processing Information ◽  
Conditional Discharge ◽  
Standby Mode

Utilization in high-performance integrated circuits has been one of the most severe limitations in models in recent years.. Conditional discharge flip flop (CDFF) related to one of the earliest pulses caused flipflop reduces internal switching activities as that of existing explicit pulse triggered Data close to output flipflop (Ep-DCO). Registers are the main parts for processing information eg: in counters, accumulators etc.,. Implementation of these registers using CDFF can achieve low power consumption and high performance. MTCMOS (multi threshold CMOS) technique saves the leakage power during standby mode operations and hence, enhances the circuit performance for long battery life applications. We find that, using both MTCMOS and conditional discharge technique in flip flop, improves the performance and also consumes low power. In this paper, we simulate CDFF and the proposed MTCMOS CDFF to prove that MTCMOS CDFF is the best among the fastest pulse triggered flipflops. We also implement an application 4 bit shift register using proposed MTCMOS conditional discharge flip flop

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