In-Depth Technical Features

Lessons from the last mile
By Ron Wilson, Executive Editor, 11/26/2009
Chip designers' struggles to provide triple-play HD service to telephone, cable, and wireless customers are changing the nature of SOC architecture.

Evaluating ESD-protection components: Clamping voltage and dynamic resistance are crucial
By Chi T Hong, California Micro Devices, 11/26/2009
A changing product landscape and new designs call for improved protection against ESD strikes on components. A low-voltage device doesn't necessarily have greater protection. Protection comes from low clamping voltage and low dynamic resistance.

What every designer should know about magnetics in switch-mode power supplies
By Sameer Kelkar, Power Integrations, 11/26/2009
Power is often an afterthought in system design, but the choice and design of the magnetic elements at the heart of an SMPS are crucial. Acquaint or reacquaint yourself with the fundamentals of this frequently overlooked area.

Secondary-side synchronous rectification boosts resonant converter efficiency
By Helen Ding, International Rectifier, 11/19/2009
While secondary-side synchronous rectification in resonant half-bridge topology is not uncommon, its implementation has not been easy. A novel control scheme precisely turns on and off the secondary-side synchronous rectifier MOSFETs to achieve rectification that emulates a Schottky-diode rectifier, minimizing switching losses and optimizing conversion efficiency.

Smooth operators communicating for communications test
By Rick Nelson, Editor-in-Chief, 11/12/2009
LXI and PXI instruments and related software provide the synchronization necessary for making complex measurements, and they enable test automation in the lab.

Industry standards lead push toward energy-efficient computing
By Lee Harrison, Peritus Power, 11/12/2009
Environmental concerns and rising energy costs are spurring industry and government groups to develop requirements for high-efficiency ac and dc power conversion, leading to energy-efficient servers. Meeting the newest specifications will demand knowledge of competing power-conversion topologies, components, and design.

PCB-layout techniques for gigasample ADCs
By Edison Fong, National Semiconductor, 11/12/2009
When a multilayer board operates at speeds greater than a few hundred megahertz, it's a challenge to maintain signals without mismatches, losses, distortion, or EMI. Follow these guidelines for PCB layout to preserve signal integrity and achieve high-speed performance.

Oscilloscope probe accessories—It's the little things that matter
By Kenny Johnson, Agilent Technologies Inc., 10/30/2009
Probe accessories, including tips, caps, adapters, springs, positioners, clips, and hooks, can help you conveniently make accurate measurements.

"I'd like to buy a µ": the 36th annual microprocessor directory
By Robert Cravotta, Technical Editor, 10/22/2009
Don't take a chance on your processor selections. The recently updated directory provides details on hundreds of processors and cores from more than 70 vendors.

Debugging FPGA designs may be harder than you expect
By Chris Schalick, GateRocket, 10/22/2009
Bugs can originate at every stage in the FPGA design flow; debugging success depends on using the right tools and methods.

Using high-current integrated-switch power-regulator ICs
By Frederik Dostal, National Semiconductor, 10/22/2009
Learn the thermal considerations so you don't get burned.

Specify an external reference clock to improve SERDES performance
By Shawn Logan, LSI Corp, 10/21/2009
Various serial data standards require different clock specifications.

Implementing an all-digital PHY and delay-locked loop for high-speed DDR2/3 memory interfaces
By Luigi Ternullo, Virage Logic, 10/15/2009
A new, all-digital approach to implementing high-speed PHY logic and a DLL offers a path to addressing increasingly stringent market requirements.

Designing an accessible board
By Ron Wilson, Executive Editor, 10/8/2009
Design in access to verification and debugging during—not after—the development of a board-level product.

Comparing comparators: Measure signals, get results
By Paul Rako, Technical Editor, 10/8/2009
Simple in concept, voltage comparators have myriad specifications that complicate their application.

IP quality lies beyond compliance testing
By Navraj Nandra, Synopsys Inc, 10/8/2009
Of course you want your standard-interface IP to pass compliance testing. But that accomplishment is just the beginning. Complete quality assurance for IP cores has far more challenges.

Deep packet inspection optimizes mobile applications
By Mike Coward, Continuous Computing, 10/8/2009
Mobile data provides a notable growth opportunity for cellular operators, but adoption will be slow unless networks can provide good service to all subscribers. Deep packet inspection enables operators to understand the applications their subscribers are using and to build appropriate networks.

A new set of Sallen-Key filter equations
By Martin Cano, National Semiconductor, 10/1/2009
New design equations let you pick equal capacitor values and solve for the resistors to achieve any desired gain in one stage.

FPGA architectural power-saving techniques at 40 nm
By Seyi Verma, Altera Corp, 9/23/2009
As geometries shrink, FPGAs must begin to employ design-specific power-management techniques in order to save power while meeting timing.

RF switching options: The right fit might come with a loss
By Rick Nelson, Editor-in-Chief, 9/17/2009
Manufacturers are offering SOI and MEMS alternatives to PIN-diode, GaAs, and electromechanical switches for a variety of RF applications, but you need to understand RF-switch specs before you commit to a new technology.

Breaking down the sensor-signal path
By Aaron GL Podbelski, Cypress Semiconductor, 9/17/2009
By understanding the stages of an analog-signal path, digital-system developers can more accurately capture sensor data for a variety of applications.

In search of a better DRAM: evolving to floating bodies
By Serguei Okhonin, PhD, Innovative Silicon, 9/17/2009
Widely investigated floating-body memories appear to be compelling replacements for conventional DRAMs. A new floating-body memory uses the intrinsic bipolar transistor to store significantly greater charge.

Thermal design guidelines for solid-state lighting applications using LEDs
By Henry F. and Peter A. Villaume, Villaume Associates, 9/11/2009
Here are six critical steps necessary to developing a successful, cost-effective thermal design for an LED application. Two families of LED applications have been used to illustrate many of the design choices that are open to the thermal designer to satisfy these application issues.

Draw the line: Isolation shields systems from shocking surprises
By Paul Rako, Technical Editor, 9/3/2009
You must design isolation into your circuits if you want to ensure user safety, eliminate ground loops, and reduce noise. Before selecting a technology, make sure that you understand all the specs and design considerations.

Outsourcing an IC design: Some advice from the trenches
By Ron Wilson, Executive Editor, 9/3/2009
In this climate, outsourcing is becoming a mandatory skill for IC-design managers. But it's not intuitively obvious.

Characterizing noise in high-performance voltage-reference ICs
By Jim Williams, Linear Technology Corp, 9/3/2009
Measuring the noise performance of a modern voltage reference requires special measurement techniques.

Hands-on project: Transporting high-def video broadcasts: Are wireless networks up to the task?
By Brian Dipert, Senior Technical Editor, 8/20/2009
High-resolution video-streaming support is supposedly a key justification for 802.11n versus its 802.11a and 802.11b/g predecessors. So why doesn't it deliver on its promises?

Take advantage of open-source hardware
By Gerald Coley, Texas Instruments, 8/20/2009
Basing your product on a reference design or demo board can speed time to market.

Addressing interleaved multichannel memory challenges
By Drew E Wingard, PhD, Sonics Inc, 8/20/2009
Interleaving addresses in multiple DRAM channels can greatly improve memory bandwidth, but it is not a trivial task.