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most recent messages 5/24/2013 12:17:17 AM SteveTaranovich Great observations Scott! I remember when Burr-Brown used the silicon Vbe junction sensitivity to photons to their advantage when the developed the OPT101 light-to-voltage converter 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 16 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, SteveTaranovich, 5/24/2013 12:17:17 AM Great observations Scott! I remember when Burr-Brown used the silicon Vbe junction... Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, 5/23/2013 Comment now 6 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 11:10:03 PM Yep - a very simple form of programming the gain via 1 resistor. Then when you use... 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... 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... 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... (Dis)Integrating Power Consumption, Counterintuitively Len Sherman, Senior Scientist, Maxim Integrated, 5/16/2013 Comment now 14 comments The present mobile era may be best characterized by its unrelenting pressure to reduce power consumption. Each generation of consumer electronics must offer more functionality while maintaining or extending runtime. Initially, efficiency improvements were the Holy Grail, at least from a power management viewpoint, but the process of engineering ... Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/23/2013 4:35:31 PM OK, I understand. That's a good explanation regarding the duty cycle and overall... The REAL Cost for a Custom IC Scott Elder, Senior Analog IC Design Consultant, 5/14/2013 Comment now 43 comments There have been lots of blogs and messages lately about designing a proprietary analog IC. I wrote a blog about doing it on the cheap for $3,000. Reid Wender posted a message about prototyping 200 parts using a reconfigurable IC for $10,000. Most recent post, Via Man, 5/21/2013 7:19:23 PM On the subject of low-cost mixed-signal design tools, the ViaDesigner software combines... The Cutting Edge May Be Moving Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/9/2013 Comment now 9 comments When most people think about leading edge chip design, their minds turn to consumer devices, with things such as smartphones, or other devices that are designed to consume entertainment. But hold on: That's not always the case. Most recent post, Brad Albing, 5/15/2013 5:59:34 PM Should be possible - and you may get more than just pA. I know LEDs act as PV cells... Smallest, Fastest, Lowest Power… Brian Bailey, Independent Consultant, 5/9/2013 Comment now 5 comments I probably see 50 or more announcements every day for new chips. Most recent post, Hughston, 5/14/2013 4:09:51 PM It is too hard even for many big companies to compete in the mobile processor... Next 5 blogs+ All blogs All blogs most commented 16 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance Steve Taranovich, Senior Technical Editor, EDN, 5/23/2013 13 Thermocouple Nodules, Cold Junctions & Integration Opportunities Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/17/2013 9 An Instrument on a Chip? A Look Back Dennis Feucht, Electronics Engineer, 5/22/2013 6 Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, 5/23/2013 4 Field Programmable Analog & Gallium Arsenide Scott Elder, Senior Analog IC Design Consultant, 5/21/2013 blog roll message boards chat 5/24/2013 12:17:17 AM Re: Flip chip definition: Great observations Scott! I remember when Burr-Brown used the silicon Vbe junction sensitivity to photons to their advantage when the developed the OPT101 light-to-voltage converter SteveTaranovich on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 11:10:03 PM Re: First programmable IC: Yep - a very simple form of programming the gain via 1 resistor. Then when you use a DCP and control it via an I2C bus, your programming starts to get a bit more sophisticated. 2 DCPs -control gain and offset. Add a mux for multiple inputs... Brad Albing on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 5/23/2013 11:01:56 PM Re: Flip chip definition: Thanks Derek. You can copy an image to the clipboard from (e.g.) MSWord and then just paste it into the text as your typing your message. Example: Or you can drag-and-drop an image file right in to the message window. Example: And grab... Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 10:53:09 PM Re: Flip chip definition: These parts are the ultra low power scavaging devices that we hinted at in this blog: http://www.planetanalog.com/author.asp?section_id=385&doc_id=559344 We'll discuss more of these very low power devices later. Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 10:48:44 PM Re: Flip chip definition: So, those parts can be called inexpensive -and cheap - with the negative connotations. I suppose the light-induced-leakage problem is understood at this point. so we can't play the part of savior consulant who miraculously solves the manufacturer's... Brad Albing on 3D Stacking Offers New Path to Optimum Integrated Analog Performance 5/23/2013 6:41:09 PM First programmable IC: Based on the start of the blog, I would say one of the first programmable ICs were the INA series instrument opamps. It required 1 resistor to adjust the gain. Then came the digital potentiometer devices. I would say that many of these new... DEREK.KOONCE on Did You Say 'Programmable Analog'? 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'? 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+		flash poll All polls educational resources sponsored content by Maxim Integrated 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 follow Planet Analog on Twitter like us on facebook

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