Abstract:
This work presents a power-efficient level crossing (LC) ADC designed to digitize sparse signals. It uses dynamically self-biased comparators, which require minimal curre...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
This work presents a power-efficient level crossing (LC) ADC designed to digitize sparse signals. It uses dynamically self-biased comparators, which require minimal current when the input voltage is far from a decision threshold. It also uses a DAC architecture which avoids the signal attenuation commonly present in prior LC ADC works, improving the achievable SNDR. The prototype is designed and implemented in a 65-nm CMOS technology, and occupies an area of 0.0045 mm2. In a 20 kHz bandwidth, the LC-ADC achieves a 64 dB SNDR. Thanks to the proposed techniques a power efficiency of up to 1.8 fJ/conv.-step is achieved for sinusoidal inputs. For sparse biopotential signals, a FoMW as low as 0.9 fJ/conv.-step was measured. This makes the prototype interesting for e.g., biomedical applications that make use of spike-based processing.
Published in: IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits ( Volume: 59, Issue: 4, April 2024)
Funding Agency:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Martijn Timmermans (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.Eng. and M.Sc. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Integrated Circuits (IC) Group.
His research interests include flexible electronics and IC designs for ultrasound imaging.
Martijn Timmermans (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.Eng. and M.Sc. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Integrated Circuits (IC) Group.
His research interests include flexible electronics and IC designs for ultrasound imaging.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Kyle van Oosterhout (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S. (cum laude) and M.S. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree.
His research interests include analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies and flexible and large-area e...Show More
Kyle van Oosterhout (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S. (cum laude) and M.S. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree.
His research interests include analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies and flexible and large-area e...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Marco Fattori (Member, IEEE), was born in Rieti, Italy, in 1990. He received the M.S. degree in electronic engineering from the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2019.
He joined as an Assistant Professor at the Integrated Circuits Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, TU/e. Since 2021, ...Show More
Marco Fattori (Member, IEEE), was born in Rieti, Italy, in 1990. He received the M.S. degree in electronic engineering from the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2019.
He joined as an Assistant Professor at the Integrated Circuits Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, TU/e. Since 2021, ...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Pieter Harpe (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
In 2008, he started as a Researcher at Holst Centre/IMEC, Eindhoven. Since then, he has been working on ultralow-power wireless transceivers, with a main focus on ADC research and design. In April 2011, he joined the Eindhoven University of Technolo...Show More
Pieter Harpe (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
In 2008, he started as a Researcher at Holst Centre/IMEC, Eindhoven. Since then, he has been working on ultralow-power wireless transceivers, with a main focus on ADC research and design. In April 2011, he joined the Eindhoven University of Technolo...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
IMEC-Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yao-Hong Liu (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2009.
He is currently a Scientific Director at IMEC, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He is a Guest Professor at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, and a Distinguished Research Associate at Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven. He was with Via Telecom (now Intel), Taiwan, and Mobile ...Show More
Yao-Hong Liu (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2009.
He is currently a Scientific Director at IMEC, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He is a Guest Professor at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, and a Distinguished Research Associate at Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven. He was with Via Telecom (now Intel), Taiwan, and Mobile ...View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Eugenio Cantatore (Fellow, IEEE) received the master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy, in 1993 and 1997, respectively.
Since 1999, he has been a fellow at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland. In 1999, he moved to Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and in 2007, joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, where he...Show More
Eugenio Cantatore (Fellow, IEEE) received the master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy, in 1993 and 1997, respectively.
Since 1999, he has been a fellow at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland. In 1999, he moved to Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and in 2007, joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, where he...View more
Contents Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Martijn Timmermans (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.Eng. and M.Sc. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Integrated Circuits (IC) Group.
His research interests include flexible electronics and IC designs for ultrasound imaging.
Martijn Timmermans (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.Eng. and M.Sc. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree with the Integrated Circuits (IC) Group.
His research interests include flexible electronics and IC designs for ultrasound imaging.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Kyle van Oosterhout (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S. (cum laude) and M.S. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree.
His research interests include analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies and flexible and large-area electronics for biomedical applications.
Kyle van Oosterhout (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S. (cum laude) and M.S. degrees (cum laude) in electrical engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands in 2018 and 2020, respectively, where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree.
His research interests include analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies and flexible and large-area electronics for biomedical applications.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Marco Fattori (Member, IEEE), was born in Rieti, Italy, in 1990. He received the M.S. degree in electronic engineering from the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2019.
He joined as an Assistant Professor at the Integrated Circuits Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, TU/e. Since 2021, he has been a Co-Founder of the startup company MicroAlign. His research interest includes analog and mixed-signal circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies, flexible and large-area electronics, and the use of Machine Learning techniques in circuit design.
Marco Fattori (Member, IEEE), was born in Rieti, Italy, in 1990. He received the M.S. degree in electronic engineering from the Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2019.
He joined as an Assistant Professor at the Integrated Circuits Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, TU/e. Since 2021, he has been a Co-Founder of the startup company MicroAlign. His research interest includes analog and mixed-signal circuit design with Si-CMOS technologies, flexible and large-area electronics, and the use of Machine Learning techniques in circuit design.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Pieter Harpe (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
In 2008, he started as a Researcher at Holst Centre/IMEC, Eindhoven. Since then, he has been working on ultralow-power wireless transceivers, with a main focus on ADC research and design. In April 2011, he joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, where he is currently an Associate Professor on low-power mixed-signal circuits.
Dr. Harpe is an analog subcommittee chair for the ESSERC conference, a TPC Member for A-SSCC, an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems—I: Regular Papers (TCAS-I), and a SSCS AdCom Member-at-Large. He also served as a TPC Member for ISSCC and AACD, an IEEE SSCS Distinguished Lecturer, and a recipient of the ISSCC 2015 Distinguished Technical Paper Award.
Pieter Harpe (Senior Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
In 2008, he started as a Researcher at Holst Centre/IMEC, Eindhoven. Since then, he has been working on ultralow-power wireless transceivers, with a main focus on ADC research and design. In April 2011, he joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, where he is currently an Associate Professor on low-power mixed-signal circuits.
Dr. Harpe is an analog subcommittee chair for the ESSERC conference, a TPC Member for A-SSCC, an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems—I: Regular Papers (TCAS-I), and a SSCS AdCom Member-at-Large. He also served as a TPC Member for ISSCC and AACD, an IEEE SSCS Distinguished Lecturer, and a recipient of the ISSCC 2015 Distinguished Technical Paper Award.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
IMEC-Netherlands, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Yao-Hong Liu (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2009.
He is currently a Scientific Director at IMEC, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He is a Guest Professor at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, and a Distinguished Research Associate at Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven. He was with Via Telecom (now Intel), Taiwan, and Mobile Devices, Taiwan, from 2002 to 2010, developing wireless transceiver ICs. Since 2010, he joined IMEC and has been leading the scientific research of the ultralow-power ASIC design. His research interests include wireless communication and edge computation for implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) and the IoT applications.
Dr. Liu was a recipient of the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant. He received the IEEE Brain and Solid-State Circuits Joint-Society Best Paper Award Honorable Mention 2022. He served as a Technical Program Committee of IEEE ISSCC and is currently a Steering Committee Member of IEEE RFIC Symposium.
Yao-Hong Liu (Senior Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2009.
He is currently a Scientific Director at IMEC, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. He is a Guest Professor at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, and a Distinguished Research Associate at Technical University Eindhoven, Eindhoven. He was with Via Telecom (now Intel), Taiwan, and Mobile Devices, Taiwan, from 2002 to 2010, developing wireless transceiver ICs. Since 2010, he joined IMEC and has been leading the scientific research of the ultralow-power ASIC design. His research interests include wireless communication and edge computation for implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) and the IoT applications.
Dr. Liu was a recipient of the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant. He received the IEEE Brain and Solid-State Circuits Joint-Society Best Paper Award Honorable Mention 2022. He served as a Technical Program Committee of IEEE ISSCC and is currently a Steering Committee Member of IEEE RFIC Symposium.View more
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Eugenio Cantatore (Fellow, IEEE) received the master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy, in 1993 and 1997, respectively.
Since 1999, he has been a fellow at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland. In 1999, he moved to Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and in 2007, joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, where he has been a Full Professor, since 2016. He authored or coauthored more than 250 papers in journals and conference proceedings and 13 patents. His research interests include the design and characterization of electronic circuits exploiting emerging technologies and the design of ultralow power integrated systems.
Prof. Cantatore has been active in the Technical Program Committees of ESSDERC, IWASI, ESSCIRC, and ISSCC. At ISSCC he has been the Chair of the Technology Directions subcommittee, the Program Chair in 2019, and is presently the Conference Chair. He has been a member at large of the SSCS AdCom, an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems—I: Regular Papers, and is now an Editor in Chief of IEEE Open Journal of the Solid–State Circuits Society. In 2006, he received the ISSCC Beatrice Winner Award for Editorial Excellence and was nominated in the Scientific American top 50 list. He received the Philips Research Invention Award in 2007, the Best Paper Award from ESSDERC in 2012, and the Distinguished Technical Paper Award from ISSCC in 2015.
Eugenio Cantatore (Fellow, IEEE) received the master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy, in 1993 and 1997, respectively.
Since 1999, he has been a fellow at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland. In 1999, he moved to Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and in 2007, joined the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, where he has been a Full Professor, since 2016. He authored or coauthored more than 250 papers in journals and conference proceedings and 13 patents. His research interests include the design and characterization of electronic circuits exploiting emerging technologies and the design of ultralow power integrated systems.
Prof. Cantatore has been active in the Technical Program Committees of ESSDERC, IWASI, ESSCIRC, and ISSCC. At ISSCC he has been the Chair of the Technology Directions subcommittee, the Program Chair in 2019, and is presently the Conference Chair. He has been a member at large of the SSCS AdCom, an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems—I: Regular Papers, and is now an Editor in Chief of IEEE Open Journal of the Solid–State Circuits Society. In 2006, he received the ISSCC Beatrice Winner Award for Editorial Excellence and was nominated in the Scientific American top 50 list. He received the Philips Research Invention Award in 2007, the Best Paper Award from ESSDERC in 2012, and the Distinguished Technical Paper Award from ISSCC in 2015.View more
