In this paper we present current mode, programmable, binary tree MIN/MAX filters designed for nonlinear data
processing. Proposed circuits can be used in image filtration, to realize operations such as erosion or dilatation that are
useful in noise reduction or correction of objects in the images. Two kinds of filters are proposed. The first one has been
designed for 1-dimensional (1-D) signal processing. Samples of the input signal are being stored in the circular analog
delay line. Each sample remains on its fixed position in the delay line as long as is overwritten by the new sample after
number of clock phases that is equal to the filter order N. As a result, only one analog delay element is updated with
every new signal sample. This minimizes both the power dissipation and errors that in other types of filter structures are
associated with data rewriting. The 2-D filters proposed in this paper are the natural extension of 1-D filters. These filters
have been realized as universal 2-D structures, which can be easily reprogrammed to perform various nonlinear
operations. The experimental 2-D image processor with 64 inputs (8x8 cluster) has been designed in CMOS 0.18μm
technology and successfully tested in HSPICE simulations. Designed circuit enables parallel calculation of 64 pixels
with the rate that is equal to 500 thousands image frames per second, dissipating power about 20 μW. Resultant data rate
is therefore equal to 32 MSamples/s and energy consumed per one calculated pixel is about 1 pJ.
Ultra low power circuits are in high demand in many applications especially in wireless sensor networks (WSN), where
energy is scavenged from environment. WSN systems contain different blocks, such as: sensors, filters, analog-to-digital
converters, very often a simple processor and the RF front end block. This paper concerns ultra low power finite impulse
response (FIR) filters and filter banks implemented in a switched current (SI) technique. In this paper new SI FIR filter
structures and filter banks have been proposed. These circuits operate in the current mode and do not use operational
amplifiers, what enables very low power dissipation on the level of several μW. Proposed filters incorporate transistors
working under threshold level for the voltage supply that is in the range 0.5 - 0.7 V. The simulated attenuation in the
stopband of the frequency response is limited to about 45 dB, what is due to different nonidealities, but such value is
usually sufficient in WSN applications. The SI technique features many interesting mechanisms that simplify realization
of analog filter banks. The signal samples that are stored in the delay lane are in SI filters copied to the filter coefficients
using current mirrors. As a result, there exists the possibility to connect many sets of filter coefficients to a single delay
line without the speed limitation. Ultra low power operation of proposed filters is also possible due to a special structure
of the clock generator that only consists from switches and NOT gates.
Multiplexers are one of the most important elements in readout front-end ASICs for multi-element detectors in medical
imaging. The purpose of these ASICs is to detect signals appearing randomly in many channels and to collect the
detected data in an ordered fashion (de-randomization) in order to send it to an external ADC. ASIC output stage
functionality can be divided into two: pulse detection and multiplexing. The pulse detection block is responsible for
detecting maximum values of signals arriving from the shaper, sending a flag signal indicating that the peak signal has
been detected and storing the pulse in an analog memory until read by ADC. The multiplexer in turn is responsible for
searching for active flags, controlling the channel that has detected the peak signal and performing reset functions after
readout. There are several types of multiplexers proposed in this paper, which can be divided into several classes:
synchronous, synchronized and asynchronous. Synchronous circuits require availability of the multiphase clock
generator, which increases the power dissipation, but simultaneously provide very convenient mechanism that enables
unambiguous choice of the active channel. This characteristics leads to 100% effectiveness in data processing and no
data loss. Asynchronous multiplexers do not require clock generators and because of that have simpler structure, are
faster and more power efficient, especially when data samples occur seldom at the ASIC's inputs. The main problem of
the asynchronous solution is when data on two or more inputs occur almost at the same time, shorter than the
multiplexer's reaction time. In this situation some data can be lost. In many applications loss of the order of 1% of the
data is acceptable, which makes use of asynchronous multiplexers possible. For applications when the lower loss is
desirable a new hierarchy mechanism has been introduced. One of proposed solutions is a synchronized binary tree
structure, that uses many simple asynchronous clock generators. This circuit joins advantages of synchronous and
asynchronous solutions resulting in low power dissipation, high speed of operation and 100% effectiveness.
Parasitic capacities pose a serious problem in switched capacitor finite impulse response (SC FIR) filters realized as VLSI systems in CMOS submicron technologies. The influence of these parasitic elements is especially visible in the stopband of the filter frequency response. To design mixed digital-analog SC FIR filters is a difficult task. Filters of this class have to be designed using full-custom method. SC FIR filters of high orders N are very complex systems with thousands of transistors, capacitors, which, in turn, make the basis for many active elements, switches, delay elements, memories and other circuitry. One of the most important stages during the design process is post-layout HSPICE verification. However, the simulation of separated blocks does not suffice to have enough knowledge of the operation of the whole system. Optimization requires netlist simulations of the entire system, with presence of typically between 5000-30000 of parasitic capacities, where only about hundred of them are critical ones. Analysis which aims at finding these elements, in practice, is not possible because of the complexity of the entire system. The heuristic method of searching for relevant parasitic elements presented in this paper is based on the assumption that all parasitic elements create a set. The main task is to divide this set into subareas. In order to do this particular groups of nets in the layout must be labeled using unique names. Then particular groups of parasitic elements are filtered out from the netlist. Each filtering stage generates two netlists with separate areas of parasitic elements. After the analysis of the simulation results has been done there remains to make the decision concerning subsequent filtering operations. The iteration method is very quick, convenient, efficient and does not require deep knowledge of the simulated system. Many stages of this method can be easy implemented with CAD tools. In realized projects, after no more than 15-60 iterations critical parasitic capacities were found. In realization of the four chips in CMOS 0.8mm and 0.35mm technologies this method issued in very good results-the attenuation in the stopband, which is very important parameter, was improved by about 20-25 dB.
KEYWORDS: Optical filters, Digital filtering, Capacitors, Finite impulse response filters, Clocks, Amplifiers, Signal processing, Transistors, CMOS technology, Chemical elements
In this paper, a new idea of finite impulse response (FIR) switched capacitor (SC) filter realization suitable for a wireless communication is proposed. A design on the circuit level for a CMOS 0.35 μm process is presented. Main advantages of the proposed filter are low power consumption and small chip area occupation. In classic approaches to SC FIR filter realizations, such parameters like chip area, power consumption and signal quality are conflicting ones.
There are various SC FIR architectures. Some are power economic, but need very complicated circuitry. Others have simple structures, but use a big number of high power active elements like operational amplifiers. We propose an approach, which is a compromise solution. Instead of using high power op amps, specialized low-power simple voltage followers have been introduced to reduce the chip area occupation and simultaneously not enlarge the power consumption. The proposed idea is to decrease the number of large capacitors by providing to some big capacitors a voltage from several small capacitors by means of the specialized voltage followers. Apart from power-economic operation, our followers are simple, including 8 transistors, and operate with high precision (of order 10-3). The resulting SC FIR filters dissipate relatively low power. Wireless channel filters based on SC FIR techniques are typically of the order 30 to 35. The proposed filter is designed just for such an order, and will dissipate less than 6 mW, being supplied by 3V, and occupies a chip area less than 1.5 mm2. The maximum signal frequency is close to 1.25 MHz. For a proper operation, the circuit needs only a 2.5 MHz clock generator, which is a low value. The clock generator is realized as an internal block, similarly as in our previous chips implemented in CMOS 0.8 μm and 0.35 μm processes.
Complexity of clock generator is one of the most important parameters in the design and optimization of switched-capacitor (SC) finite impulse response (FIR) filters. There are different SC FIR filter architectures. Some of them need a simple clock generator but the others require a quite complicated multiphase clock system. In the latter case an external clock system (i.e., outside the integrated circuit) is unrealistic because of a great number of the required external pins. We have implemented various SC FIR filter architectures together with complex internal clock generators in the CMOS 0.8 μm and 0.35 μm technologies. One of the most important problems in the design process was the optimization of waveforms and widths of the clock impulses. SC FIR filters are very sensitive to parameters of clock systems. Thus the clock generators must be designed very precisely. We demonstrate results of the design of the 64-phase clock generator for a programmable rotator SC FIR filter. In our approach the width of the clock impulses is controlled by two external signals. This is a very convenient solution, because optimization of the clock impulses, which was difficult in other approaches, is currently much easier. The internal clock generator area is ca. 0.15 mm2 in the CMOS 0.35 μm technology, i.e., only 7 % of the entire SC FIR filter chip area.
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