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

这项小型企业创新研究（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，以解决对更高集成度的日益增长的需求，从而通过取代多个晶体振荡器（XTAL），为移动和其他消费电子应用提供更小的功能尺寸和节省功耗的产品。对于所有硅CMOS （Si-CMOS）振荡器，其精度主要受到老化的限制，老化会导致频率每年偏移一定数量。根据应用情况，将开发完全消除或减缓老化技术的方法。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，以及最小化系统成本和功耗的IC实施的可行性研究。提出的创新实际上消除了手机和GPS设备的老化，并首次允许Si-CMOS时钟达到单ppms的精度，迄今为止一直保留于温度补偿晶体振荡器（TCXO）。与目前可用的Si-CMOS振荡器相比，预计该技术将导致迫切需要的频率精度增强，范围从2到10倍。这个项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于振荡器是所有消费电子产品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100亿个XTAL和其他振荡器，达到36亿美元的总可用市场（TAM）。新兴的Si-CMOS和微机电系统（MEMS）振荡器细分市场的目标是便携式应用，如pda，摄像机和MP3播放器，其中的尺寸和集成程度是关键。全球MEMS/Si CMOS振荡器市场将从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%。本课题开发的消除和减缓老化技术适用于微处理器、存储器和通信系统。社会效益包括急需提高的精度，以及Si-CMOS振荡器的及时低成本解决方案，为XTAL振荡器提供了经济高效的替代方案。改进的时钟精度及其集成在大型系统级芯片（SoC）上的能力将使开发更紧凑的产品能够节省功耗，延长电池寿命，并以更低的成本为更大一部分人口增加功能，还将有助于促进远程教育，远程办公和电子商务。

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.