Equalization and Clock and Data Recovery Techniques for 10-Gb/s CMOS Serial-Link Receivers

Two equalizer filter topologies and a merged equalizer/CDR circuit are described that operate at 10 Gb/s in 0.13-mum CMOS technology. Using techniques such as reverse scaling, passive peaking networks, and dual- and triple-loop adaptation, the prototypes adapt to FR4 trace lengths up to 24 inches. The equalizer/CDR circuit retimes the data with a bit error rate of 10^-13 while consuming 133 mW from a 1.6-V supply.     

Melting and solidification in microgravity of sintered aluminum powder alloys

Results of melting and solidification experiments in μ-g of sintered aluminum powder alloys (with 4 pct and 7 pct of A1₂O₃) are presented. Thin oxide films have been used as tight containers which remain adherent during melting and solidification. Convective motion in melted metals in μ-g are indicated from observations of the oxide particle distribution after melting and solidification. Effects of Marangoni convection are always observed in relatively large cylindrical samples, 5 mm diameters, melted and solidified in μ-g. Thin disc-shaped samples do not present evidence of convective motions in μ-g. Even in the absence of convective motion in the thin samples, some particle aggregation occurs, depending on the interactions with the solidification front and conditioned by diffusion controlled critical radii for capture in the solid. This paper is based on a presentation made in the symposium “Experimental Methods for Microgravity Materials Science Research” presented at the 1988 TMS-AIME Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, January 25–29, 1988, under the auspices of the ASM/MSD Thermodynamic Data Committee and the Material Processing Committee.     

Plastic deformation of dispersion hardened S.A.P. alloys—dislocation emission and sink phenomena

Comparative observations were carried out on the plastic deformation characteristics of cold-rolled and recrystallized S.A.P. sheets, particular attention being given to the apparent and true activation volumes and energies. The higher flow stresses of the cold-rolled specimens are interpreted on the basis of a dislocation sink and emission model, by assuming that the sink rate is conditioned by the dislocation tangles pinned against the grain boundaries. Recrystallized sheet strength and dislocation emission processes are discussed in terms of conservative climb and backstresses due to dislocations pinned by the oxide particles.