Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Electrical Engineering

Major Professor

Benjamin J. Blalock

Committee Members

Jeremy H. Holleman III, Syed K. Islam

Abstract

The future of electronics is the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, where "always-on" devices and sensors monitor and transform everyday life. A plethora of applications (such as navigating drivers past road hazards or monitoring bridge and building stresses) employ this technology. These unattended ground-sensor applications require decade(s)-long operational life-times without battery changes. Such electronics demand stringent performance specifications with only nano-Watt power levels.This thesis presents an ultra-low-power track-and-hold amplifier for such systems. It serves as the front-end of a SAR-ADC or the building block for equalizers or filters. This amplifier's design attains exceptional hold times by mitigating switch subthreshold leakage and bulk leakage. Its novel transmission-gate topology achieves wide-swing performance. Though only consuming 100 pico-Watts, it achieves a precision of 7.6 effective number of bits (ENOB). The track-and-hold amplifier was designed in 130-nm CMOS.

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