[Engineering Feature] Get Up Close And Personal With Silicon Foundries
IC designers and wafer foundries are becoming more intimate these days. Due to soaring design and manufacturing costs, the two camps find themselves working together earlier in the design cycle. This gives chip designers the wherewithal to craft top-performance circuits that are optimized for manufacturability and have a better chance of meeting specifications. Electronic-design-automation (EDA) tool suppliers are forming closer relationships with foundries, too. Tool...
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Dave Bursky
[Technology Report] Synthesis Attacks The Abstract
HARDWARE DESIGN is a process of refining an idea from a highly abstract form to a concrete, physical implementation. Along the way, a design is continually transformed from a given state of abstraction to another less abstract representation, finally ending with physical design. Those transformations are achieved through synthesis. For the past 15 years, synthesis primarily has meant transforming an RTL design description to a gate-level netlist. Synopsys' Design...
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David Maliniak
[Leapfrog: Industry First] Signal-Conditioning IC: A Low-Cost ASIC Alternative
Sensors are ubiquitous, providing the signals that feed our computer-centric world. The outputs for these sensors, though, must be signal-conditioned for computer use. This depends not only on the application involved, but also on the type of sensing technology employed. As a result, many OEMs turn to expensive ASICs and their embedded codes, which can take one to two years and cost $1 million to $2 million to develop. The cost factor becomes more noticeable with the spread of...
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Roger Allan
[Design View / Design Solution] Power-Management ICs Are Ideal For DDR-SDRAM Memories
Double-data-rate, single-data random access memory (DDR-SDRAM) has become popular in desktop and portable computing. The reason is its superior performance, low power dissipation, and competitive cost compared to other memory technologies.1 DDR initially had a 266-Mbyte/s data rate versus a 133-Mbyte/s data rate for plain SDRAM. Subsequently, the DDR data rate has increased to 400 Mbytes/s. A second-generation DDR, or DDR2, debuted at the beginning of 2004....
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Reno Rossetti
[Ideas For Design] First-Come, First-Serve Circuit Chooses Winners
This circuit is a first-come, first-serve selector (see the figure). Its genesis comes from a teacher who asked me to create a "Jeopardy" style quiz show apparatus that offers a fun way to test students. Three contestants each have a simple single-pole, single-throw switch to activate when they know the answer. The first one who thinks he or she has the answer locks his or her light on and wins! The contestant switches are...
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John Congistre
[Ideas For Design] Utility Clock-Generator Board Serves Telecom Lab Applications
This article describes a design for a precision clock-generator circuit board that can function as a waveform generator in some telecom- or datacom-specific lab bench work. The clock generator outputs an array of clocks at fixed frequencies, and it accepts an external synchronization clock reference as an input. At the core of the design is U1, a ZL30407 Sonet/SDH network element phase-locked loop (PLL) (Fig. 1). The...
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Russ Byers
[Editorial] Marconi's Legacy Lives On: Digital Radio Comes Of Age
A week at the beach might seem the ideal time for a bit of a respite from technology. But when I ended up at Marconi Station on Cape Cod, my surfside relaxation turned into both a historic and a philosophical reflection on the communications revolution. In January 1903, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first two-way transatlantic communication from this beach in South Wellfleet, Mass. Marconi had convinced President Theodore Roosevelt and England's King...
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Mark David
[POV: Point Of View] GP OSs Add Security Systems To Embedded Systems
For decades, embedded systems consisted of special-purpose hardware running special-purpose software. Field upgrades involved changing pin settings, replacing EPROMs, etc. But the commoditization of hardware, software, and programmers has added a flexibility that often works like a two-edged sword. While this flexibility eases development of embedded systems, it comes at the cost of increased difficulty in meeting a fundamental requirement: An embedded system should continue to work as...
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E. John Sebes
[Pease Porridge] Bob's Mailbox
Dear Bob: This is a general question about TO-220 packages. I am finding MOSFETs available in TO-220AB packages that claim to have continuous ratings of 120 A. I can believe the die can take it if heatsinked well. But can those skinny 0.044-in.2 wires take that kind of current? (I think they are tin plated copper lead frames unless they are some kind of superconducting alloy.) The copper wires in my house are 14 gauge and are only rated for 15 A, and they are bigger. And what...
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Bob Pease
[TechView: The Industry] New Materials And Processes Promise Faster, Denser ICs—Atom By Atom
Advances in dielectric materials, wafer cleaning, metrology, lithography, and other IC manufacturing technologies took the spotlight last month at Semicon West in San Francisco. Tens of thousands of manufacturing and materials specialists converged on the Moscone Center to see the next generation of process equipment and materials. Here are a few highlights. The RadOx oxide deposition system from Applied Materials delivers a tenfold improvement in insulating oxide...
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Dave Bursky
[TechView: The Industry] Designed In The USA: Influencing The Semiconductor Supply Chain
While electronics manufacturing has largely migrated to Asia, the United States remains the center of global electronics design activity. This gives the U.S. enormous influence over the global semiconductor supply chain. Design of electronic goods leads directly to equipment production, which in turn drives semiconductor consumption. Companies that design electronic equipment also specify the use of particular chips in the products being developed. So, these companies and...
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Greg Sheppard
[TechView: Analog & Power] 9.6-V Buses Gain Popularity In IBA Designs
Barely a year ago, most intermediate-bus architecture (IBA) implementations distributed power to point-of-load converters (POLs) at 12 V. There was some talk of using lower intermediate-bus voltages because load voltages had been shrinking, and POL switching losses increase when their output voltage is significantly less than their input voltage. Still, most IBA implementations ran at 12 V. The picture began to change six to eight months ago, and power-supply makers...
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Don Tuite
[TechView: Analog & Power] CAN Transceiver Finds Uses Outside Automotive Buses
Automotive applications looking for a controller-area network (CAN) transceiver can hitch a ride with AMI Semiconductor's AMIS-42700. This low cost, low-component-count device provides an interface between two physical CAN lines for in-vehicle networking (IVN) needs, but it has industrial uses as well. CAN repeaters are used when standard buses in industrial applications have to cover longer physical distances. CAN also interconnects machines, process control units, and...
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Don Tuite
[TechView: Analog & Power] Universal Input-Range Supplies Dive Into Harsh Environments
Applications subject to dirt, dust, and moisture in harsh environments can take refuge with the PSAQC60 series of 60-W power supplies. Designed by Wall Industries, these board-mounted, dual front-end devices accept input voltages from 90 to 264 V ac or 120 to 370 V dc. Output options include 5, 12, 15, or 24 V dc. Encapsulated in glass fiber, these supplies measure 4.25 by 2.24 by 1.42 in., and they're UL/cUL, TUV, CE, and CB approved. They cost $45 in OEM quantities. ...
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Don Tuite
[TechView: Embedded] Microcontroller's I2C Interface Handles Multiple Addresses
Look out, CAN. Microchip's 8-bit PIC16F690 now includes a Synch Serial Port (SSP) with an address mask. The SSP can handle multiple I2C packet addresses in hardware, much like controller-area network (CAN) controllers in other microcontrollers, including those from Microchip. I2C has found a home in a number of environments, from AdvancedTCA board and system management to embedded system device networking. Software I2C solutions have...
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William Wong
[TechView: Embedded] System Speeds Java Deployment
Developing and deploying Java-based applications just got easier with IGoLogic's JBox. This compact system (2.5 by 11.5 by 10.5 in.) is based on Via's mini-ITX motherboards, running a 1-GHz C3 processor. It has a 40-Gbyte hard disk and handles up to 1 Gbyte of double-data-rate (DDR) RAM. Also, it has a full complement of PC-style peripheral interfaces, including an IEEE 1394 port and Ethernet support. There's a CDRW/DVD combo drive as well. Just add an LCD screen, keyboard, and...
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William Wong
[TechView: Embedded] DVD Writer Handles Double-Layer Discs
Toshiba's optical drives come with the LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology, which supports DVD+R double-layer write capability. The drives include the 6X SD-R5372V DVD-W writer and the slim-line SD-C2732 DVD-ROM for portables and SD-M2012C DVD-ROM for desktop systems. Pricing starts at $129. www.sdd.toshiba.com...
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William Wong
[TechView: Embedded] PCI-X Processor Board Sports Pentium M
The PCA-6189 from Advantech plugs into 64-bit PCI-X backplanes. It contains a 2.1-GHz Pentium M processor with up to 2 Gbytes of double-data-rate (DDR) error-correcting-code (ECC) memory. The board has dual VGA display support, dual Ethernet, SCSI, IDE, and floppy interfaces. Pricing for the PCA-6189 starts at $590. www.advantech.com...
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William Wong
[TechView: Embedded] RTLinuxFree Runs Atop Linux 2.6
RTLinuxFree is a free, open-source implementation of FSM Labs' real-time RTLinuxPro, which now supports the Linux 2.6 kernel. RTLinux is a split operating system with a real-time and a conventional Linux component. Real-time applications run with minimum system overhead. RTLinuxFree is available for download from the RTLinuxFree Web site. RTLinuxPro includes commercial support and additional software and services. ...
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William Wong
[TechView: Digital] Timing Processor Deivers Six Independent Clock Sources
Based on a patented digital timing technology, the TLC28x0 timing processor chip offers designers six independent high-resolution clock synthesizers—more than any other available clock synthesizer chip. Developed by TimeLab Corp., it targets x86 notebook, desktop, and embedded x86 applications. The timing processor's frequency slewing scheme lets systems continue operations during a frequency change. In contrast, PLL-based (phase-locked loop) clock circuits...
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Dave Bursky
[TechView: Digital] PCI Express Chip Packs 8/16-Bit PIPE Host System Port
The GL9711 GigaCourier from Genesys Logic provides a 125-MHz 16-bit or 250-MHz 8-bit PIPE (PHY interface for PCI Express) interface to tie into the host system logic. This chip also offers a single-lane, 2.5-Gbit/s PCI Express serial port. With its parallel interface, system designers can add a PCI Express port to their systems without requiring a high-speed FPGA or ASIC. The company plans to release a four-lane transceiver version of the chip, the GL9714, which it...
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Dave Bursky
[TechView: Digital] Bus Buffers For I2C And SMBus Provide Stuck-Bus Recovery
The LTC4303 and LTC4304 two-wire bus buffers from Linear Technology solve the common problem of a stuck I2C/SMBus bus by isolating all of the bus connections on the upstream side, while restoring the downstream bus. If the serial data output (SDAOUT) or serial clock output (SCLOUT) are low for more than 30 ms, the LTC4304 will automatically break the data and clock connections and issue a Fault signal. (The LTC4303 does not provide the Fault Flag for a stuck...
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Dave Bursky
[TechView: EDA] Foundry's DFM Toolkits Turn Process Data Into Yield
Design for manufacturability (DFM) is a hot topic for designers contemplating a move to advanced silicon processes. Fortunately, the foundries are a step ahead of them. TSMC has rolled out two comprehensive DFM toolkits that are based on its Nexsys process technology. Based on a large amount of accumulated process data, the kits drive that process data back into EDA tools from key suppliers. They also include a number of TSMC services that increase yields and improve...
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David Maliniak
[TechView: EDA] System-Interconnect Design Platform Improves Constraint-Driven Flow And Ease Of Use
SHORTENING DESIGN TIME by enabling collaboration throughout the flow, the latest revision of Cadence's Allegro pc-board design platform offers enhancements from design entry through pc-board design. A number of productivity and ease-of-use features have improved Allegro. It strengthens the design chain by helping IC companies distribute Spectre transistor-level models. It also includes new technology for multistyle design creation, real-time...
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David Maliniak
[TechView: EDA] EDA Roundup
SUPPORT FOR THE LATEST SPICE MODELS has been added to Tanner EDA's T-Spice analog simulation platform. Version 11 of T-Spice now supports the latest Berkeley BSIM models up to the v4.4.0 release. These models enable users to accurately simulate MOSFET physical effects down to the sub-100-nm range. New modeling features include gate and body resistance networks for RF modeling; non-quasi-static model; comprehensive geometry-based parasitic models for multifinger devices; and...
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David Maliniak
[TechView: Wireless] Single-Chip TV Tuner Replaces Standard Canned Units In Any TV Or Set-Top Box
Television tuners come in metal cans, right? They still do, but that's changing. TV and set-top-box manufacturers can trade in older, bulkier, and expensive tuner cans for a single 7- by 7-mm chip (see the figure). Xceive's XC2028 and XC3028 RF-to-baseband receivers meet the needs of virtually all TV standards worldwide. LCD and plasma TV sets are thinner than ever, and set-top boxes must be compatible with a growing...
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Louis E. Frenzel
[TechView: Wireless] Wi-Fi Front-End/Power-Amp ICs Target New Market Segments
WI-FI 802.11 technology is nearly ubiquitous. Yet new market segments are emerging, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in Wi-Fi cell phones and hot-spot access points and PC cards for laptops. Each application has its own requirements. Three front-end modules in SiGe Semiconductor's RangeCharger power-amplifier line let designers optimize their Wi-Fi design to emphasize performance, battery life, or transmission range as required. SiGe Semi's SE2521A40, SE2521A60,...
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Louis E. Frenzel
[TechView: Wireless] IR Transceivers Boost Speed And Range
Whenever we think of wireless, we automatically think of radio. But not all wireless is radio. Infrared's range is typically shorter than a radio transceiver, and line of sight is essential. Yet IR still has its place, most commonly in remote controls. It's also used for links with cell phones, PDAs, and laptop computers as well as some peripherals. The TFBS6711 and TBF6712 fast IR (FIR) transceivers from Vishay Intertechnology make IR even more desirable. They can...
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Louis E. Frenzel
[TechScope] Momentum Wins North American Solar Challenge
It took 52 hours, 59 minutes, and 43 seconds. But the University of Michigan triumphed in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge as Momentum, its solar car, crossed the finish line last month. The course of the 10-day race took competitors on a 2500-mile route along U.S. Route 75 and the Trans-Canada Highway from Austin, Texas, to Calgary through open highways and city traffic alike. Cars from 20 university teams set out on this grueling journey, powered only by the sun....
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Richard Gawel
[Design FAQs] High-Speed ADCs Sponsored by: NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
How fast is the current crop of high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs)? The pipeline architecture and silicon-bipolar and CMOS process technologies dominate commercial high-speed converters below 300 Msamples/s. Typical resolutions range from 12 to 14 bits. There's a large speed gap between 300 Msamples/s and 1 Gsample/s. The relatively few converters available above 1 Gsample/s have 8- or 10-bit resolution and use flash or folding/interpolating architectures in...
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Don Tuite
