Saarland University

Chair of
Electronics and Circuits
Exploring Limits:
Development of Integrated
HighPerformance Circuits

Prof. Dr. Michael Mller

Saarland: "Others talk We act"

Since 1957 part of Germany

Saarland

Industrial background: Cole & Steel (70th)

1 million inhabitants (NRW 18, Bavaria 12)

Today: Twodigit growth (FRG in whole only 1 digit) in:

416 inhabitants Km 2 (NRW 525, Bavaria 180)

1.3 % of total german population

R&D expenditure, patent applications,

Federal & European Research Cooperations
One University one allocation one focus
170 Spinoffs since 1995

Trier

Belgium

Competence Cluster innovation strategy:

R
RhinelandPalatinate

Networks
Mainz

Saar
land

Kaisers
lautern

(Sarre)

Innovations

Cluster

Luxem
bourg

University
Education Research

Economy
Startups Companies

Manpower

France

Saarbrcken
(Sarrebruck)
Strasbourg

Infrastructure

Products
Markets
Growth

Saarland University
Universitt des Saarlandes (UdS)
Campus Saarbrcken
1948 founded
15.500 students
290 professors
800 other academics
900 nonacademic
staff members
Cooperative study
France
Luxembourg

Natural Science and Technology at UdS

Faculties
Natural Science and Technology I
Computer Science
Mathematics

Associated Research Institutes

MaxPlanck Institute for Computer Science (MPI)
MaxPlanck Institute for Software Systems
Korean Insitute of Science and Technology (KIST)
Institute for New Materials (INM)

Natural Science and Technology II

Mechatronics Engineering
Physics
Natural Science and Technology III
Materials Science
Bioscience
Pharmacy
Chemistry

Fraunhofer Inst. f. Nondestructive Testing (IzfP)

German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence

Embedded Courses of Studies

Faculties

Departments

Course of studies

Natural Science and Technology I

Computer Science Dept.

Computer & Communications Technology

Mathematics
Electronics

Natural Science and Technology II

Mechatronics Engineering Dept.

Mechatronics

Physics

Microsystem Technology

Natural Science and Technology III

Materials Science Dept.
Bioscience
Pharmacy
Chemistry

Mechanics
(Micro/Nano)

Information&
System technology

Micro and Nanostructures

Lectures & Practicals in Electronics and Circuits

Course of studies

Chair of Electronics and Circuits

Computer & Communications Technology

Obligatory lectures
Solid State Electronics (El. I)

Mechatronics
Microsystem Technology
Micro and Nanostructures

Electronics

Mechanics
(Micro/Nano)

Information&
System technology

Circuit Theory & Techniques (El. II)

Obligatory practicals
Electronics & Circuits
Optional lectures
Communication Electronics (El. III)
Analog RF Circuit Design (El. IV)
RF Measurement Techniques*
Optional practicals*
Communication Electronics
RF Measurement Techniques
Analogue Circuit Design

*: coming soon

Research Structure
Research Area:

Exploring Performance Limits of Integrated Analogue Circuits.

Research Focus:

Development of Integrated Analogue HighSpeed Circuits

Research Topics:
Physical Modeling of Circuit Elements and Parasitics

Modeling

Circuit Concepts & Optimization, Design Methodology

Circuit Design

Assembly & Interfacing Techniques

Realization

Measurement Techniques

Characterization

SelfContained Research Concept

Circuit Design
Modelling

Realization

Characterization

Research / working areas, topics & methods

area

Realization
Assembly Techniques
Utilized Parasitics
TML Interfaces

topic

Technology evaluation
Analogue performance
HighSpeed & Low power
Parasitic effects

Lowcost & High Perform.

Organic substrates
Wire bonds, FC
CPW/Microstrip TML

Characterization
area

Unwant. & generated sig.

Signal quality & fidelity
Signal propagation
Model param. extract

metods

Wiring parasitics
TML models
Layer peeling
Similarity & mapping

area
Physical models
Broadband models
Building block moding.
Auto. mod. generation

topic

area

Modelling

New Circuit Concepts

Circuit Optimization
Design Methodology

topic

Circuit Design

Sampling scope, TDR

Spectrum analysis
VNA, diff. Sparams.
BERT

HighSpeed Design Background and Evolution

Example: Development of Transmitter & Receiver
(contains "digital" as well as analogue circuits)

1991

The worlds first 30 Gb/s MUX *

1995

The worlds first 50 Gb/s MUX *

1997

The worlds first 60 Gb/s MUX/DEMUX cipset *

(Photonik II)

1998

50 Gb/s EAM driver MUX*

1999

40 Gb/s fully integrated TIA & CDR&DEMUX* **

(KomNet)

2000

43.5 Gb/s fully integrated SONET/SDH RZ/NRZ CDR & TIA & DEMUX **

2001

43.5 Gb/s SONET/SDH RZ/NRZ 16:1 MUX with 20/40 GHz Clock output **

2002

Low power, SFI5 compliant 43.5 Gb/s, 1:16/16:1 SerDes Module **

2004

Worlds first fully integrated 87 Gb/s CDR & DEMUX module **

2006

MUX, CDR & DEMUX modules for experiments at > 100Gbit/s (MultiTeraNet) **
*developed @ Ruhr University Bochum, Prof. Rein
** developed @ MICRAM Microelectronic GmbH

Research Activities
Ongoing
Concepts and techniques for dual mode operation of linear differential circuits.
Automatic measurement of differential Sparameters with ordinary VNA.
Automatic generation of physical models for 2nports from Sparameter measurements.
Realtime circuit simulation by analogue parallel computing.
Planned
Demonstrator circuits for future 100 Gbit/s Ethernet.
Circuit concepts for highspeed driver circuits exeeding VCEO limit.
Circuit concepts for low power highspeed circuits in bipolar technology.
Figures of merit for technology selection by performance criteria.

Measurement Capabilities
Measurement equipment partly located at and shared with industrial partners
HighSpeed Measurement
100 Gb/s pattern generation.
100 Gb/s BER testing.
100 GHz spectrum analysis.
110 GHz S parameter measurements.
50 (80) GHz Sampling scope
On wafer measurements up to 100 Gb/s in clean room.
Even, odd, and conversion mode measurements (freq.&time domain).
All measurements can be carried out for single ended as well as differential devices.

Test/Preselection
Functional & Parametric test on Wafer and Modules at small volumes.

RFmodule technology
Soft Substrates for highspeed, highdensity applications:
PTFE/Polymer based,
bandwidth greater 100 GHz,
dielectric constants of 2.2 ... 10.8,
arbitrarily shaped substrates,
plated through holes,
edge metallization,
fine pitch resolution with 2 mil lines/spaces.
2

Thermal mounting for power densities up to 1 W/mm .

Broadband substrate layout utilizing verified library elements.
Fine pitch Al, Au wire bonding.
Module and subassembly manufacturing.
Technology located at MICRAM

Cooperation and Partners

VNA 110 GHz
Spectrum Analyzer 100 GHz
Synthesizer, SamplingScope, (BERT, Wafer Prober)
Physical equipment (e.g. atomic force microscope)
Cleanroom (100/1000)
Laserlithography (1um)
Etch and Thinfilm technologies
Laboratories for assembly and interfacing technologies

> 100 Gbit/s Measurement technology

Semiautom. Waferprober, @speed on wafer, temp 40...200C
RF module technology > 100 GHz, > 1W/mm^2
Turnkey product development