ENGR.
JUNDITH ALTERADO
CEBU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – UNIVERSITY
COMPUTER ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS
AND SENSORS
INTRODUCTION TO MIXED SIGNALS
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Mixed-Signal
Design
• What kind of design do you like?
• Is Digital Logic design your
favorite?
• Is Embedded Software Design your
favorite?
• Is Analog Transistor level design
your favorite?
• Or do you like them all?
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
What is Mixed-Signal Design?
• Mixed-Signal Designs include both Analog and Digital circuits on the
same Integrated Circuit.
• What are Analog Circuits – I/Os, Amplifiers, Oscillators, Comparators,
Regulators, References, Temperature Sensors, Data Converters, Level
Shifters, etc.
• What are Digital Circuits – Logic gates, State Machines, Control
Systems, Microprocessors with Firmware, Memories, Communication,
Programmability, Analog Trim, FPGA’s etc.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Why Mixed-Signal Design?
• The Real World is Analog – Colors, Sounds, Temperatures, Textures,
Pressures, Motion, etc.
• Transducers turn the Analog world into Voltage and Current signals.
• Analog Circuits are the “senses” of the Integrated Circuit – they
condition the signal and prepare it for interpretation and
manipulation.
• Digital Circuits and Software are the “brains” of the manipulation.
• Integrated Circuits – they efficiently process the information.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Why Mixed-Signal Design?
• Analog Circuits create the “action” as they send the interpretation or
modified signal back into the real world.
• Analog to Digital (ADC) Converters and Digital to Analog Converters
(DAC) link the sense to the brain and the brain to the action.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Some Mixed
Signal
Applications
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Why Mixed Signal
Integrated Circuits?
• As applications become smaller
and more complex, there is the
pressure to save board space
and power
• Cellphones
• Tablet/Laptops
• RF ID sensors
• MP3 players
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Why Mixed Signal
Integrated Circuits
• Improvement in digital
technologies have allowed
processing power to be applied
to “old school” analog
applications
• Automotive
• Industrial Control
• Power Management
• Audio
• Displays (Flatscreen monitors,
touchscreens, HDTV, 3-D TV)
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Examples
of Mixed
Signal
Designs
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Current
Electronics
and Mixed
Signal
Technology • Exciting digital consumer electronics. New consumer
electronics era has been emerged. Key technologies are
digital multimedia and system on a chip.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Examples of Mixed
Signal Designs
• LCD Driver - an integrated circuit
that provides an interface
between a microprocessor (MPU)
or microcontroller (MCU) system
and a liquid crystal display (LCD).
It is an array of DA Converters
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Image of current Electronics
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Mixed Signal technology: Digital Networking
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
ADSL and VDSL use the mixed signal
technology
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Mixed Signal Technology: Digital Read
Channel
• Digital Storage also needs high speed mixed signal technologies.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Digital Technology in Real World
• Digital signal suffers heavy damage in real world. To address this
issue, it needs the help of analog technology.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
Role of Current Analog Technology
• The role of the current analog technology is an interface between
digital technology and outer physical world. Analog supports digital.
CPE368: FUNDAMENTALS OF MIXED SIGNALS AND SENSORS
