Nettsider med emneord «Integrated circuits»

The development of integrated circuit technologies makes it possible to integrate complete systems on one chip consisting of microprocessors, RAM, dedicated digital modules as well as analogue elements like sensor front-ends, RF modules and power regulators, image pixels, MEMS-structures (pressure sensors, mechanical switches, accelerometers), high quality coils and capacitors etc. This is known as System on Chip (SoC). Development of a SoC is done in several steps where the different modules are developed and verified in different devices before they may be combined into one circuit.

Modern CMOS image sensor (CIS) are realized in highly specialized semiconductor production processes that provide microscopic photo pixels allowing extremly high quality photo-sensing: the noise level is actually measured in just a few quanta of electron charges. However, these production processes are generally a well guarded secret, costly, and not easily available for academic research groups. Thus, we have for some time used general purpose CMOS processes instead to make experimental image sensors. That is possible becasue basically any PN-diode on a CMOS chip is sensitive to light and can be repurposed as a light sensor.

Integrated Detector Electronics AS (IDEAS) is a Norwegian company designing integrated circuits for sensor applications for example for CERN, space applications and others. Below follow a short list of possible master projects that they could supervise. (The descriptions are still preliminary and will be updated later.)

The Goal is to design a 128x128 pixel (or more) CMOS image sensor with 16-bit dynamic range.