Characterization Challenges of a Low Noise Charge Detection ROIC

This article presents the experimentally characterized performance of a low noise and wideband sensor readout integrated circuit (ROIC). The ROIC is designed to detect small amounts of charge generated by a silicon p-i-n detector as a result of particle detection, with very high time resolution and limited power consumption. The architecture...

Interfacial charge transfer and Schottky barriers at c-Si/a-In heterojunctions

Metal-Semiconductor (M/S) heterojunctions, better known as Schottky junctions play a crucial role in modern electronics. At present, the mechanisms behind the M/S junctions are still a subject of discussion. In this work, we investigate the interfaces between semiconducting crystalline Si and amorphous metallic indium, Si{0 0 1}/a-In and Si{1...

Author Correction: A doping-less junction-formation mechanism between n-silicon and an atomically thin boron layer (Scientific Reports, (2017), 7, 1, (13247), 10.1038/s41598-017-13100-0)

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Power-Efficiency Evolution of Capacitive Sensor Interfaces

Recent years have witnessed an improvement in the energy efficiency of capacitive sensor interfaces by more than three orders of magnitude. This article reviews the architectural and circuit innovations that have contributed to this progress. The fundamental limit on the energy consumption of capacitive sensor interfaces is discussed, as well...

Stability, geometry and electronic properties of BH_n (n = 0 to 3) radicals on the Si{0 0 1}3 1:H surface from first-principles

A new generation of radiation detectors relies on the crystalline Si and amorphous B (c-Si/a-B) junctions that are prepared through chemical vapor deposition of diborane (B₂H₆) on Si at low temperature (∼400 C). The Si wafer surface is dominated by the Si{0 0 1}3 1 domains that consist of two different Si species at low...

An Energy-Efficient 3.7-nV/√ Hz Bridge Readout IC With a Stable Bridge Offset Compensation Scheme

This paper describes an energy-efficient bridge readout IC (ROIC), which consists of a capacitively coupled instrumentation amplifier (CCIA) that drives a continuous-time delta–sigma modulator (CTM). By exploiting the CCIA’s ability<br/>to block dc common-mode voltages, the bridge’s bias voltage may exceed the ROIC’s supply voltage, allowing...

Self-Aligning and Self-Calibrating Capacitive Sensor System for Displacement Measurement in Inaccessible Industrial Environments

High-precision positioning often requires high speed and high resolution displacement measurements in order to compensate for the small vibrations of critical components. The displacement sensor must be precise and stable over a long period of time to avoid expensive recalibration. This requires tight mounting tolerances, which are especially...

A 19.8-mW Eddy-Current Displacement Sensor Interface with Sub-Nanometer Resolution

This paper presents an eddy-current sensor (ECS) interface intended for sub-nanometer (sub-nm) displacement sensing in hi-tech applications. The interface employs a 126-MHz excitation frequency to mitigate the skin effect, and achieve high resolution and stability. An efficient on-chip sensor offset compensation scheme is introduced which...

A 4.5 nV/√Hz Capacitively Coupled Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulator with an Energy-Efficient Chopping Scheme

When chopping is applied to a continuous-time sigmadelta modulator (CTΣΔM), quantization noise fold-back often occurs, leading to increased in-band noise. This can be prevented by employing a return-to-zero (RZ) digital-to-analog converter (RZ DAC) in the modulator's feedback path and arranging the chopping transitions to coincide with its RZ...

A doping-less junction-formation mechanism between n-silicon and an atomically thin boron layer

The interest in nanostructures of silicon and its dopants has significantly increased. We report the creation of an ultimately-shallow junction at the surface of n-type silicon with excellent electrical and optical characteristics made by depositing an atomically thin boron layer at a relatively low temperature where no doping of silicon is...

Stability, local structure and electronic properties of borane radicals on the Si(100) 2x1:H surface: A first-principles study

Abstract Deposition of a thin B layer via decomposition of B2H6 on Si (PureB process) produces B-Si junctions which exhibit unique electronic and optical properties. Here we present the results of our systematic first-principles study of BHn (n=0-3) radicals on Si(100)2x1:H surfaces, the initial stage of the PureB process. The calculations...

A Power-Efficient Readout for Wheatstone-Bridge Sensors With COTS Components

This paper presents a direct digital converter for Wheatstone bridge sensors, which is realized with commercial off-the-shelf components. The power efficiency of the readout is enhanced by embedding the bridge sensor in a second-order continuous-time sigma-delta modulator (CTDeltaSigmaM). By directly digitizing the output signal of a Wheatstone...

Suppression Efficiency of the Correlated Noise and Drift of Self-oscillating Pseudo-differential Eddy Current Displacement Sensor

The suppression efficiency of the correlated noise and drift of self-oscillating front-end circuit in a pseudo-differential eddy-current displacement sensor (ECDS) is investigated using COMSOL and MATLAB. The transfer characteristic of the sensor coil, excited at 200 MHz, is obtained through a FE model in COMSOL. The characteristic is linearized...