Fast algorithms for estimating the correlation functions of large signals

A fast algorithm is proposed for estimating the auto- and cross-correlation functions of a large signal. The algorithm is based on the sectioning method by the fast Fourier transform. We determine the optimal length of the portion of data read from external memory into RAM which achieves T_min—a minimum processing time. An estimate of T_min is obtained.Translated from Kibernetika, No. 3, pp. 78–81, May–June, 1991.     

Performance engineering and topological design of metro WDM opticalnetworks using computer simulation

This paper demonstrates the use of computer simulation for topological design and performance engineering of transparent wavelength-division multiplexing metropolitan-area networks. Engineering of these networks involves the study of various transport-layer impairments such as amplifier noise, component ripple, chirp/dispersion, optical crosstalk, waveform distortion due to filter concatenation, fiber nonlinearities, and polarization effects. A computer simulation methodology composed of three main simulation steps is derived and implemented. This methodology obtains performance estimations by applying efficient wavelength-domain simulations on the entire network topology, followed by time-/frequency-domain simulations on selected paths of the network and finally Q-budgeting on an identified worst case path. The above technique provides an efficient tool for topological design and network performance engineering. Accurate simulation models are presented for each of the performance impairments, and the computer simulation methodology is used for the design and engineering of a number of actual metro network architectures     

Systematic characterization of Cl2 reactive ion etchingfor improved ohmics in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Pre-metal-deposition reactive ion etching (RIE) was performed on an Al_0.3Ga_0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructure in order to improve the metal-to-semiconductor contact resistance. An optimum AlGaN thickness for minimizing contact resistance was determined. An initial decrease in contact resistance with etching time was explained in terms of removal of an oxide surface layer and/or by an increase in tunnelling current with the decrease of the AlGaN thickness. The presence of a dissimilar surface layer was confirmed by an initial nonuniform etch depth rate. An increase in contact resistance for deeper etches was experienced. The increase was related to depletion of the two-dimensional (2-D) electron gas (2-DEG) under the ohmics. Etch depths were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The contact resistance decreased from about 0.45 Ωmm for unetched ohmics to a minimum of 0.27 Ωmm for 70 Å etched ohmics. The initial thickness of the AlGaN layer was 250 Å. The decrease in contact resistance, without excessive complications on device processing, supports RIE etching as a viable solution to improve ohmic contact resistance in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs     

Reduced and differential parallel interference cancellation forCDMA systems

Since code division multiple access systems in multipath environments suffer from multiple access interference (MAI), multiuser detection schemes should be used in the receivers. Parallel interference cancellation (PIC) is a promising method to combat MAI due to its relatively low computational complexity and good performance. It is shown that the complexity of PIC is still high for realistic scenarios in terms of the symbol rate, the number of users, spreading gain, and multipath components. However, two novel methods are introduced to reduce significantly the complexity without sacrificing performance. The first approach, called reduced PIC, takes advantage of the composition of the interference to concentrate interference cancellation only on significant terms. The second approach, called differential PIC, exploits the multistage character of PIC to avoid unnecessary double calculations of certain terms in consecutive stages. It is shown that a combination of both approaches leads to a performance very close to the single-user bound whereas the complexity can be kept on the order of the conventional RAKE receiver     

Mode coupling contribution to radiation losses in curvatures for high and low numerical aperture plastic optical fibers

We have studied the optical power losses due to multiple curvatures in polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) plastic optical fibers (POFs) of different numerical apertures (NAs) and attenuation. The fibers were tested for several configurations in order to assess the influence of different types of curved-to-straight fiber transitions in the amount of power radiation. We found that losses are below the standards for all tested fiber types, and thus, they are a suitable choice for local area network (LAN) applications. In addition, our results revealed the presence of modal interactions as confirmed using an experimental procedure to estimate the mode coupling strength for the same fibers.     

Environmental-stress-screening using degradation measurements

ESS (environmental stress screening) has been extensively used to reduce infant mortality by precipitating defects. The existing ESS plans precipitate defects by stressing all products for specified durations. The plans usually require long screen durations to allow nearly all defective items to fail, and thus generate excessive aging effects on good items. For some products, failures are defined in terms of performance characteristics exceeding their critical values. This paper describes the principles of using degradation measurements of performance characteristics to screen the products. In an ESS, the performance characteristics of defective items degrade considerably faster than those of good ones, yielding a bimodal distribution of the characteristics. As screen duration increases, the 2 modes of the distribution shift apart. It is possible to find a tightened critical value to weed out the defective items before they fail. This paper, based on these principles, further designs the optimal 2-level screen plans which minimize a segment of life-cycle cost and which simultaneously meet the reliability requirement. The minimum cost is achieved by choosing optimal part-level and unit-level screen durations and tightened critical values of parts. A numerical example is followed by discussion. Because the ESS regime of this paper allows defective parts to be screened out before they fail, the developed optimal ESS plans can reduce life-cycle cost, shorten part-level screen duration, and alleviate aging effects on good products     

Integrated chaos generators

This paper surveys the different design issues, from mathematical model to silicon, involved in the design of analog CMOS integrated circuits for the generation of chaotic behavior