Integrated Building Cells for a Simple Modular Design of Electronic Circuits with Reduced External Complexity: Performance, Active Element Assembly, and an Application Example

Abstract

This paper introduces new integrated analog cells fabricated in a C035 I3T25 0.35-μm ON Semiconductor process suitable for a modular design of advanced active elements with multiple terminals and controllable features. We developed and realized five analog cells on a single integrated circuit (IC), namely a voltage differencing differential buffer, a voltage multiplier with current output in full complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) form, a voltage multiplier with current output with a bipolar core, a current-controlled current conveyor of the second generation with four current outputs, and a single-input and single-output adjustable current amplifier. These cells (sub-blocks of the manufactured IC device), designed to operate in a bandwidth of up to tens of MHz, can be used as a construction set for building a variety of advanced active elements, offering up to four independently adjustable internal parameters. The performances of all individual cells were verified by extensive laboratory measurements, and the obtained results were compared to simulations in the Cadence IC6 tool. The definition and assembly of a newly specified advanced active element, namely a current-controlled voltage differencing current conveyor transconductance amplifier (CC-VDCCTA), is shown as an example of modular interconnection of the selected cells. This device was implemented in a newly synthesized topology of an electronically linearly tunable quadrature oscillator. Features of this active element were verified by simulations and experimental measurements.

Design of Signal Generators Using Active Elements Developed in I3T25 CMOS Technology Single IC Package for Illuminance to Frequency Conversion

“…Numerous experimental solutions [13,18,19,21] have really extensive circuitry because of implementation of commercially available AEs in behavioral model of the hypothetical AE. Based on the analysis of solutions included in Table 1, only one solution includes fabricated AEs in the frame of CMOS technology in the form of so-called modular approach (several types of AEs with suitable and/or variable interconnection of their terminals [27][28][29][30]).…”

“…Our adjustment of f0 targets on the frequency bandwidth is between 20 and 200 kHz. We suppose gm  500 mS (Vset_gm = 0.25 V) [27,30], next R1 = 560  and R2 = 4.7 kTherefore, this operational frequency range is theoretically available for C = 1 nF and IB from 6 up to 64 A. We tested the range of IB from 5 up to 140 A.…”

“…Thanks to their features, based on the multiplying core, it offers unique but simple change of its output current polarity (Iout = ± (Vp -Vn)•gm), where gm  1.8×10 -3 •Vset_gm. Further details and CMOS topology are presented in [27,30]. According to the theory, CCCII and OTA cells can be easily used for construction of the required building blocks of the generator [1,5].…”

Illuminance Sensing in Agriculture Applications Based on Infra-Red Short-Range Compact Transmitter Using 0.35 $\mu{\text{m}}$ CMOS Active Device

“…This work targets mainly the design of the electronic circuit suitable to operate as an IR communication system and our goals are as follows: 1) to design a simple system for simplex low-bitrate IR communication based on the pulse width modulation (PWM) [11], 2) to process the sensed signals having amplitude up to ±500 mV correctly. Linear voltage processing is limited due to the very low power supply voltage of the active elements (±1.65 V), 3) to design a compact and simple transmitter using recently introduced CMOS integrated building blocks [16] because of its low complexity and power consumption and, 4) to realize measurements in real environment (plant aquarium in our case) in order to verify functionality of the proposed concept.…”

“…The transmitter uses building blocks, which are based on AEs fabricated recently in 0.35 µm I3T25 ON Semiconductor technology. More details about these AEs can be found in [16]. A current controlled current conveyor of second generation (CCCII), two analog multipliers (MLTs) of two differential input voltages providing output product in the form of current (marked as CMOS MLT and BJT MLT) and a voltage differential difference buffer (VDDB) were used.…”