SBIR Phase I: All CMOS Aging-Free High-Accuracy Clock to Replace Multiple Crystal Oscillators

SBIR 第一阶段：全 CMOS 防老化高精度时钟取代多个晶体振荡器

• 批准号: 1214917
• 负责人: Adam Vishinsky
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: SyncRef, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1214917&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; CMOS; Aging; Free

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project targets high-performance clocks to be implemented in a standard silicon CMOS process to address ever-growing demand for a higher level of integration resulting in a product smaller feature size and power savings for mobile and other consumer electronics applications by replacing multiple crystal oscillators (XTAL's). For all silicon CMOS (Si-CMOS) oscillators their accuracy is primarily limited by aging that causes frequency to shift every year by a certain amount. Depending on the application total elimination or mitigation of aging technologies will be developed. The project's key innovations are in self-calibration algorithms for aging elimination and analog aging compensation schemes maintaining acceptable complexity. The project will involve research and development using a board-level prototype as well as feasibility study for an IC implementation minimizing the system's cost and its power consumption. The proposed innovation practically eliminates aging for mobile-phones and GPS devices and first time allows a Si-CMOS clock to achieve an accuracy of single ppms, so far reserved to temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXO's). It is anticipated that this technology will result in critically needed frequency-accuracy enhancements ranging from a factor of 2 to 10, compared to currently available Si-CMOS oscillators.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project stems from the fact that oscillators are essential components for all consumer electronics and communications as well as for computer and networking markets. In 2007, 10 billion XTAL and other oscillators were manufactured worldwide reaching $3.6 B Total Available Market (TAM). The emerging Si-CMOS and the Micro-machined Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) oscillator segments target portable applications, such as PDAs, camcorders, and MP3 players, where the size and degree of integration is key. The global market for MEMS/Si CMOS oscillators will grow from $5.2 M in 2008 to $217 M in 2013 with an Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) of 125%. The aging elimination and mitigation technologies developed in this project are applicable in microprocessors, memories and communication systems. Societal benefits include the much-needed increased accuracy, and a timely low-cost solution for Si-CMOS oscillators, providing a cost-effective alternative to XTAL oscillators. The improved clock accuracies and their ability to be integrated on large System-on-Chips (SoC's) will enable developing more compact products with power consumption savings, battery life extension and added functionality to a greater portion of the population at reduced costs and will also serve to foster remote education, telecommuting and e-commerce.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的目标是在标准硅CMOS工艺中实现高性能时钟，以满足对更高集成度的不断增长的需求，从而通过取代多个晶体振荡器（XTAL），为移动的和其他消费电子应用提供更小的功能尺寸和节能产品。 对于所有硅CMOS（Si-CMOS）振荡器，其精度主要受到老化的限制，老化导致频率每年偏移一定量。 根据应用的不同，将开发完全消除或缓解老化的技术。 该项目的关键创新在于消除老化的自校准算法和保持可接受复杂性的模拟老化补偿方案。 该项目将涉及使用板级原型的研究和开发，以及IC实现的可行性研究，以最大限度地降低系统的成本和功耗。 所提出的创新实际上消除了移动电话和GPS设备的老化，并且首次允许Si-CMOS时钟实现单个ppm的精度，迄今为止仅限于温度补偿晶体振荡器（TCXO）。 与目前可用的Si-CMOS振荡器相比，预计该技术将导致急需的频率精度提高2至10倍。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于振荡器是所有消费电子和通信以及计算机和网络市场的基本组件。 2007年，全球生产了100亿台XTAL和其他振荡器，达到36 B美元的总可用市场（TAM）。 新兴的Si-CMOS和微机械机电系统（MEMS）振荡器细分市场针对便携式应用，如PDA、摄像机和MP3播放器，这些应用的尺寸和集成度是关键。 MEMS/Si CMOS振荡器的全球市场将从2008年的520万美元增长到2013年的2.17亿美元，平均年增长率（AAGR）为125%。 本项目开发的老化消除和减缓技术适用于微处理器、存储器和通信系统。 社会效益包括急需的更高精度，以及及时的低成本Si-CMOS振荡器解决方案，为XTAL振荡器提供了一种具有成本效益的替代方案。改进的时钟精度及其集成在大型片上系统（SoC）上的能力将使开发更紧凑的产品，节省功耗，延长电池寿命并以更低的成本为更多的人提供更多的功能，并将有助于促进远程教育，远程办公和电子商务。