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most recent messages 5/23/2013 6:35:42 PM Scott Elder The real value in flip chip is in how the ICs are made. Rather than taking a wafer and then partial testing, slicing, mounting, bonding, encapsulating, lead trimming, and then full testing;... blogs message boards chat 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Steve Taranovich, Senior Technical Editor, EDN, 5/23/2013 Comment now 12 comments Designers, who need to build high performance real-time sensing systems, are greatly challenged since every building block in the system needs to be built with a technology that allows that building block to achieve its best performance. 3D stacking is emerging as an option to allow the integration of those heterogeneous blocks. Most recent post, Scott Elder, 5/23/2013 6:35:42 PM The real value in flip chip is in how the ICs are made. Rather than taking... Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, 5/23/2013 Comment now 4 comments Whenever I see a new product announcement saying an analog or mixed-signal component is "programmable," my first thought is simple: "in what way?" Often, it's not called out clearly or until the end of the press release. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 4:50:31 PM OK, now that sounds pretty useful. I could have used that in several previous designs... Build or Buy? The Design Rules Remain the Same Vincent Biancomano, Contributing Editor, 5/22/2013 Comment now 2 comments The last time I visited the "build or buy" issue, a lot of small commercial engineering outfits were looking to the big companies for in-house support for their various products for the burgeoning wireless market. Most recent post, analoging , 5/23/2013 3:58:36 PM Speaking of design, I find it interesting how ARM has taken over the apps processor... An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/22/2013 Comment now 9 comments The story of analog integration in test instruments is long, storied, and rife with names renowned in the annals of analog design who innovated upon each others' design to realize the foundation of today's circuits. So what is the state of integration of the analog circuitry in test instruments? Measurement on a chip started long ago and continues ... Most recent post, analoging , 5/23/2013 4:06:49 PM Ahhh, those were the days...running manual multi-meter measurements and recording... SiC Power Inversion Chips for PV & EVs Brian Coppa, Director, Coppa Consulting, 5/21/2013 Comment now 2 comments Uncertainty hangs over the market for power devices made with the wide-bandgap semiconductor SiC (silicon carbide), due to uncertainty as to when EVs (electric vehicles) will adopt them for various applications under the hood, according to a recent study by analyst firm Yole Développement. Most recent post, analoging , 5/23/2013 3:39:15 PM Thanks for the comments. SiC has a lot riding on the future of electric cars- no... Field Programmable Analog & Gallium Arsenide Scott Elder, Senior Analog IC Design Consultant, 5/21/2013 Comment now 4 comments "Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) is the silicon of the future. Is and always will be." That was the humorous perspective circulating among analog technologists in the late 1980s. In a similar vein, I can't count the number of times I've had people ask me when will the world see a field programmable analog array (FPAA) -- the analog counterpart to the digital ... Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 10:31:01 AM Hmm... 3-D printing an IC at your desk - that's actually not a bad idea. Probably... Operations per Joule Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/20/2013 Comment now 12 comments It has been estimated that the human brain performs 3.6x1015 synaptic operations per second and, from blood flow and oxygen consumption, consumes 12W. That means it manages 3x1014 operations per Joule, yet it is made up of slow and noisy components. Most recent post, ChrisCaudle, 5/23/2013 3:20:37 PM so maybe we should say, "For all intents and purposes, analog has infinite resolution." No... Using ICs in the Land Beyond Their App-Notes Derek Koonce, Owner, DDK Interactive Consulting Services, 5/20/2013 Comment now 7 comments Designing circuits is the fun part of engineering. And, as has been often noted here on Planet Analog, finding solutions to problems is what keeps an engineer employed. As an engineer, it is necessary to work with the parts available to meet design criteria. This sometimes necessitates using a part for a purpose for which it was not intended. Most recent post, Vishal Prajapati, 5/23/2013 7:29:42 AM The basic circuit is exactly a Joule Thief. I have worked on this device with same... Thermocouple Nodules, Cold Junctions & Integration Opportunities Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/17/2013 Comment now 13 comments When measurement instruments reach their specified performance limits, one comes to a gray zone separating reality from fantasy. Thanks to sensors, this zone is widening. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 10:41:03 AM Yep - I knew that - but you're right - lots of folks get that one wrong. That'd... When Are You Done With Verification? Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/17/2013 Comment now 6 comments In the everyday world that we live in, there is a common saying that says, "Measure twice, cut once". Clearly this is trying to stress the importance of checking things before you take action and that if you are sloppy with the measurement, then it can lead to expensive mistakes. Most recent post, analoging , 5/21/2013 7:10:44 PM The point was focused on the increasing trend of outsourcing of fab production for... When the Going Gets Tough... Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/16/2013 Comment now 5 comments Moore's Law has been driving digital integration for a few decades, and it provides a circular reinforcement. Being able to create smaller devices means that more can be placed on a die. This provides added functionality, decreases costs per device, and makes demand for the end product larger. This spurs another round of integration and geometry reduction. Most recent post, Dirceu Rodrigues Jr, 5/21/2013 5:14:16 PM Reduce resistances in the signal path, in order to minimize the Johnson... Next 5 blogs+ All blogs All blogs most commented 13 Thermocouple Nodules, Cold Junctions & Integration Opportunities Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/17/2013 12 Operations per Joule Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/20/2013 12 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Steve Taranovich, Senior Technical Editor, EDN, 5/23/2013 9 An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/22/2013 7 Using ICs in the Land Beyond Their App-Notes Derek Koonce, Owner, DDK Interactive Consulting Services, 5/20/2013 blog roll message boards chat 5/23/2013 6:35:42 PM Re: Flip chip definition: The real value in flip chip is in how the ICs are made. Rather than taking a wafer and then partial testing, slicing, mounting, bonding, encapsulating, lead trimming, and then full testing; one can take the whole wafer, drop on a bunch... Scott Elder on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 6:26:06 PM Re: Flip chip definition: Flip chip is also called bumped die. The normal bonding pads for a die are slightly larger to accomodate the solder balls. There is typically a passivation layer in place before mounting the solder balls, if I recall. The technology has been... DEREK.KOONCE on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 6:13:17 PM Re: Flip chip definition: You are absolutely correct, eafpres---known as RFID, these devices are getting smaller, smarter and require essentially no power supply on board--see TI's website for more details http://www.ti.com/rfid/ and also Maxim's website http://www.... SteveTaranovich on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 6:06:04 PM Re: Roadmap?: I think that most integrated analog will be done in low power CMOS which is capable of most analog and digital functions. Typically the power elements are off-board and mounted separately on the pc board as you are aware. In the case of better... SteveTaranovich on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 4:54:48 PM Re: Flip chip definition: Yep. You can find these tags in various high-value items like electronics packaging. Some are made like a peel & stick label. If you think this through, then it starts to make sense that Avery-Dennison is a leader in RFID item-level... eafpres on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 4:50:31 PM Re: Integrated processors with ADC etc: OK, now that sounds pretty useful. I could have used that in several previous designs and might find a use for it in future designs. Brad Albing on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 5/23/2013 4:46:36 PM Re: Flip chip definition: Hmm... foil on paper - that will surely take some of the cost out. Not very rugged, but for security tags on clothing (e.g.), pro'ly good enough. Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 4:43:05 PM Re: Flip chip definition: OK - makes sense. I see how that can reduce cost and improve performance at high to super high frequencies. Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 4:35:31 PM Re: Duty-cycle: OK, I understand. That's a good explanation regarding the duty cycle and overall power draw. Thanks. Brad Albing on (Dis)Integrating Power Consumption, Counterintuitively 5/23/2013 4:06:49 PM those were the days: Ahhh, those were the days...running manual multi-meter measurements and recording the data manually. As more applications are developed for mobile devices, I look forward to EMF sensing capability for smartphones that can automate electrical... analoging on An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back 5/23/2013 3:58:36 PM speaking of design: Speaking of design, I find it interesting how ARM has taken over the apps processor world, licensing out its chip architecture & dominating the mobile device world. It owns no fabs and doesn't even outsource production to a foundry and... analoging on Build or Buy? The Design Rules Remain the Same 5/23/2013 3:46:24 PM 3D stacking: 3D stacking or 3D-ICs are an emerging trend that is here to stay. It simply makes sense to pursue that direction from a fundamental perspective. Analog ICs are slower in developing that tech than logic and memory companies which are highly... analoging on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Next 5 messages+ All messages All messages blog roll message boards chat 4/11/2013 4:14:10 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: So I found these awesome Current Sensors but I don't know how effective they are. Help! here's the link <a href="http://www.magnelab.com/products/Current-Voltage-Sensors/three-phase-ropect%C2%AE-ac-current-sensor-rogowski-coil-rcs-1800">rogowski... SGreenovich Newbie 1/16/2013 2:20:07 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Good closing comment Steve. Thanks Steve and Bruce for joining the chat. Brad Albing Blogger 1/16/2013 2:16:59 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Gotta run guys---I really would love to do this again! I'm off to a conference call to pick the brain of another expert for an upcoming article---Once we think we know everything and cannot learn anything new----we are lost! SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:13:49 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Farhood Moraveji, technical director at TI commented to me, "Kludge boxes were a necessity in that test equipment did not exist that could measure the performance of the IC. These boxes often used some clever measurement tricks, which would... SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:09:46 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Erroll Dietz said this about early IC designers, "Using design rules that they made up as they went along, these designers worked from transistor-kit parts, used copper-clad breadboards with sockets as design tools, and employed discrete resistors... SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:07:26 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Right---"Figuring things out" shows good engineering thinking---I like that approach from that blog SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:03:41 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: You might be interested in this blog, back a few months... http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/thesignal/archive/2012/09/24/interview-questions-memorable-times-on-both-sides.aspx Bruce Trump Newbie 1/16/2013 2:03:11 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Experience and practice under the tutelage of a good mentor is critical SteveTaranovich Blogger 1/16/2013 2:02:33 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: It's difficult to teach an engineer to have an intuitive understanding. Brad Albing Blogger 1/16/2013 2:01:34 PM Join us for a chat: Imparting knowledge sometimes lost in the past to our fellow engineers: Synthesis ability comes from real experience and practice that they don't get at undergrad level. The genesis, I believe, is an intuitive understanding of how circuits work. Bruce Trump Newbie Next 5 chats+		Hello. We were unable to find the address you requested. You may search for the content you are seeking using our search form or email technical support with any questions. flash poll All polls educational resources sponsored content by our sponsors Analog Latch, One-Shot Circuits Operate with Close to Zero Power Industrial Systems Need the Added Protection of Security ICs Intelligent Lighting Controller Measures Ambient Light and Tracks Time Map Colors of a CIE Plot and Color Temperature Using an RGB Color Sensor ISM Transmitter Has Constant Transmitter Power for Varying Supply Voltage Adding Autorestart Capability to the MAX16046 EEPROM-Programmable System Manager Signal Conditioning for a Sigma-Delta ADC in Industrial Multichannel Data Acquisition Systems information resources sponsored content by our sponsors 24-Bit Sigma-Delta ADC Reduces the Requirement for an Analog Front-End (AFE) for ECG/EKG Trade-Offs in Analog IC Performance, Or Challenges When You Integrate More Analog onto a Digital Design Simplify AISG Control Systems by Integrating the Hardware Discrete Transceiver All resources follow Planet Analog on Twitter like us on facebook our partners

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