Sigma-delta modulators operating at a limit cycle

A new type of sigma-delta modulator that operates in a special mode named limit-cycle mode (LCM) is proposed. In this mode, most of the SDM building blocks operate at a frequency that is an integer fraction of the applied sampling frequency. That brings several very attractive advantages: a reduction of the required power consumption per converted bandwidth, an immunity to excessive loop delays and to digital-analog converter waveform asymmetry and a higher tolerance to clock imperfections. The LCMs are studied via a graphical application of the describing function theory. A second-order continuous time SDM with 5 MHz conversion bandwidth, 1 GHz sampling frequency and 125 MHz limit-cycle frequency is used as a test case for the evaluation of the performance of the proposed type of modulators. High level and transistor simulations are presented and compared with the traditional SDM designs.     

A CMOS V-I converter with 75-dB SFDR and 360-/spl mu/W power consumption

This work describes a method for analysis of voltage-to-current converters (V-I converters or transconductors) and a novel V- I converter circuit with significantly improved linearity. The new circuit utilizes a combination of cross-coupling and local resistive feedback for a significant, simultaneous suppression of the third- and fifth-order harmonic distortion components in the transconductor characteristics. An evaluation of the optimal circuit dimensioning is shown. Simple and robust design rules are derived for the chosen operation conditions. The transistor implementation is presented and a prototype V- I converter is realized in a digital 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The measured spurious-free dynamic range is 75 dB in a frequency band of 10 MHz. The circuit occupies less than 0.02 mm/sup 2/ and dissipates 360 /spl mu/W.     

Prolonged laser ablation effects of YBCO ceramic targets during thin film deposition: Influence of processing parameters

Cumulative laser irradiation during high-Tc superconducting thin film pulsed laser deposition (PLD) may have a detrimental effect on film characteristics. Initial decrease of deposition rate and gradual shift of the center of the deposited material spot towards the incoming laser beam were registered on cold glass substrates. Their absorbance was used for evaluation of the film thickness distribution over the substrate area. At the initial stage, two components of the spot could be distinguished along its short axis: central (cosⁿ , n1) and peripherial (cos ), while with cumulative irradiation the thickness followed an overall cos^m (m相似文献   

Efficient temporal shaping of ultrashort pulses with birefringent crystals

We report on a simple and robust technique to temporally shape ultrashort pulses. A number of birefringent crystals with appropriate crystal length and orientation form a crystal set. When a short pulse propagates through the crystal set, the pulse is divided into numerous pulses, producing a desired temporal shape. Flexibility in the final pulse shape is achieved through varying initial pulse duration, divided-pulse number, the polarization-mode delay, and energy distribution of the divided pulses. The energy efficiency of the technique is near 100% for a pulse train of alternating polarizations, and 50% for a linearly polarized pulse train.     

Analysis and design of high-performance asynchronous sigma-delta Modulators with a binary quantizer

Asynchronous sigma-delta modulators (ASDMs) are closed-loop nonlinear systems that transform the information in the amplitude of their input signal into time information in the output signal, without suffering from quantization noise such as in synchronous sigma-delta modulators. This is an important advantage with many interesting applications. In contrast with their synchronous counterparts, ASDMs have been underexposed. Both conceptually and analytically, they are quite complex. This paper investigates in detail the analysis, design and circuit-implementation aspects of ASDMs with a binary quantizer. In the ASDM, the amplitude-time transformation is done using an inherent self-oscillation denoted as a limit cycle. The oscillation frequency is addressed as the main design parameter that determines the spectral properties of the ASDMs and the quality of the amplitude-time transformation. Analytical and graphical derivations of the limit cycle frequency are treated. The impact of the filter order and the properties of the nonlinear element are elaborated on. Circuit implementations and the tradeoffs in the design are presented for a first- and a second-order ASDM that target the VDSL front-end specifications. Prototypes are implemented in a digital 0.18-/spl mu/m 1.8-V CMOS technology. The measured SFDR is 75dB in a frequency band of 8MHz for the first-order ASDM, and 72dB in a band of 12MHz for the second-order ASDM. The dissipated power is 1.5 mW and 2.2 mW, respectively.     

Transparent Magnetic Glass-Ceramics

Transparent magnetic glass-ceramics were produced by infiltrating nano-porous glass with nitrate salts and firing. The resultant glass-ceramics contained spinel ferrite nanocrystals that exhibited ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic behavior depending on composition and firing temperature. Transparency in the near infrared was obtained when oxidizing conditions were used to prevent Fe²⁺ formation, while the porous matrix ensured nano-sized crystallites to limit scattering losses. MnFe₂O₄ glass-ceramics treated at 1000°C offered the best combination of magnetic and optical properties with a saturation magnetization of 5.6 emu/g, a Verdet constant of 16.5°/cm, and losses below 3 dB/mm at 1550 nm.