Low-power high-sensitivity spike detectors for implantable VLSI neural recording microsystems

A spike detector has become a necessity of a contemporary multichannel neural recording microsystem for data-compression. This paper proposes two spike detection algorithms, frequency-enhanced nonlinear energy operator (fNEO) and energy-of-derivative (ED), to solve the sensitivity degradation suffered by the conventional nonlinear energy operator (NEO) at the presence of large-amplitude baseline interferences. The efficiency of NEO, fNEO and ED algorithms are evaluated with Simulink programs firstly and then implemented into three low-power spike detectors with a standard 0.13- \(\mu m\) CMOS process. To achieve a low-power design, subthreshold CMOS analog multipliers, derivatives and adders are developed to work with a low supply voltage, 0.5 V. The power dissipation of the proposed fNEO spike detector and ED spike detector are only 258.7 and 129.4 nW, respectively. The quantitative investigation shown in the paper indicates that both fNEO and ED spike detectors achieves superior performance than the conventional NEO spike detector. Considering its lowest power dissipation, the ED spike detector is selected for our application. Further statistical evaluations based on the true positive and false positive detection rate proves that the ED spike detectors achieves higher detection rate than that of the conventional NEO spike detector but dissipates 48 % less power.     

An intensity independent fixed valued impulse noise detector for image restoration

Most of the impulse noise detectors used for detection of fixed valued impulse noise are effective only for salt and pepper or a band type noise occurring at the extreme ends of the allowed range of intensity levels. The performance of these detectors deteriorates drastically when fixed valued impulses occur anywhere within the allowed gray scale. In this paper, an impulse detection scheme is proposed which can effectively detect all types of fixed valued impulse noise and also differentiates between noisy and noise-free pixels of identical intensity levels. The improved performance of the proposed method is verified through extensive simulations for various fixed valued impulse noise models.     

A wireless multi-channel implantable neural recording microsystem based on optimized analog TDM-FDM combination

Crosstalk noise (CT) is a limiting factor to increase the number of channels in analog Time-Division-Multiplexing (TDM)-based Wireless Neural Recording microsystems (WNRs). This paper proposes a novel approach to mitigate and decrease the effect of the CT by combining TDM with Frequency-Division-Multiplexing (FDM). In particular, we evaluate some possible configurations of the TDM-FDM combination and present a system that has less CT than other configurations. A 12-channel WNR based on the proposed system is designed in both system and circuit-level. In this system, channels are first divided into three 4-channel groups and after multiplexing in time domain, they are combined together with FDM method. While the group containing the marker pulse is located in the base-band, the second and third group are shifted to the frequency domain by employing quadrature modulation. The circuit-level of the system is designed and simulated by using 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The designed circuit consumes a power of 1.4 mW at a supply voltage of 1.8 V. The performance of the proposed system is also compared with simple TDM-based WNR. Simulations shows that in the proposed system the CT is considerably decreased.     

金属结构红外探测器振动噪声的研究

为使红外探测器在振动干扰的环境下仍具有足够高的探测率,必须降低其因振动而产生的噪声幅度.控制探测器振动噪声的主要手段之一是控制其机械振动幅度,尤其是共振振幅.采用锤击法,利用冲击激励的宽频特性,研究了金属结构红外探测器的共振特性及影响振动噪声的力学因素.通过改变探测器结构的动力学特性,探寻了减振降噪的几种途径.实验结果表明,探测器悬臂冷指的结构参数对探测器的振动特性起主要作用.在冷指自由端与壳体间填胶做支撑、或冷指固定端与壳体间用胶粘隔振的减振降噪效果最好,可使振动噪声降至原值的1/20.     

红外探测器的1/f噪声谱测试

研究红外探测器的1／f噪声谱是为了解探测器表面处理情况,尽可能地降低1／f噪声谱的转折频率。文中对1／f噪声进行简单介绍后,叙述了1／f噪声测试原理及系统组成,最后给出了典型的HgCdTe光导／光伏型探测器的1／f噪声谱曲线,并对其进行了分析说明。     

Tanlock loop noise reduction using an optimised phase detector

This article proposes a time-delay digital tanlock loop (TDTL), which uses a new phase detector (PD) design that is optimised for noise reduction making it amenable for applications that require wide lock range without sacrificing the level of noise immunity. The proposed system uses an improved phase detector design which uses two phase detectors; one PD is used to optimise the noise immunity whilst the other is used to control the acquisition time of the TDTL system. Using the modified phase detector it is possible to reduce the second- and higher-order harmonics by at least 50% compared with the conventional TDTL system. The proposed system was simulated and tested using MATLAB/Simulink using frequency step inputs and inputs corrupted with varying levels of harmonic distortion. A hardware prototype of the system was implemented using a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The practical and simulation results indicate considerable improvement in the noise performance of the proposed system over the conventional TDTL architecture.     

空间遥感用InGaAs探测器低噪声电路系统设计

InGaAs短波红外探测器对于空间遥感有着重要应用价值。为了实现空间遥感仪器提出的高信噪比要求,首先要降低InGaAs探测器后端信号获取电路自身的噪声水平,其次利用热电制冷器对InGaAs探测器制冷,并通过连续式温度控制电路保证热电制冷器在温控过程中对探测器无干扰,使探测器稳定地工作在合适的温度点,这样才能满足仪器的信噪比要求。结果表明,信号获取电路与温度控制电路两部分有效结合,整个低噪声电路系统能明显提高仪器信噪比。     

The ANN based detector to remove random-valued impulse noise in images

This paper presents an artificial neural network (ANN) based method to detect random-valued impulse noise (RVIN) in images. The proposed method employs the ANN to decide whether a pixel is corrupted or not with RVIN. The inputs of the ANN are the rank ordered absolute differences (ROAD) and the rank-ordered logarithmic difference (ROLD) values. After the detection process is completed, the corrupted pixels are restored by the edge-preserving regularization (EPR) method which allows edges and noise-free pixels to be preserved. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on different test images and compared with ten different comparison filters from the literature. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method provides significant improvement over comparison filters especially for high noise densities.     

光电探测器噪声特性分析

光电探测器输出信号的真实性和稳定性是衡量其工作性能的重要指标.分析光电探测器的输出噪声,对提高器件工作性能的研究具有指导意义.针对光电探测器不同的噪声来源,从光电探测器噪声产生机理上全面分析了其输出噪声,给出了几种噪声电流的理论计算关系,为进一步研究光电探测器的噪声特征打下了一定的基础.     

台面型InGaAs探测器暗电流及低频噪声研究

制备了一系列不同面积的台面型InGaAs红外探测器,通过周长面积比(P/A)的变化分析了器件的暗电流机制及低频噪声性能。结果表明,在现有的材料和工艺水平下,台面边缘和体内的产生复合电流都在总暗电流中占了较大部分。对测试结构器件的低频噪声测量表明,在反偏下,器件表现出明显的1/f噪声;由于边缘产生复合电流对小尺寸器件的影响大,其产生的噪声使得器件总噪声变大。这些结果表明,以后的工艺改进应注重减少边缘电流和体内产生复合电流。     

二极管非制冷红外探测器及其读出电路设计

针对非制冷红外技术的低成本高性能应用,提出了基于SOI的二极管红外探测器及其读出电路的集成设计方案。阐述了二极管非制冷红外探测器的基本原理和工艺实现。对探测器的电学特性进行理论推导,得出读出电路的设计指标。采用连续时间自稳零电路结构实现探测器输出信号的低噪声低失调放大,采用级联滤波器以减弱开关非理想因素的影响,并采用片内电容采样保持,使得I/O引脚数较少,从而减小版图面积。采用spectre工具进行仿真,在CSMC 0.5 m 2P3M CMOS工艺下实现。结果表明:读出电路性能良好,闭环增益为65.8 dB,等效输入噪声谱密度为450 nV/Hz,等效输入失调电压100 V以内,功耗为5 mW,能实现探测器信号的准确读出。     

红外探测器的低噪声前置放大电路设计

在红外探测器的工程应用中,前置放大电路是影响整个探测系统性能的重要组成部分。本文从制冷型碲镉汞光导红外探测器的工作特性出发,设计了一种恒流偏置的低噪声前置放大电路。对电路的工作原理以及噪声性能进行分析,并进行了电路仿真验证以及低噪声的性能测试。实验结果表明,基于窄带滤波法设计的前置放大电路信噪比达到80 dB,具有60~120 dB的可调增益,可以有效抑制噪声并检测到10-8A量级的微变交流信号,在信号检测方面达到了良好的检测效果。     

红外线列探测器闪元噪声分析与抑制方法

分析了闪元现象在红外扫描图像中的特点,设计了基于时序多帧最大值投影的闪元检测与补偿方法.考虑到闪元仍然保留了一定的信息获取能力,采用一维中值滤波的方法单独对闪元位置进行背景抑制,对闪元补偿后的图像进行常规目标检测.实验验证表明,经背景抑制后,闪元位置平均目标信杂比可以达到常规位置的96%,目标信息得到较好的保留.常规目标检测方法不再受到闪元噪声的干扰.     

Effect of sampling,quantization and noise on the performance of the second directional derivative edge detector

Berzins [2] and De Vriendt [14] studied the processes that influence the performance of the Laplacian and the second directional derivative edge detector in the continuous domain. In this paper the influence of sampling, quantization and noise is studied in the discrete domain for the second directional derivative edge detector. The results are compared with those for the Laplacian edge detector. The smoothing and derivative operations are implemented by FIR digital filters. Two sampling processes are considered: a square aperture and a Gaussian smoothing process. The influence of sampling can be limited by increasing the spread of the smoothing filter. Though, should not be chosen too large because of the influence of nearby edges. The quantization of the intensity function introduces an uncertainty in the edge location. The uncertainty is larger than the error due to sampling if the step height is small. We also prove that the second directional derivative is less sensitive to noise than the Laplacian. An increase of slightly reduces the variation of the edge location.This work was supported by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO).     

Hardware architecture for an anti-traffic noise system

This work presents an energy efficient architecture for an anti-traffic noise system. The hardware is designed for a road side unit (RSU) in intelligent transportation systems. Fast Fourier Transform is the cornerstone for the suggested system. An ultra low power architecture for the FFT suitable for FPGA implementation is derived. Bit-widths for both data and twiddle factors are optimized for low-power. The architecture uses an efficient complex multiplier that has 25% less multiplications. An algorithm to compute the number of time-shared butterflies for a given FFT block size and a target throughput is elaborated. Finally synthesis results using fixed-point VHDL library and commercial IP are presented and compared with the proposed FFT processor.     

An alternative method for transistor low frequency noise estimation by measuring phase noise of test oscillator

In this paper we suggest an alternative method for the analysis of low frequency noise of transistors based on measurements of phase noise of a test oscillator. This method is demonstrated by experimental results obtained with a simple test oscillator with HEMT, and central frequency of 13.769 GHz. The main contribution to phase noise of the test oscillator comes from up conversion of transistor LF noise. This idea and the method can be used for the selection of transistors for high frequency application or for design of test circuit in RF IC manufacture.     

Low-power LVDS I/O interface for above 2Gb/s-per-pin operation

Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) has become a popular choice for high-speed serial links to conquer the bandwidth bottleneck of intra-chip data transmission. This paper presents the design and the implementation of LVDS Input/Output (I/O) interface circuits in a standard 0.18 μm CMOS technology using thick gate oxide devices (3.3 V), fully compatible with LVDS standard. In the proposed transmitter, a novel Common-Mode FeedBack (CMFB)circuit is utilized to keep the common-mode output voltage stable ...     

用于天文观测的InGaAs近红外探测器性能测试方法

基于天文红外探测器评价体系,利用改进的“光子转移曲线”测试方法,分别测试了液氮制冷和热电制冷的两款InGaAs近红外探测器的性能。NIRvana-LN光电子与输出数字量的转换因子为0.16ADU/e^-,读出噪声实测值是83 e^-,远高于标称值15 e^-;NIRvana的高、低转换因子分别为1.25ADU/e^-和0.097ADU/e^-,读出噪声分别为105 e^-和380 e^-;NIRvana在高转换因子档下暗电流实测值是415 e^-/s,大约是标称值的2倍。理论估算云南天文台两米环形望远镜在1.565 μm太阳磁场测量时的信号电子数约8800 e^-,在实测暗电流4.06 e^-/s,像元曝光时间20 ms,读出噪声83.59 e^-条件下,NIRvana-LN探测器信噪比为70。     

基于颜色分量单独噪声检测的混合中值滤波器

为了进一步提高开关型矢量中值滤波器滤除脉冲噪声尤其是细微噪声的能力,提出了一种基于颜色分量单独噪声检测的开关型标量和矢量混合中值滤波器(SVHMF)。与其它经典矢量滤波器相比,SVHMF最大的不同在于它是根据对像素点各个颜色单独进行噪声检测的结果,采用与之相适应的标量和矢量混和滤波方法。新滤波器可以最大限度地保护彩色图像图像像素中未被噪声干扰的颜色分量数据,从而可以进一步提高滤波效果。实验数据表明:SVHMF的滤波效果明显优于其它各类在彩色图像降噪中得到广泛应用的矢量中值滤波器。     

A SiGe LC-ladder low noise amplifier with base resistance match,gain and noise flatness for UWB applications

This study presents a 3.1–10.6 GHz ultra-wideband low noise amplifier (UWB LNA) in 0.18 µm SiGe HBT technology. To achieve a good input match, parasitic base resistance in a bipolar transistor and an LC-ladder filter are included into calculations with the common-emitter topology using shunt–shunt capacitive feedback. Both high and flat power gain (S₂₁) and low and flat noise figure (NF) are achieved by adjusting the pole and zero in amplifying stage and quality factors of the fourth-order input network. Design equations for performances such as gain, noise figure and linearity IIP3 are derived especially on gain flatness and noise flatness. LNA dissipates 33 mW power and achieves S₂₁ of 20.65+0.7 dB, NF of 2.79+0.2 dB over the band of 3.1–10.6 GHz. The simulated input third-order intermodulation point (IIP3) is −17 dBm at 10 GHz.