A Passive UHF RF Identification CMOS Tag IC Using Ferroelectric RAM in 0.35-μm Technology

A passive UHF RF identification (RFID) tag IC with embedded 2-KB ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) for rewritable applications enables a 2.9 times faster read-and-write transaction time over EEPROM-based tag ICs. The resulting FeRAM-based tag has a nominally identical communication range for both read and write operations, which is indispensable for data write applications. The evaluated tag communication range with a folded dipole antenna is from 0 m to 4.3 m, at the 953-MHz carrier frequency with 4-W transmitting Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) from a reader/writer. The developed tag IC features two circuit blocks to maximize the communication range in 0.35-mum CMOS/FeRAM technology. First is a CMOS-only full-wave rectifier, which can improve the measured efficiency by up to 36.6% by reducing the input parasitic capacitances and optimization of multiplier structure. This efficiency is more than twice that of previously-published results. Second is a low-voltage current-mode ASK demodulator to accommodate a low-breakdown voltage of FeRAM, which converts the ASK power modulation into a linearly modulated current over an incoming power range of 27 dB, corresponding to the entire communication range. The developed demodulator can thus resolve the primary design tradeoff issue between device protection and detection sensitivity in the conventional voltage-mode demodulator     

Stability of a-Si:H solar cells deposited by Ar-treatment or by ECR techniques

Stability against light soaking was studied for amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells using three different i-layers; (a) device-quality a-Si:H (standard a-Si:H) with bandgap of 1.75 eV, (b) narrow bandgap (1.55 eV) a-Si:H fabricated by Ar* chemical annealing and (c) a-Si:H(Cl) fabricated from SiH₂Cl₂. Both the narrow bandgap a-Si:H and the a-Si:H(Cl) solar cells showed much improved stability than that of the standard a-Si:H solar cells: e.g., fill factor of the narrow bandgap a-Si:H cell only slightly decreased from 56% to 53%, while that of the standard a-Si:H cell degraded from 62% to 51%. In addition, mobility–lifetime products of the a-Si:H(Cl) cell also exhibited improved stability than that of the standard a-Si:H solar cell.     

Boundary element method for electromagnetic scattering from cylinders

The computation of low frequency scattering of electromagnetic fields by solid/hollow dielectric or conducting cylinders using the boundary element method (BEM) is considered. A general computer program has been developed for both transverse electric and magnetic cases. Numerical examples are given for conducting circular cylinders, and solid and hollow dielectric cylinders. The computational accuracy is checked by comparing the results with the analytic solution or computing an error defined from the optical theorem. In addition some problems at an interior resonance of the scatterer are discussed. The method can be directly applied to more complicated geometries.     

Gas entrainment rate and flow pattern of vertical plunging liquid jets

For a vertical plunging liquid jet system using various liquids, the effects of the operating conditions including the nozzle length-to-diameter ratio on the gas entrainment rate Q_g were evaluated experimentally. The differences in Q_g were related to the changes in the jet shape before plunging and the velocity of the plunging liquid jet at the point where the gas sheath breaks up. Empirical relationships were also presented to predict the maximum depth Z of bubbles entrained by the diffusing jet. The changes of Z were further discussed in terms of the downward liquid velocity distribution in the submerged two-phase region, which depends mainly on the size of entrained bubbles.     

Structural chirality of cholesteric liquid crystal produces atropisomerism: Chiroptical polyisocyanides from achiral monomer in cholesteric liquid crystal matrix

1-Naphthyl isocyanide was polymerized with Ni(II) catalyst in a cholesteric matrix at the liquid crystal (LC) temperature range. The resultant polymers showed optical activity. In this reaction, the structural chirality of cholesteric LC effectively functions to impart one-handed helicity on the corresponding polymers as an optically active atropisomer.     

A GaAs FET-IC mixer achieving high receiver sensitivity for coherent optical heterodyne detection at 2.5 Gb/s

A FET-IC mixer that uses a Gilbert-cell multiplier with a single-to-balance conversion input buffer is proposed. The key point in the FET-IC mixer design is that a single-to-balance conversion input buffer is used to improve the amplitude and phase balance of signals output from the input buffer stage. Excellent squaring characteristics were achieved in the range from 0 to -25 dBm. The FET-IC mixer was successfully tested in a 2.5 Gb/s CPFSK demodulator for optical heterodyne reception. Compared to the best diode passive double-balanced diode mixers, receiver sensitivity was improved by 1 dB at +10 dBm electrical input power. Very small degradation in receiver sensitivity, less than 3 dB, was achieved at electrical input power levels ranging from +10 to -10 dBm.<>     

Fabrication of long length Bi-2223 superconductor tape using continuous electrophoretic deposition on round and flat substrates

We have developed a continuous fabrication process for producing long lengths of Bi-2223 superconductor tapes. The process involves sequentially electrophoretically depositing and sintering superconductor and then silver layers on a substrate, followed by rolling and thermal processing. Both round and flat silver substrates have been used. Bi-2223 tapes made using flat silver substrates require only a few processing steps. Transport critical current densities at 77K in zero applied magnetic field exceeding 20000 A/cm² have been obtained.     

A 3.3-V 12-ns 16-Mb CMOS SRAM

A 16-Mb CMOS SRAM having an access time of 12 ns under a 3.3-V supply has been developed with a 0.4-μm process technology. An address access time of 12 ns has been achieved by an optimized architecture, the use of an automated transistor size optimizer, and a read-bus midlevel preset scheme (RBMIPS). For better yield and efficient testing, an on-chip test circuit with three test modes has been implemented     

Polarization diversity detection performance of 2.5-Gb/s CPFSKregenerators intended for field use

2.5-Gb/s continuous-phase frequency-shift keying (CPFSK) regenerators are studied in laboratory and field experiments. A polarization diversity receiver is constructed with newly designed automatic gain and automatic frequency controllers. It achieves a sensitivity fluctuation of about 0.5 dB against all input signal polarization states. The automatic gain control is used in the intermediate-frequency circuits of the receiver and stably operates over 15 dB of input signal power variation. The automatic frequency control (AFC) is sufficiently stable to withstand a 30-kHz input signal polarization variation between two orthogonal linear polarization modes. AFC stability is maintained even if the environmental temperature of the laser diode modules fluctuates from 15 to 35 C. The polarization fluctuation in both cases results in only 0.1-dB degradation in receiver sensitivity