Szymon Szczesny

SI-Studio, a layout generator of current mode circuits

The paper presents automatic layout generation of analog current mode circuits.Chip area, power consumption and speed operation is controlled.An experimental chip was fabricated in CMOS technology.The chip was tested in the environment based on FPGA.Measurement results of realized filter pairs and filter banks are presented. This work is the answer to the so far unsolved problem of generation of integrated circuits topography for current mode circuits. Synthesis methods corresponding to already existing digital methods are proposed. Among others - the following has been shown: a digital adaptation of the row strategy for analog cell design, as well as performance control of the circuits with respect to chip area, power consumption and speed operation. The proposed algorithms are integrated with the already-existing tools for automatic layout generation of analog circuits with behavioral description at the beginning. At each stage of the synthesis process - an architecture description in the VHDL-AMS language was used, which so far has been not useful to synthesize. On the basis of the elaborated expert system, layouts of a filter pair and a filter bank were generated. The circuits were fabricated in TSMC 0.18 µ m CMOS technology and results of measurements are presented. The elaborated approach makes a contribution to the realization of current mode circuits with complexity not achievable up to now.

Design automation of a lossless multiport network and its application to image filtering

The paper presents expert tools which are elaborated on the basis of synthesis method of lossless nonreciprocal multiport circuits, composed of gyrators and capacitors. The algorithms are written in C++ and the tools compose a user friendly environment for design automation of filters, filter pairs and filter banks. It is possible to design in this environment not only classical structures like Butterworth, Chebyshev, and Cauer (elliptic) filters. The lossless nonreciprocal prototype circuit allows to design more complex filters, including allpass sections necessary to improve filter phase characteristics. However, the most important possibility is to design multiport circuits, especially in the case of not fully determined filter specifications. On each stage of the design process VHDL-AMS is used to describe the circuits. The obtained prototype gyrator-capacitor circuit can be implemented in OTA-C, SC (switched-capacitor) or SI (switched-current) techniques to realize the filter in CMOS technology. In the paper SI technique is used for layout generation of an image filter in order to illustrate the elaborated synthesis algorithms and tools.

FPAA Accelerator for Machine Vision systems

This article presents a proposition of an FPAA-type programmable accelerator for image preprocessing. The structure of the accelerator is modelled basing on CPLD digital circuits. The innovation here – is using the current mode, which makes it possible to implement the accelerator in nanometre technologies. Another original solution proposed in the work is a reconfigurable multi-output current mirror. The article describes the hardware layer and a method for programming it. An implementation of an RGB-to-YCrCb colour space converter is presented. Moreover physical parameters obtained in post-layout simulations are presented as well. The solution can be used as a standalone programmable circuit or as an IPcore for a larger analogue-digital system. Streszczenie. W artykule przedstawiono propozycję programowalnego akceleratora typu FPAA do wstępnej obróbki obrazu. Struktura akceleratora wzorowana jest na cyfrowych układach CPLD. Innowacyjność polega na wykorzystaniu trybu prądowego, co umożliwia realizację akceleratora w technologiach nanometrowych. Kolejnym oryginalnym rozwiązaniem zaproponowanym w pracy jest rekonfigurowalne wielowyjściowe zwierciadło prądowe. W artykule omówiono warstwę sprzętową oraz metodę jej programowania. Zaprezentowano implementację konwertera przestrzeni barw RGB do YCrCb w akceleratorze i przedstawiono parametry fizyczne uzyskane w symulacjach post-layoutowych. Rozwiązanie może być wykorzystane jako samodzielny układ programowalny lub IP-core większego systemu analogowo-cyfrowego. (Akcelerator FPAA dla systemów wizyjnych).

EDA tools for designing ΣΔ modulators working in the currentmode

The article presents original tools for automating designing sigma-delta modulators working in the current mode. The solution makes it possible to optimize any modulator structure, to verify the compliance of the project with technological rules and to automate designing the layout of the circuit. The tools are compatible with popular design environments for CMOS circuits and with languages for describing circuit architectures. The proposed solution offers the designer the freedom of defining parameters expected of the modulator. The final result of the design process is a modulator topography obtained in a fully automated way and ready for fabrication. The effectiveness of the tools is demonstrated with an example of a modulator based on a current-to-frequency converter. The result of the design process was an SNDR coefficient equal to 76dB and the Walden’s FoM equal to 616fj/step for 20kHz bandwidth. Streszczenie. W artykule zaprezentowano autorskie narzędzia służące automatyzacji projektowania modulatorów sigma-delta pracujących w trybie prądowym. Przedstawione rozwiązanie umożliwia optymalizację dowolnej struktury modulatora, weryfikację zgodności projektu z regułami technologicznymi oraz automatyzację projektowania layoutu układu. Narzędzia zgodne są z popularnymi środowiskami projektowania układów CMOS oraz językami opisu architektury układów. Zaproponowane rozwiązanie oferuje projektantowi swobodę definiowania oczekiwanych parametrów modulatora, a finalnym rezultatem procesu projektowego jest w pełni automatycznie uzyskana topografia modulatora nadająca się do fabrykacji. Skuteczność narzędzi zademonstrownao na przykładzie modulatora bazującego na przetworniku prąd-częstotliwość. W wyniku procesu projektowego uzyskano współczynnik PSNR równy 76dB oraz Walden’s FoM równy 616fj/step dla pasma 20 kHz. (Narzędzia służące automatyzacji projektowania modulatorów sigma-delta).

Automated analog filter pair design on the basis of a gyrator-capacitor prototype circuit realised in SI technique

The paper presents an algorithmic approach to low sensitive design strategy for switched-current(SI) filter pairs based on a gyrator-capacitor prototype circuit. There is EDA software suite presented its cooperation with associated commercial tools. The functionalities of EDA system are illustrated by the design of filter pair of 5th order that was further realised in TSMC 0.18μm CMOS MS/RF technology. The filter operates at 1.8 V power supply voltage and consumes 2.5 mW. Post layout simulation results are presented and compared with ideal characteristics.