Single-chip A/D converter for digital microphones with on-chip preamplifier and time-domain noise isolation

A 1-bit sigma-delta modulator (ΣΔM) with an on-chip preamplifier for digital electret microphones has been implemented. A differential gm-opamp-RC preamplifier eliminates the traditional single-ended JFET interface and is integrated with an on-chip ΣΔM by removing all external components. The proposed time-domain noise isolation technique preserves circuit performance under a single power supply condition. The prototype implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology achieves a 78 dB dynamic range and 62 dB peak signal-to-noiset distortion ratio (both A-weighted) with a current consumption of 450 μmA under a 1.8 V supply.     

传声器管的高温反偏试验

近年来,驻极体传声器发展很快,对于传声器管的电参数要求更高,尤其高温反偏试验更为严苛。多年来,对此项试验发现与以前有关资料中的结果存在某些差异,给予补充说明。     

Theoretical considerations in the design of integrated semiconductor sensors applying electrets

The usefulness of permanently charged electrets in realizing condenser microphones is well known; however, to date they have hardly been applied in integrated semiconductor sensors. The results of investigations to apply electrets in semiconductor sensors are presented in this paper. Conditions are determined for their use in integrated microphone applications as well as for realizing an electret pressure sensor. The first experimental results of the latter use are presented and appear to be very promising.     

Die degradation effect on aging rate in accelerated cycling tests of SiC power MOSFET modules

In order to distinguish the die and bond wire degradations, in this paper both the die and bond wire resistances of SiC MOSFET modules are measured and tested during the accelerated cycling tests. It is proved that, since the die degradation under specific conditions increases the temperature swing, bond wires undergo harsher thermo-mechanical stress than expected. The experimental results confirm the die-related thermal failure mechanism. An improved degradation model is proposed for the bond-wire resistance increase in case of die degradation.     

Low-voltage low-power controllable preamplifier for electretmicrophones

A low-voltage low-power analog controllable preamplifier for electret microphones is discussed. It has been designed for a single supply voltage of 1.0 V, whereas its average power consumption amounts to some tens of microwatts. A DC current controls its gain directly into decibels. The design meets specifications concerning accuracy, bandwidth, and noise properties suitable for most applications in portable telephone equipment, portable transceivers, and hearing aids. Much attention has been paid to the dynamic range of the input signal, noise, and offset properties. The circuit has been realized in a semicustom IC process. Simulation and measurement data of the most important properties are presented     

On the Electret Effect in Polymer–Ferroelectric Piezoceramic Composites with Various Values of the Electronegativity of the Polymer Matrix and Piezophase Cations

The influence of the electronegativity of phases, which is controlled by composite crystallization under the conditions of the effect of the electric discharge and covalence of piezophase cations, on the formation mechanism of the stable electret effect is determined. The specific features of the formation of the electret effect in composites based on polyolefins (HDPE, PP), fluorine-containing polymers (F42), and ferroelectric piezoelectric ceramics of the family of lead zirconate–titanate (Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃) crystallized under conditions of the effect of electric discharge plasma, are revealed. A physical model of electret composites taking into account the role of homocharges and heterocharges formed in a composite by its dispersion with piezoceramic particles of various structures—rhombohedral, tetragonal, and heterogeneous—is proposed.     

SiO2和Si3N4/SiO2薄膜表面驻极态的改善

描述了为改善其表面驻极态的抗湿能力，对Si基Si3N4和Si3N4/SiO2薄膜驻极体所进行的化学表面修正的基本原理。以六甲基二硅胺（HMDS）和二氯二甲基硅烷（DCDMS）两种化学修正试剂对这类薄膜驻极体的改性效果进行了对比性的研究。结果指出：从抗湿能力考虑，经DCDMS修正的氮、氧化硅驻极体的电荷稳定性优于HMDS处理的样品，是由于这类修正形成了更完善的表面单分子疏水层；但如果从驻极体的储电热稳定性方面考虑，以HMDS处理的样品优于DCDMS样品，是由于被HMDS修正的表面层内形成了较高浓度的深能级陷阱。     

Application of coupled electro-thermal and physics-of-failure-based analysis to the design of accelerated life tests for power modules

In the reliability theme a central activity is to investigate, characterize and understand the contributory wear-out and overstress mechanisms to meet through-life reliability targets. For power modules, it is critical to understand the response of typical wear-out mechanisms, for example wire-bond lifting and solder degradation, to in-service environmental and load-induced thermal cycling. This paper presents the use of a reduced-order thermal model coupled with physics-of-failure-based life models to quantify the wear-out rates and life consumption for the dominant failure mechanisms under prospective in-service and qualification test conditions. When applied in the design of accelerated life and qualification tests it can be used to design tests that separate the failure mechanisms (e.g. wire-bond and substrate-solder) and provide predictions of conditions that yield a minimum elapsed test time. The combined approach provides a useful tool for reliability assessment and estimation of remaining useful life which can be used at the design stage or in-service. An example case study shows that it is possible to determine the actual power cycling frequency for which failure occurs in the shortest elapsed time. The results demonstrate that bond-wire degradation is the dominant failure mechanism for all power cycling conditions whereas substrate-solder failure dominates for externally applied (ambient or passive) thermal cycling.     

A new methodology for the identification of ball bond degradation during high-temperature aging tests on devices in standard plastic packages

We describe a new methodology for the “in situ” identification of wire-bond degradation at early stages during high-temperature aging tests on devices with standard plastic packages. This methodology is based on the measurement of the changes in wire bond resistance, which is deduced from the I(V) characteristics of the ESD protection diodes on each contact pad of the circuit. In a first stage, the measurement procedure is described, with emphasis on the initial temperature calibration. This procedure allows for an “in situ” measurement sequence, where the packages stay in the aging chamber, at elevated temperature, during the electrical tests on the pad connections performed at different aging durations. By following accurately the package temperature, using a thermocouple, it is possible to correct for slight changes and thus get a reliable I–V measurement for each interconnection. In the second stage, the aging test results are described, showing the evolution of each individual interconnection. We were able to identify the onset of wire-bond degradation through the progressive increase of their resistance. To allow for better determination of the degradation process, once an increase in wire bond resistance was detected, complete I(V) curves were recorded at the pin(s) of interest. For each pin of a TQFP64 package, the tests were performed at least twice a day, with increased density when initial failure is detected (one complete measurement every 3 h). This strategy allowed for the detection of different behaviors on the wire bonds: good ball bonds (i.e. ball bonds with no change in their resistance), ball bond with intermittent opens (these ball bonds are in the process of degradation, and thermo-mechanical stresses induced in the resin by very small temperature changes are sufficient to open or close the circuits) and completely destroyed ball bonds, for which the resistance stays in an “high” level. This approach to wire-bond degradation in plastic packages is very powerful in terms of the number of interconnections which can be followed “in real time” and especially has the advantage, over other classical approaches, that the devices under test stay operational, contrary to what occurs with other types of destructive testing. These electrical test results are compared with metallographic investigations performed after a series of mechanical tests on the ball bonds (wire pull/ball shear tests) on a set of identical devices which undergone exactly the same High Temperature Storage (HTS) aging for 2000 h at 165 °C.     

Study of hot-carrier effects on power RF LDMOS device reliability

This paper reports comparative reliability of the hot carrier induced electrical performance degradation in power RF LDMOS transistors after RF life-tests and novel methods for accelerated ageing tests under various conditions (electrical and/or thermal stress): thermal shock tests (TST, air–air test) and thermal cycling tests (TCT, air–air test) under various conditions (with and without DC bias, TST cold and hot, different channel current I_DS and different extremes temperatures ΔT values). It is important to understand the effects of the reliability degradation mechanisms on the S-parameters and in turn on static and dynamic parameters. The analysis of the experimental results is presented and the physical processes responsible for the observed degradation at different stress conditions are studied by means of 2D ATLAS-SILVACO simulations. The RF performance degradation of hot-carrier effects power RF LDMOS transistors can be explained by the transconductance and miller capacitance shifts, which are resulted from the interface state generation and trapped electrons, thereafter results in a build up of negative charge at Si/SiO₂ interface.     

新型驻极体过滤材料性能测试分析与应用

通过对现用空调过滤材料和驻极材料进行性能对比测量,分析克重对过滤效率和阻力的影响,进而测量过滤材料和过滤器的性能差异、驻极材料的容尘性和“清洗”后效率,对驻极滤料的使用状况和应用前景进行探讨。     

Accelerated testing of tin-plated copper alloy contacts

Thermal cycling tests conducted on tin-plated contacts were used in conjunction with materials aging data to develop a fretting degradation model. Parameters such as thermal swing, temperature extremes, dwell times and number of cycles are incorporated in the model to account for aging processes such as micro-motion, oxidation rate, and stress relaxation. In addition, algorithms were developed to simulate the levels of oxidation, stress relaxation and intermetallic compound formation that occur under various field and accelerated test conditions. These algorithms and the fretting model were used to evaluate various test exposures of tin plated copper base alloy contacts in comparison to typical field conditions. The results indicate three of the four aging processes (fretting corrosion, oxidation and stress relaxation) can be simulated using standard test conditions. Moreover it was found that intermetallic compound formation could not be simulated without excessively accelerating the other processes. These results reveal oxidation rate and stress relaxation per cycle as important thermally activated processes that accelerate the rate of fretting corrosion degradation     

Reliability study of power RF LDMOS device under thermal stress

This paper presents the results of comparative reliability study of two accelerated ageing tests for thermal stress applied to power RF LDMOS: Thermal Shock Tests (TST, air-air test) and Thermal Cycling Tests (TCT, air-air test) under various conditions (with and without DC bias, TST cold and hot, different extremes temperatures ΔT). The investigation findings of electrical parameter degradations after various ageing tests are discussed. On-state resistance (R_{ds_on}) is reduced by 12% and feedback capacitance (C_rss) by 24%. This means that the tracking of these parameters enables to consider the hot carrier injection as dominant degradation phenomenon. To reach a better understanding of the physical mechanisms of parameter's shift after thermal stress, a numerical device model (2D, Silvaco-Atlas) was used to confirm degradation phenomena.     

Thermal rollover characteristics up to 150°C of buried-stripetype 980-nm laser diodes with a current injection window delineated by aSiNx layer

In order to improve device robustness of buried-stripe type 980-nm laser diodes against excess current injection even under high temperature operation, we have introduced a current injection window delineated by a SiN_x layer to suppress current injection near the facets. The devices showed complete thermal rollover characteristics at temperatures up to 150°C with 800-mA continuous-wave current injection while devices without the layer failed due to front facet degradation during high temperature tests. We think the improvement of device robustness with a SiN_x layer is attributable to suppression of nonradiative recombination of carriers overflowing from the active layers near the facet and to reduced light absorption at the facet brought about by suppression of carrier-induced bandgap shrinkage     

氟化镁共形整流罩热障效应分析及试验验证

围绕氟化镁共形整流罩的热障效应展开分析,模拟了真实飞行状态,建立了整流罩气动加热及其内部传热过程的有限元分析模型,计算不同飞行速度下整流罩的气动热载荷及平均温度;再根据红外探测基本原理,分析各个温度下整流罩的热辐射及其对探测系统成像质量的影响,计算探测器达到饱和状态时整流罩的临界温度,即研究热障效应产生机制;最后用成像试验对分析结果加以验证。分析结果表明,对于该红外成像探测系统,氟化镁共形整流罩的临界温度约为460 K,即在Ma=3的末制导阶段及Ma=4的情形下,热障效应显著,若想进一步加快红外成像制导武器的飞行速度,必须对热障效应加以抑制和校正。各项结论对认识热障效应机理及其校正方法有一定借鉴意义。     

基于电驻极体运动的小型化低频发射天线

低频电磁波具有较低的传输损耗,但是传统的谐振式天线往往尺寸较大,工程应用的难度很大。运流电流可以产生时变的辐射电磁场,并且工作频率不再受传统谐振天线的尺寸限制,这为小型化的低频发射天线提供了一种有价值的思路。通过理论计算,研究了振动电驻极体的电磁场和等效模型,通过仿真进行验证,并对基于电驻极体机械运动的小型化的低频天线进行了有益的探索。研究表明,振动的电驻极体可实现类似于微小电流元的辐射特性。     

A 470 μA direct readout circuit for electret and MEMS digital microphones

A direct readout circuit configurable for electret or MEMS digital microphones is presented. The circuit includes a transducer buffer, a programmable preamplifier, a ΣΔ modulator, a bandgap reference, a clock detection circuit, and a stability recovery system. The prototype achieves a signal-to-noise-and distortion of 63 dB A-weighted at 1 Pa sound level with a consumption of 470 μA at 1.8 V supply voltage. The active area is 0.72 mm² in a 0.25 μm CMOS process with MIM capacitor option.     

Vibration thresholds for fretting corrosion in electrical connectors

Single frequency vibration tests were used to induce fretting corrosion in tin alloy plated contacts. The samples used in this study were connectors consisting of 25 pairs of mated pin and socket contacts. Experimental results for a variety of vibration levels, frequencies, and wiring tie-off lengths are presented. The experiments consisted of running a series of vibration tests at each frequency where the excitation level was stepped through a range of g-levels. During each test run contact resistance was monitored as a performance characteristic. The results exhibit threshold behavior at each frequency for the onset of fretting degradation. Typically a plateau region was observed where similar g-levels produced similar fretting rates. It was also found that outside the plateau region the g-levels varied according to the dynamic behavior of the mechanical system. In addition, a transfer matrix model was used to analyze these results. An empirical fit of the data correlated well with the model when damping was used. This analysis revealed the importance of the bending moment induced at the contact interface as a result of excitation levels and tie-off configurations. Consequently, it is concluded that dynamic response of the mechanical system under various g-levels and tie off configurations can greatly impact the performance of a connector system subjected to vibration stresses.     

Novel Photoinduced Recovery of OFET Memories Based on Ambipolar Polymer Electret for Photorecorder Application

A new design concept for novel photoresponsive flash organic field‐effect transistor (OFET) memory is demonstrated by employing the carbazoledioxazine polymer (Poly CD) as an electret. Photoactive electrets that can absorb the light effectively rather than photoactive semiconductors are proposed by the “photoinduced recovery” mechanism in the literature; however, the correlation between the chemical structure and photoresponsive electrical performances is ambiguous. In this study, it is reported for the first time that the OFET memory with trapped charges can be optically recovered by a polymer electret and the working mechanism can be explained by the structural design. The highly planar Poly CD electret exhibits photoluminescence quenching in film states, resulting in the generation of sufficient excitons to eliminate trapped charges under light excitation. Additionally, the Poly CD electret with coplanar donor–acceptor moieties is suitable for both p‐channel and n‐channel semiconductors. For p‐type memory devices, a large memory window (82 V) and stable nonvolatile retention performance with high ON/OFF ratio could be obtained. The memories also display good switching reliability for voltage‐programming and light‐erasing cycles. This study provides useful information for the development of polymer‐based photoresponsive flash OFET memories and demonstrates the practical applications of photorecorder and photosensitive smart tag.     

Lifetime assessment of Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate (BPA-PC) plastic lens,used in LED-based products

In this investigation, the accelerated optical degradation of two different commercial Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate (BPA-PC) grades under elevated temperature stress is studied. The BPA-PC plates are used both in light conversion carriers in LED modules and encapsulants in LED packages. BPA-PC plates are exposed to temperatures in the range of 100–140 °C. Optical properties of the thermally-aged plates were studied using an integrated sphere. The results show that increasing the exposure time leads to degradation of BPA-PC optical properties, i.e. decrease of light transmission and increase in the yellowing index (YI). An exponential luminous decay model and Arrhenius equation are used to predict the lumen depreciation over different time and temperatures. Accelerated thermal stress tests together with the applied reliability model are used to predict the lifetime of plastic lens in LED lamps in real life conditions.