EEWeb Pulse - Volume 116 by EEWeb Magazines

M o v i n g To w a r d s a

Clean Energy

FUTURE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hugo van Nispen, COO of DNV KEMA

Cutting Edge

SPICE

Modeling

Silicon Carbide MOSFET Technology

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CONTENTS

PULSE

Featured Products

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest products from EEWeb.

Cutting Edge SPICE Modeling

With the proliferation of complex portable devices comes the need for more new methods of modeling for analog technologies.

Touchstone's New Boost Regulator

Why the new TS3310 boost regulator is big news for small electronics developers.

Hugo van Nispen

COO of DNV KEMA

How this leading energy consulting company is facing complex challenges to ensure a clean energy future.

Silicon Carbide MOSFET Technology

The ROHM 1200V SiC MOSFET offers an attractive alternative to SI MOSFETs and IGBTs in high power applications.

rcuits

Product Overview

Mouser Electronics presents an overview of the SN8200 Wi-Fi Module Evaluation Kit from Murata.

n Seth, Suman Banerjee, Stefano Poli, Tracey Krakowski

CE compact models are analytical, semi-numerical, or empirical

ntations of various active and passive devices (such as transistors,

s, diodes etc) suitable for use in circuit simulations. Based on physical

nciples and experimental measurements, compact models accurately

RTZ

Return to Zero Comic

8 16 20 28 34 38

e the electrical characteristics (e.g. dc, ac, cv across temperature) of

ular fabrication technology, thereby providing an essential link between

and systems design on one hand, and foundries on the other hand.

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PULSE Ultra Low-Power Wireless Microcontroller The JN5168-001-Myy family from NXP is a range of ultra low power, high performance surface mount modules targeted at IEEE 802.15.4, JenNet-IP, ZigBee Light Link, ZigBee Smart Energy and RF4CE networking applications, enabling users to realise products with minimum time to market and at the lowest cost. They remove the need for expensive and lengthy development of custom RF board designs and test suites. The modules use NXP’s JN5168 wireless microcontroller to provide a comprehensive solution with large memory...Read More

High-Speed USB Peripheral Controller The R8A66593 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Peripheral Controller that is compliant with USB Specification Revision 2.0 for Hi-Speed and Full-Speed transfer. This controller has a built-in USB transceiver and is compatible with all the transfer types defined in USB Specification Revision 2.0. The internal buffer memory is 8.5K, and a maximum ten pipes can be used for transferring data. For Pipe1 to Pipe9, any endpoint address can be assigned matching user system. Separate bus or multiplex bus can be selected for the CPU connection...Read More

High Brightness SMT Oval LED Lamp The Avago ALMD-Lx36 oval LED series has the same or just slightly less luminous intensity than conventional high brightness, through-hole LEDs. The new oval LED lamps can be assembled using common SMT assembly processes and are compatible with industrial reflow soldering processes. The LEDs are made with an advanced optical grade epoxy for superior performance in outdoor sign applications. The surface mount Oval LEDs are specifically designed for full color/video signs and indoor or outdoor passenger information sign applications...Read More

Low Power Multi-Rate Retimer The DS110DF111 device is a dual channel (1-lane bidirectional) retimer with integrated signal conditioning. DS110DF111 includes an input Continuous-Time Linear Equalizer (CTLE), clock and data recovery (CDR) and transmit driver on each channel. DS110DF111 with its on-chip Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) can enhance the reach and robustness of long, lossy, cross-talk-impaired high speed serial links to achieve BER < 1×10-15. For Less demanding applications/interconnects, the DFE can be switched off and achieve the same BER performance...Read More

Monolithic Six-Channel Digital Isolator The four unidirectional channels are each capable of DC to 50Mbps, with two of the four channels passing data across the isolation barrier in each direction. The two bidirectional channels are open drain and each is capable of data rates from DC to 2Mbps. Independent 3.0V to 5.5V supplies on each side of the isolator also make it suitable for use as a level translator. The MAX14850 can be used for isolating SPI busses, I²C busses with clock stretching, RS-232, RS-485/RS-422 busses, and generalpurpose isolation...Read More

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FEATURED PRODUCTS MCU for Security Firewall Applications The ZGATE Embedded Security Firewall combines the eZ80F91 MCU and Zilog’s fullfeatured ZTP Embedded Internet Software Suite and TCP/IP Stack with a world-class embedded firewall. This highly-configurable firewall protects the ZTP networking layers from attack by discarding suspicious packets before they reach ZTP and your embedded application. The eZ80F91 MCU is industry’s first MCU featuring a high-performance 8-bit microcontroller with an integrated 10/100 BaseT EMAC...Read More

266 MHz "Carmine" Standalone GDC MB86297 “Carmine” is a new high end extension to the Fujitsu Graphic Controller Family. This chip carries a brand new graphics core which will deliver 10x more performance as Coral PA. All relevant blocks inside the chip are redesigned and will be optimized for high-end in-car multimedia applications. Carmine will be 100% compatible to OpenGL ES 1.1. All transform and lighting functions can be executed in hardware. s a new feature, Carmine will have two independent display output units. Both can generate individual display timings and resolutions...Read More

40V Low Noise Precision Op Amp The ISL28177 device from Intersil is an OP07 replacement featuring low input offset voltage, low input bias current and competitive noise and AC performance. The ESD ratings are best among competitive parts at 5kV HBM, 300V MM and 2.2kV CDM. The amplifier operates over the 6V (±3V) to 40V (±20V) range. Applications include precision active filters, medical and analytical instrumentation, precision power supply controls, and industrial sensors. The ISL28177 has a wide supply range and low input offset voltages...Read More

Versatile Off-Line PWM Switch TOP100-4 is a 3-pin switch device for an off-line switched mode control system. These include high voltage N-channel power MOSFET with controlled turn-on gate driver, voltage mode PWM controller with integrated 100 kHz oscillator, high voltage start-up bias circuit, bandgap derived reference, bias shunt regulator/error amplifier for loop compensation and fault protection circuitry. Compared to discrete MOSFET and controller or self oscillating (RCC) switching converter solutions, a TOPSwitch integrated circuit can reduce total cost, component count, size, weight and at the same time increase efficiency and system reliability...Read More

PCI Express Signal-Conditioning Retimer The IDT 89HT0832P is a 32-channel (16-lane) retimer capable of 8 Gbps-per-channel transfers, providing a total of 256 Gbps of communication bandwidth for data intensive applications. The 89HT0832P is protocol-aware to support the PCIe 3.0-compliant equalization procedure for receiver and transmitter configuration, which eases system design-in complexity, and insures reliable low bit-error-rate operation with any PCI Express 3.0-compliant device, expansion card, or host bus adapter. The retimer’s receivers include a high-performance continuous-time linear equalizer analog frontend followed by a five-tap decision feedback equalizer...Read More

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PULSE Highly Integrated Analog PIC MCUs Microchip Technology announced the release of a new family of microcontrollers — the PIC24FJ128GC010. This family is an analog system on a chip that integrates a full analog signal chain, including Microchip’s first ever on-chip precision 16-bit ADC and 10 Msps 12-bit ADC, plus a DAC and dual operational amplifiers, along with eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology for extended battery life in portable medical and industrial applications. This combination of analog integration and low power consumption reduces system cost and noise and improves the signal throughput in applications...Read More

N-Channel EPAD MOSFET Arrays Advanced Linear Devices ALD210800/ALD210800A Precision N-Channel EPAD MOSFET Arrays are precision matched at the factory using ALD’s proven EPAD CMOS technology. These quad monolithic devices are enhanced additions to the ALD110800A/ALD110800 EPAD MOSFET Family, with increased forward transconductance and output conductance, particularly at very low supply voltages. Intended for low voltage, low power small signal applications, the ALD210800/ALD210800A features Zero-Threshold voltage, which enables circuit design...Read More

BLDC Vibration Motor Driver The MLX90283 device is a one-chip solution for driving single-coil brushless DC vibration motors. Designed in mixed signal CMOS technology, the device integrates Hall sensor with dynamic offset cancellation, control logic and full bridge output driver. Targeting vibration motor application requirements, Melexis innovates by introducing the new “Active Start” function that improves motor start-up reliability. The device is delivered in an Ultra Thin QFN package. Its 0.4mm thickness enables thin and competitive vibration motor design...Read More

0.8 Amp Sensitive SCRs Introducing Littlefuse’s EC103xx & SxSx, a series of excellent unidirectional switches for phase control applications such as heating and motor speed controls. These sensitive gate SCRs are easily triggered with microAmps of current as furnished by sense coils, proximity switches, and microprocessors. Typical applications for this device includes the capacitive discharge systems for strobe lights and gas engine ignition. Also controls for power tools, home/brown goods and white goods appliances...Read More

DAC Type Electronic Volume The AK2331 is an Electronic volume into which 8-bit 4 channels of multiplication D/A converters are integrated on a single chip. The reference voltage of the D/A converter can be selected from one external path (Vref pin level) and internal three paths (Vss, AVdd, Avdd/2) for each channel and it can be used as a normal D/A converter or an electronic volume that attenuates signals from input pins Vin0 to Vin3. A buffer amplifier is incorporated as the subsequent stage of the D/A converter, which provides rail-to-rail output and a signal with a distortion of -60dB...Read More

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FEATURED PRODUCTS Full-Bridge DMOS PWM Motor Driver Designed for pulse width modulated (PWM) control of DC motors, the A4950 is capable of peak output currents to ±3.5 A and operating voltages to 40 V. Internal circuit protection includes overcurrent protection, motor lead short to ground or supply, thermal shutdown with hysteresis, undervoltage monitoring of VBB, and crossovercurrent protection. For high ambient operating temperature applications, an automotive grade device is offered (A4950K)...Read More

AC/DC Driver ICs with Built-In MOSFET The BM2P Series from ROHM was designed for use in AC adapters, home appliances, office equipment, and the like. A low ON resistance super junction MOSFET is built in for significantly improved efficiency, ensuring compliance with the latest Energy Star* standard. Delivers an optimized power supply system for sets of all types. For 25W adapters, simply replacing the IC itself will boost efficiency to over 87% (compared with sub-87% with conventional products). This can be increased to over 90% by optimizing the circuit (including selecting the right peripheral components)...Read More

Geophone Gain Differential Amplifier Delivering low noise, high performance, and a small footprint, the CS3301A seismic amplifiers is designed for use with geophone sensors. This highly integrated, programmable gain differential amplifier is engineered for precise low frequency, high dynamic range measurements. Based on Cirrus Logic’s patented Multipath amplifier architecture, this powerful amplifier provides unrivaled noise and drift performance. Low-power consumption combined with outstanding THD performance makes them ideal for today’s seismic applications...Read More

Switching High-Frequency Power Inductor The Murata Power Solutions 3000A and 3000B series of low profile power inductors are used in noise reduction circuits of high frequency and high current switching power supplies, DC-DC converters and voltage regulator modules. The 3000A series is available with 80, 100, 150 or 200 nH inductance values. Maximum rated peak current is 57 Amps for the 80 nH device. Typical Rdc is only 0.20 mOhm across the series. The 3000B series has inductance values of 85, 100, 120, 150 or 200 nH and a maximum rated current of 78 A for the 85 nH inductor...Read More

Power-Efficient Cortex-A9 Processor Cortex-A9 is available as either synthesizable or hard-macro implementations. ARM Physical IP is available to support a synthesizable flow optimized for lowest power or highest performance, as well as a choice of hard-macros reducing risk and shortening time-to-market to a minimum. Enhanced ARM Graphics IP like Mali-624 as well as ARM System IP such as CoreLink NIC-400/301 network interconnect and CoreLink DMC-342 dynamic memory controller allow a rapid system design. The Cortex-A9 micro-architecture is supporting the configuration of 16, 32 or 64KB four way associative L1 caches, with up to 8MB of L2 cache...Read More

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PULSE

Cutting Edge

SPICE

Modeling for Analog

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TECH ARTICLE

g Circuits Sachin Seth, Suman Banerjee, Stefano Poli, Tracey Krakowski

- Texas Instruments

SPICE compact models are analytical, semi-numerical, or empirical

representations of various active and passive devices (such as transistors,

resistors, diodes etc) suitable for use in circuit simulations. Based on physical first principles and experimental measurements, compact models accurately

describe the electrical characteristics (e.g. dc, ac, cv across temperature) of

a particular fabrication technology, thereby providing an essential link between circuit and systems design on one hand, and foundries on the other hand.

Visit: eeweb.com

PULSE

With the proliferation of portable electronics, â&#x20AC;&#x153;smart devicesâ&#x20AC;? and automotive electronics, modern analog process technologies must possess multi-dimensional requirements including ultra-low power, high precision, high-power, high speed, and high frequency capabilities. As a result, analog compact models are expected to represent complex parameters of interest such as noise, linearity, mismatch, distortion, efficiency, etc. across a large variety of active and passive devices in a wide range of geometries, biases, and frequencies to enable design optimization. These stringent requirements lend some unique and interesting challenges to compact modeling for analog technologies, some of which we explore in the following sections.

Analog CMOS Technologies Analog CMOS designs range from low power micro-controllers to high precision parts for the industrial and automotive markets. Several of these parts include MEMS sensors and/ or memory blocks. The compact modeling challenges differ for each product. As the name implies, analog CMOS designs use a large number of CMOS components along with high quality passives. Also, many of the designs include high-density CMOS logic.

For low-power microcontroller applications, CMOS components in the design are biased in the weak inversion or sub-threshold region of MOSFET operation. Since the biasing current in the circuits are quite small (typically in 10s or 100s of nA), the margin of error in the SPICE simulations is extremely tight. Further, the compact models have to accurately predict the effect of terminal bias and temperature on the subthreshold current across a large range of device sizes very accurately. Under such low current densities, characterizing and modeling flicker noise becomes very challenging. Moreover, as transistor lengths and gate-oxide thicknesses shrink, accurate modeling of gate current becomes critical. In order to design high precision parts for the industrial and automotive markets, die-to-die mismatch has to be accurately modeled in CMOS components across terminal bias conditions and temperature. Under these circumstances, simple mismatch models based on the Pelgrom law [1] are no longer adequate. More sophisticated models that take into account the impact of channel length and pocket (halo) implants on CMOS mismatch are required [2,3]. Since these designs also involve high quality passives, compact models for these components must have accurate physical formulations for the temperature and voltage coefficients. Analog designs involving MEMS sensors involve conversion of a non-electrical (temperature, pressure, magnetic field, etc.) input to an electrical output signal. Since the sensors are customized for each application, compact models for these components arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t readily available in the simulation tools. Instead, these models have to be built using nonconventional characterization techniques. Developing such compact models require expertise in multiple engineering branches.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of the vertical cross section of a floating gate memory device

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Many analog CMOS designs require custom memory modules - from small bit-sized registers to large memory arrays. Several types of memory components, such as Flash, One-Time Programmable (OTP) ROM, Electrically-Erasable PROM (EEPROM) (Fig. 1) etc. are widely used in analog products.

TECH ARTICLE Compact models that simulate full reading or programming cycles are needed for evaluating power consumption and read/ write access times for memory blocks. Developing dynamical, full-analog compact models that overcome the limitations of finite state machine representation of memory blocks is challenging. Also, physics-based models for floating gate memory elements (e.g. OTP and EEPROM)[4], can suffer from poor convergence properties and aren’t easily portable across different simulation tools. Further, process variability (wafer-towafer and die-to-die) effects need to be implemented in the SPICE models to offer a predictive tool for analyzing and optimizing the design of memory blocks.

High-Speed BiCMOS Technologies High-speed BiCMOS technologies are differentiated by the integration of high performance/high speed SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with advanced CMOS and high quality (HF) passives. While the HBTs are the foundation of the technology and accurate SPICE modeling of these devices is essential, equal attention must be paid to the accuracy of the modeling for the CMOS and HF passives. There are many general SPICE modeling challenges which exist for the components in BiCMOS technologies. In addition to the accuracy requirements for baseline characteristics such as dc/cv modeling over a full range of bias and temperature, mismatch modeling, flicker noise and thermal noise modeling, model accuracy for small signal s-parameter (fT, fMAX, base/gate resistance) and HF linearity figures of merit such as the 1dB power compression, third order intercept, inter-modulation, and power added efficiency are critical as the frequency and data rates of HF/high speed products increase [5]. Simulating the HF figures of merit at device level and circuit level add complexity to the SPICE modeling approach, including the compact model selection. Advanced CMC (Compact Model Coalition) standard compact models available in the public domain (HICUM, MEXTRAM for bipolar devices or BSIM6, PSP, HISIM for CMOS) are typically augmented with RF sub-circuit ‘wrappers’ (substrate networks, external gate/base resistances and diodes, etc.) as a means of modeling the HF figures of merit over

Figure 2: CMOS model symmetry comparison; derivatives of Id(vd) illustrating discontinuity with symmetric and asymmetric model

Figure 3: Passive Ring Mixer validation test circuit and simulation results. frequency. An example of the importance of compact model selection is highlighted for CMOS devices. For HF purposes, the CMOS compact model must have source and drain symmetry as a fundamental feature and guarantee symmetry around Vds=0V, providing correct slopes for harmonic balance simulations [6,7]. The lack of symmetry in a CMOS compact model (ie, BSIM3/4) will manifest itself in a discontinuity in the derivatives of Id(Vd) around Vds=0V and lead to issues with simulations of critical HF parameters, such as the slope of IIP3. Next generation models such as HiSIM, PSP and BSIM6 were developed to alleviate this effect. Visit: eeweb.com

PULSE Power Technologies Modern high-performance process technologies not only include high-speed CMOS and highly-scaled bipolar components as outlined in the previous sections, but also power devices such as Drain Extended MOSFETs (DEMOS), Laterally Diffused MOS (LDMOS) that are utilized under aggressive high-power conditions which are beyond the domain of usability of standard CMOS/BJTs. Such devices are expected to maintain robust transistor operation under high voltages (up to hundreds of volts) and high currents (in the ampere range) across a wide range of temperatures. Power transistors find extensive usage in switching power converter applications such as switched DC-DC converters where maximizing conversion efficiency and minimizing switching losses are paramount. Thus, the prime compact modeling challenges for power devices lie in identifying and modeling switching loss mechanisms such as [9]:

Figure 4: Simplified subcircuit based compact model for LDMOS transistors For simulation accuracy in the design environment, parasitic extraction tools are essential in the HF design flow and are used in conjunction with the SPICE models. The link or boundary between the SPICE model and the parasitic extraction tools must be carefully and deliberately set to ensure that there is no overlap or gap between the parasitic elements included in the model versus those comprehended by the extraction tool. In order to achieve this, the metallization in the HF test structures used for model generation (de-embedding strategy), P-Cells/reference cells in the design environment, the SPICE models and the parasitic extraction tools need to be consistent in the treatment of metallization boundaries. On-wafer test circuits serve to assess the quality of the compact model as well as validating the parasitic extraction tools. For CMOS, the “double balanced passive ring mixer” – a high-performance circuit used for frequency translation in RF transceivers [8] – can be used as a test circuit to evaluate the compact model and validate the symmetry at Vds=0V. The passive ring mixer confirms the deficiency in the asymmetric CMOS model in predicting the IIP3 slope (Fig. 3).

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1. RDSON – To minimize the ON-state conduction losses, power devices possess low channel resistance RDSon which is characterized by the CMOS channel resistance, and the added resistance of drain/source drift regions and interconnects. Sub 1 percent model error margins are expected in the linear region (e.g. VGS=VGSmax, VDS=0.1 V) of operation. 2. QGD – Gate-Drain charge of power devices is a dominant switching power loss factor in power converters, thus QGD modeling allows circuit designers to accurately determine switching times and switching power losses [10, 11]. In fact, a product of QGD and RDSON is commonly used to quantify the switching performance of power devices. 3. QRR – Parasitic diodes (e.g. source-drain diode) within power devices may be responsible for 2-4 percent efficiency loss in power converters. Modeling the “reverse recovery charge” (QRR) when a forwardbiased diode is turned off (dissipating all stored minority charges) allows circuit designers to accurately predict, and design around, all circuit switching losses [12]. Since power devices are designed to withstand high operating voltages, they usually have thick (>100 Å) gate oxides. A thicker gate oxide leads to suppressed gate currents

TECH ARTICLE (with an IG to ID ratio of 1E-19), and thingate effects may be neglected. In addition, the channel lengths in power devices are relatively long compared to advanced CMOS devices. Typically, compact models such as BSIM3, HiSIM-HV, or SP-HV, etc. are used to model the electrical characteristics of modern power devices. While BSIM3 model has certain shortcomings that affect power electronics design – such as lack of self-heating effects, lack of accurate formulation for resistance of source/drain drift regions, these issues can be overcome by employing a “subcircuit-based compact model” approach – which employs a CMOS model at its core wrapped around by additional passive components (resistors and diodes) thereby allowing model simulations to mimic the entirety of real-world transistor physics (Fig. 4). For power devices with thinner gate oxides (specially < 50Å), more recent versions of the BSIM compact model (such as BSIM4/6) may be employed.

Conclusion Analog process technologies are getting extensive usage in the semiconductor industry due to the proliferation of “smart electronics”. As these products mature, the demands on the SPICE modeling methodology for all components, complexity of phenomenon included in the compact models, and tools integrated in the design flow will continue to evolve accordingly. In this article, we explored some of the unique and interesting challenges encountered during analog SPICE compact modeling, which is still considered as an ever evolving art in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

REFERENCES [1] M. J. M. Pelgrom, A. C. J. Duinnaijer, and A. P. G. Welbers, “Matching properties of MOS transistors,” IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 24, no.5, pp. 1433–1440, Oct. 1989. [2] Johnson, J. B., Hook, T.B., Lee, Y-M, “Analysis and Modeling of Threshold Voltage Mismatch for CMOS at 65 nm and Beyond,” IEEE EDL 29(7) 2008

[4] P. Pavan, L. Larcher, and A. Marmiroli, Floating Gate Devices: Operation and Compact Modeling, Kluwer Academic Publishers, New York, 2004. [5] L.E.Larson: Techn. Digest I.E.E.E.- B.C.T.M, 142, Minneapolis (1996). [6] Evaluation of the BSIM6 compact MOSFET model's scalability in 40nm CMOS technology. Chalkiadaki, M. ; Mangla, A. ; Enz, C.C. ; Chauhan, Y.S. ; Karim, M.A. ; Venugopalan, S. ; Niknejad, A.; Hu, C. , ESSCIRC, 2012. [7] Y.S.Chauhan et al, Workshop on Compact Modeling, 2012. [8] David Copeland, High Speed RF Group, Texas Instruments, 2012. [9] Y. Xiong, X. Cheng, D. Okada, and Z. J. Shen, “Comparative Study of Lateral and Trench Power MOSFETs in Multi-MHz Buck Converter Applications,” IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, pp. 2175-2181, 2007. [10] Vijay Krishnamurthy, Alex Gyure, and Pascale Francis, “Simple Gate Charge (Qg) Measurement Technique for On-Wafer Statistical Monitoring and Modeling of Power Semiconductor Devices”, IEEE International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures, pp. 98-100, 2012. [11] Weimin Wu, Uma Aghoram, Hsien-Chang Wu, Debarshi Basu, Adam Sanford, Suman Banerjee, and Kuntal Joardar, “Correlation between Gate Charge and Gate Capacitances of Power MOSFETs and Extraction of Related BSIM3/4 Model Parameters”, IEEE International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices, 2012. ■

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[3] Rios, R, Shih, W-K, Shah A, Mudanai S, Packan P, Sandford T, Mistry K, “A ThreeTransistor Threshold Voltage Model for Halo Processes,” IEEE IEDM’02 Tech Dig, pp 113. Visit: eeweb.com

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PULSE

Touchstone's TS3310 Boost Regulator:

BIG News for Small

Electronics Developers

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FEATURED ARTICLE Extending battery life between charges is a major hurdle for designers of hand-held and portable electronics, but Touchstone Semiconductor’s recent announcement of the TS3310 dual output boost regulator offers a solution for extending battery life as well as enhancing power management. The TS3310 is an important addition to a suite of Touchstone Semiconductor products tailored to solving the critical problems faced by developers. EEWeb had the opportunity to speak with Martin Tomasz, a senior scientist and chip architect at Touchstone, about the TS3310 and why their latest development is “big news” for designers of small electronic devices.

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The Big News Behind the TS3310

TS3310 Features

With the TS3310, Touchstone sought to develop a device that could both boost and regulate the voltage of small batteries like coin cells, AAA cells, and AAAA cells, without affecting the system. The TS3310 achieves this by minimizing the amount of quiescent current it consumes. Quiescent current is the amount of current consumed by a regulator when regulating the output voltage, but when no load has been applied. According to Tomasz, because the TS3310 only draws 150nA, “It’s almost like you haven’t connected anything to the battery at all.”

The feature rich TS3310 offers ample design options that enable its seamless integration with other components. The aptly named “dual output” of the TS3310 refers to an always-on primary output, and a loadswitched, secondary instant-on output. According to Tomasz, both channels are configurable. "Basically, one is the main output of the regulator and the other one is a switched output.” The alwayson output is best suited for powering a microcontroller which needs continuous, though miniscule, during sleep cycles. The switch-controlled, instant-on output is ideal for devices that require short-burst loads such as a Zigbee radio. Tomasz explained that, “A lot of radios have on-off switches where they are in standby mode. Even in standby mode they are drawing maybe 10µA, and that’s not good. It’s too much power if you want years of battery life.” The switch-controlled, instant-on output however extends battery life by “pulling the plug” on leaky peripherals that draw unwanted current.

Boost regulators are typically “current hogs” and developers in the past have generally “designed their systems around not using regulators because of this problem,” Tomasz told us. But, because the TS3310 circumvents the major issues associated with power budgeting, Tomasz anticipates the product will play a transformative role in system design practices.

“Anytime you need a long battery life from a very small battery cell, the TS3310 is going to be of interest.” - Martin Tomasz

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The TS3310 steps up input voltages from 0.9V to 3.6V to eight selectable output voltages ranging from 1.8V to 5V to power an entire range of low-power analog circuits, microcontrollers, and lowenergy Bluetooth™ radios simultaneously. While the TS3310 can deliver at least 50mA of continuous output current, the actual current delivered is determined by the input and output voltages, and a selectable inductor value . The ability to select an inductor value enables the user to set a current limit which is important for buffering load bursts. “If you are using a really small battery cell, like an LR44,” Tomasz explained, “The internal impedance of the battery is so high that

FEATURED ARTICLE if you try to draw 100 mA or some huge amount of current from the output, the boost regulator basically couldn’t support it. The battery would collapse.” To accommodate load bursts, a capacitor can be placed at the output, which the TS3310 can then recharge at a current limit that maximizes battery life. This feature sets the TS3310 apart from ordinary boost regulators which after a big load try to draw as much current as necessary to recharge the capacitor. According to Tomasz, “If the battery is very weak and you try to recharge the output cap all at once, it’s going to fail. And even if it doesn’t, it’s bad for the battery to draw big current bursts.” Finally, the TS3310 also offers a fail-safe battery protection feature. If the battery voltage drops due to cold temperatures, or age, the battery’s internal impedance increases. An undervoltage lockout scheme “pauses” the switch activity in such instances, preventing the battery voltage from dropping below 900mV.

Applications In addition to being feature rich, the TS3310 is extremely small. The 2 mm by 2 mm TDFN package combined with the ability to operate from very low power sources, such as coin cells, AAA cells, or AAAA cells, ensures its application in a multitude of products including wireless alarm systems, prosumer health products, and energy harvesting systems. Because they spend the majority of their time in the “off” state, wireless alarm systems could especially benefit from the ultra low quiescent current. Martin also sees promise in the “prosumer” health market. The term “prosumer” refers to those having a strong personal commitment to self-care and as Tomasz explained, the TS3310 is well suited for the “watch-sized devices that are becoming the heart of simple body monitoring systems.” Energy harvesting systems which operate continuously on intermittent energy reserves is another potential application Tomasz envisions. “Anytime you need a long battery life from a very small battery cell, the TS3310 is going to be of interest.”

Key Specifications • 150nA Quiescent Current (active mode, current consumed from input) • Always-On Output • Instant-On Output • 92% Efficiency • 50mA Iout • Output Power Good Indicator • Pin-Selectable Output Voltages of 1.8V, 2.1V, 2.5V, 2.85V, 3.0V, 3.3V, 4.1V and 5.0V • Secondary Output Load On/Off Switch The TS3310 is a unique addition to Touchstone’s expanding portfolio of analog IC products which includes amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, comparators, current-sense amplifiers, simple-to-use timers, voltage detectors and precision voltage references. The TS3310 is available now from Touchstone’s authorized distributors, Digi-Key, WPGAmericas, and the WPI Group in Asia. Tomasz also indicated that demo boards and samples are available upon request. For designers of small electronic devices, the TS3310 “is a pretty big deal product.” ■ Visit: eeweb.com

PULSE

Ensuring a

Clean Energy

FUTURE Hugo van Nispen

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;COO of DNV KEMA

DNV KEMA is a leading global consultancy and authority in testing, inspection and certi-

fication. The company serves the entire energy value chain with strategic services and solutions to enable companies to meet new clean energy standards, while boosting productivity and profitability. With presence in over 30 countries around the world and over 10,000 professionals offering consulting, DNV KEMA is poised to help lead the world towards a clean energy future. As Chief Operating Officer of DNV KEMA, Hugo van Nispen provides leadership for the company's businesses and consultants who deliver insights and services to its energy advisory clients. EEWeb spoke with van Nispen about the company's core strategy, its relationship with energy policymakers, and some of the biggest challenges in the future of energy in the United States.

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INTERVIEW

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PULSE

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ With energy efficiency at the forefront, DNV KEMA is working to cement environmental consciousness in the power industry, one kilowatt at a time.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Could you give us an overview of the main products and services that DNV KEMA offers? What is the core strategy of the company? We offer our clients a spectrum of services that span the value chain from policy to end use. We do that in a couple of different domains. We have a very strong legacy and capability in testing and certification of high power and high voltage apparatus. In fact, we just announced a partnership with NY BEST to launch a new Testing and Commercialization Center to complement our established capabilities. Energy efficiency and helping our clients get their customers to achieve greater efficiency out of the energy they’re consuming is another key focus area. As an example, we recently celebrated a 10-year partnership with NV Energy’s Sure Bet Commercial Incentive Program. Since launching the program in 2003, we have met or exceeded energy savings on cumulative program goals of more than one billion kWh. A third area of emphasis is on expert advisory, where we work with our clients to devise strategies and policies that enable them to anticipate and meet shareholder and stakeholder expectations. With transformation well underway in the energy markets globally, we team with our clients to ensure they can implement new business models, differentiated partnership

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and other strategies so they can quickly get to market, leapfrog competitors, and effect change faster. For our energy clients, it’s all about safety, reliability, efficiency, productivity and profitability. At DNV KEMA, we want to make our clients’ aspirations a reality. Our legacy of independence sets us apart in this journey, and enables us to assure customers that the insights and services we offer are not biased to a particular partner or product--rather they are just the best solution for their needs.

With regards to energy efficiency, what kind of technologies are you pushing to help your customers improve efficiency? That’s a great question. DNV KEMA tends to be technology agnostic, in the sense that we don’t necessarily advance a particular technology. Rather, we provide a broad set of capabilities that address key client concerns -- from how to construct policy to best practices that encourage the greatest energy efficiency potential to be realized within a particular footprint. We have the capability to help our clients with project and program management and implementing those policies. We also have the ability to come in after the fact and evaluate whether the programs that clients have chosen were as effective as they could have been

INTERVIEW

How does renewable energy play a role in your company’s strategy? We have a very significant focus on renewables. Nicholas [Abi-Samra] has probably shared with you that our vision is to have a global impact for a safe, reliable and sustainable future, so in terms of sustainability, renewable energy is obviously a very significant piece of that. We have very strong capabilities in wind, solar and renewable power, helping clients with everything from site selection and determination of generation potential in a particular footprint all the way through providing assistance and gaining financing and helping to program manage the implementation of the facilities. We’ve set standards to help wind be a viable part of the energy portfolio, such as a standard for floating offshore wind turbine structures that will help ensure safety and reliability in floating wind turbines. And, we’ve studied the variances in actual vs. predicted wind performance to help investors in the area of project finance. In solar, we do a lot of work—as we do in wind—with respect to the actual technology that underlies the resource. For example, we help clients optimize converter technology to look at different polymers that can more effectively convert energy; we provide expertise on things like snow studies and how solar panels perform and how they degrade. The solar business requires a lot of analytical work. Similarly on wind renewables, clients engage us often to help with optimizing turbine technology and understanding asset condition, as well as to optimize the duration of that asset life.

With regards to renewable energy, what’s your relationship with policymakers that are affecting renewable energy credits? From a policy point of view, where we typically play a role is in providing analysis and formulating analysis that is the input to policy decisions. As DNV KEMA, we don’t have, for

example, a lobbying group that lobbies for a particular outcome. Rather, we use what we believe to be very independent and objective analyses to provide policymakers information that they can use to make decisions. In terms of the other question, which is how I see policy impacting the market, I think the biggest challenges that we have with policy today is that most of the policy decisions that are coming out tend to be very short-lived. We are dealing with, for the most part, assets that have relatively long lives. That disconnection between policy duration and asset horizon duration is quite mismatched at this moment in time. This causes people to take very shortterm actions. For example, leading up to the end of the original PTC policy term last year, the lack of visibility to whether congress was going renew the PTC production tax credit for wind assets caused that entire industry to experience a very volatile period of very rapid activity, primarily in the fourth quarter of 2012 followed by a virtual standstill coming into 2013. To me, that’s the biggest issue right now in terms of policy. I think the lack of reasonable certainty that transcends a short political horizon is just not being met right now. In fact, participants at our Utility of the Future Leadership Forum lamented the lack of regulatory uncertainty as an almost unilateral detractor to progress.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ "We’ve set standards to help wind be a viable part of the energy portfolio, such as a standard for floating offshore wind turbine structures that will help ensure safety and reliability in floating wind turbines."

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in meeting the policy goals and advise as to how they could be made even more effective. We work with a comprehensive range of activities from lighting retrofits to HVAC to variable speed motors to end-toend industrial process redesign.

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PULSE Where do you see the largest potential for growth in your sector? I look at the market and say that if we explore the global market for electricity, it seems to be defined by a couple of consistent themes. One is underinvestment in existing assets. In many cases, we are relying upon assets— which is especially true in North America— that have exceeded their planning lifecycle. The degradation of those assets and the ability to continue to rely on them to provide safe and reliable service is a big issue. Others have speculated that the U.S. is probably looking at something like a 2 to 3 trillion dollar investment need, and so we see our services being equally applicable across that value chain. Our testing and inspection services can clearly grow in an era of greater build-out. Our advisory services will expand in terms of helping our clients understand where the investment should be made to create a balanced portfolio that mitigates risk while enhancing reliability, resiliency and profitability, what types of investments such as in renewables, distributed energy resources, energy storage etc. and to help with the implementation and the operation of those assets and models. In the interim, we need to find a way to manage our existing loads with the assets that we current have, and energy efficiency is obviously a very effective way to do that.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ " Our clients benefit from business consultants who understand the technical implications of their decisions and technical consultants who understand the business implications of their decisions."

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What do you see as the biggest challenge in the future of energy in the U.S.? That is a question that has so many dimensions to it, so I’ll try to find a way to answer. It seems to me that we are at this inflection point in the evolution of electrical service. The question becomes one of whether or not we will continue on a path where we have large central station, economy of scale generation delivered over the traditional transmission and distribution infrastructure, or do we seek to transition to a more distributed environment and what I’d refer to as a “network of networks.” This will inherently lead to a much more resilient and reactive power system. I think that is a very significant question. From an end-user point of view, the biggest question is: what is a fair price for electrical service? Some may wonder why we have to go back and revisit this, but as we begin to transition to different types of generation systems and fuel, and as we rely upon assets that are more capital-intensive we must understand how we can strike a balance between resilience, reliability, and cost for the end-consumer. Perhaps the closest metaphor I can provide for you is that of the Internet. If a particular computer on the Internet fails, the Internet itself is able to dynamically re-route and reassign and still deliver the content. Of course, that node can’t receive the content, but that’s understood. The challenge for the electrical power system is this: should we begin to migrate to a system that can selfdiagnose and to a certain extent, self-heal, and if so, how can we manage the costs to making the transition to that system. When we built out the grid the first time, we were building into an ever-increasing demand profile. We had more customers who were willing to pay a moderate fixed charge in order to join the system, but as a result of the fact that there were more and more customers, we were able to spread the capital investment over a much broader base every time. Now, we’re at a point where we’ve largely electrified 100% of the population (and in fact, are encouraging people to use less energy). If we make these large-scale capital improvements, the cost is going to be equally realized by everyone because there are no

How is DNV KEMA staying competitive against other companies? From my perspective, there are many consultancies that purport to serve this industry. It is an industry that has been helped by folks from very large companies to very small companies. DNV KEMA invests 6% of its revenue in research and innovation annually. Through this investment, and as a leader in industry standards development, we strive to bring a very balanced perspective between the need to make smart business decisions and to base those decisions on leadingedge managerial thinking. But, at the end of the day everything we do is subject to the laws of physics—more so than any other business that’s out there. Our clients benefit from business consultants who understand the technical implications of their decisions and technical consultants who understand the business implications of their decisions. That’s how we strive to differentiate and create competitive differentiation within our portfolio. In order to do that, we are hiring the best of both classes—folks who understand both sides of that equation very well.

As you grow your business, how are you expanding globally? There are a couple of elements to this question. First, it is the case that the established, more developed world suffers from the relative shortage of qualified engineers graduating from school. Obviously, the percentage of those engineers who choose to become power systems experts is even smaller, so we do recognize that there are likely to be resource constraints as we move forward. As we mitigate that, we have a combination of internal training capabilities where we can begin with very talented engineers and we can shape their power systems knowledge. The other thing that we’ve done is establish relationships with universities around our

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new takers. One of the things that will do, is it will call into question the basic regulatory compact that says that everybody receives the same quality and quantity of power. When we begin to segment quality, we could charge people who need greater quality a differential for receiving that. That way, the average person who wants to run their home appliances wouldn’t necessarily have to pay for it.

INTERVIEW \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ footprint to understand who their students are and where we can support them and involve them in the business. Globally, this is an interesting dynamic because obviously, we operate in regions like the United States, where there is relatively little engineering talent graduating and then we operate in regions like China and India, where the volumes of folks being trained and educated in the traditional engineering disciplines is much higher. Our challenge is how to balance that and take advantage of the exposure to both camps as it were. Energy is high the agenda for countries worldwide, be it in Europe, Asia, the US or elsewhere. We establish offices in markets where we believe our knowledge adds most value. We have global teams of experts so we can easily transfer knowledge from one market to the other. Another key element in our global approach is establishing partnerships with leading players in local markets and to participate in joint industry innovation projects. For example, we just announced the completion of a 15-year study into how membrane technology can be used to extract water from plant chimneys. DNV KEMA chaired the 13-partner consortium that conducted this important energy industry research that enables power plants to become water producers, instead of consumers. In short, by offering global services adapted to local needs, we believe we can make both a global and local impact and work on a safe, reliable and sustainable future for the power industry. ■

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Get the Datasheet and Order Samples http://www.intersil.com

Radiation Hardened Ultra Low Noise, Precision Voltage Reference ISL71090SEH12

Features

The ISL71090SEH12 is an ultra low noise, high DC accuracy precision voltage reference with a wide input voltage range from 4V to 30V. The ISL71090SEH12 uses the Intersil Advanced Bipolar technology to achieve sub 2µVP-P noise at 0.1Hz with an accuracy over temperature and radiation of 0.15%.

• Reference output voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25V ±0.05% • Accuracy over temperature and radiation . . . . . . . . . .±0.15% • Output voltage noise . . . . . . . . . . 1µVP-P Typ (0.1Hz to 10Hz) • Supply current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 930µA (Typ) • Tempco (box method) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10ppm/°C Max

The ISL71090SEH12 offers a 1.25V output voltage with 10ppm/°C temperature coefficient and also provides excellent line and load regulation. The device is offered in an 8 Ld Flatpack package.

• Output current capability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20mA

The ISL71090SEH12 is ideal for high-end instrumentation, data acquisition and applications requiring high DC precision where low noise performance is critical.

• Operating temperature range. . . . . . . . . . . .-55°C to +125°C

Applications • RH voltage regulators precision outputs

• Line regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8ppm/V • Load regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35ppm/mA • Radiation environment - High dose rate (50-300rad(Si)/s) . . . . . . . . . . . 100krad(Si) - Low dose rate (0.01rad(Si)/s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100krad(Si)* - SET/SEL/SEB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86MeV•cm2/mg *Product capability established by initial characterization. The “EH ” version is acceptance tested on a wafer by wafer basis to 50krad(Si) at low dose rate

• Precision voltage sources for data acquisition system for space applications • Strain and pressure gauge for space applications

• Electrically screened to SMD 5962-13211

Related Literature • AN1847, “ISL71090SEHXX Evaluation Board User ’s Guide ” • AN1863, “SEE Testing of the ISL71090SEH12 ” • AN1864, “Radiation Report of the ISL71090SEH12 ”

ISL71090SEH12

VIN 0.1µF

3 4

DNC

VIN

DNC

COMP

VOUT

GND

TRIM

8 7 6 5

VREF

1.2530

C REFIN VDD VEE

VDD

D12

VEE BIPOFF

NOTE: Select C to minimize settling time.

DACOUT

1.1k

UNIT1

1.2515

UNIT2

1.2510

UNIT4

1.2505 -40

-20

100

120

TEMPERATURE (°C)

HS-565BRH

FIGURE 1. ISL71090SEH12 TYPICAL APPLICATION DIAGRAM

August 8, 2013 FN8452.1

UNIT5

1.2520

1.2500 -60

GND

UNIT3

1.2525

1µF VOUT (V)

FIGURE 2. VOUT vs TEMPERATURE

Intersil (and design) is a trademark owned by Intersil Americas LLC. Copyright Intersil Americas LLC 2013. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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