Microelectronics or integrated electronics are the miniaturised electronic circuits that make up Integrated Circuits (ICs) such as microprocessors, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays, Flash-memories, operational amplifiers, analogue-to-digital converters, SoCs, ASICs and many other devices. Most ICs today are implemented in various flavours of CMOS technology which is the focus of this course. The ability to use a large number of components at a relatively low cost and the ability to match components accurately on-chip makes the design of integrated circuits and systems different from a similar design using discrete components. Mixed Signal Microelectronics Design is a broad-based, more advanced IC design course, which provides the students with analogue and digital circuits and design techniques required to implement mixed-signal integrated circuits with good performance and enables them to keep up to date with contemporary design methods.
Course content includes: Advanced fabrication and special IC processes (high-voltage, silicon-on-insulator, nano-scale CMOS); Technology scaling, process variation, device matching, layout for matching; Parasitics, gate leakage and wire models; Advanced transistor modelling, velocity saturation, sub-threshold operation; High-frequency analysis; Advanced cascodes and amplifier design, fully-differential circuits, common-mode feedback, rail-to-rail circuits, power outputs, biasing and references; Trimming; Active filters, switched capacitor circuits, transconductors and Gm-C filters; Non-linear circuits; Schmitt triggers and charge pumps; Sigma-delta converters and ADC calibration; Logic effort; Advanced logic families, rationed logic, special functions, oscillators, PLLs, TDCs; Dynamic logic and registers, TSP registers, timing, clock distribution, self-timed systems; Assembly techniques and packaging, latch-up, I/O design, ESD, shielding, interference and mixed analogue-digital design; Current research and reading research papers.
