ECL Year 2: ELSA Track - Advanced System Electronics

Course structure: 26 2h lectures; 7 2h problem classes; 6 4h lab sessions

This track aims to teach ECL Year 2 students the principle classes and uses of electronics in advanced systems. The class focuses on the realization of analog functions used in mobile telecommunications systems, as well as on the operation of complex digital systems such as microprocessors and DSPs. Lab sessions give the students hands-on experience with the design and analysis of analog blocks and with the programming of reconfigurable processors.

This teaching track consists of 3 courses preceded by an introduction.

Introduction to electronic components and systems

with Fabien Mieyeville

This course presents a global overview of the electronics and microelectronics industry. It shows the broad range of applications of electronics, and its links with other disciplines (biomedical, computing, telecoms, automotive ...).

Summary:

• The electronics and semiconductor industry (application sectors, technology, ...)
• Application examples (processors, mobile communications, ...)

Analog systems

with Pedro Rojo-Romeo, Jean-Paul Zaygel

The main objective of this course is to teach how analog circuits can realize signal processing functions such as continuous-time filtering, oscillation and multiplication. The applications of these functions are shown within the context of wireless data communication: phase-locked loops, synchronous detection and transceivers for mobile applications.

Summary:

• Functions (filters, oscillators, multipliers)
• Continuous-time filters (theory, active circuit implementation)
• Applications (phase-locked loop, synchronous detection, transceiver architectures)

Digital systems

with Michel Le Helley

This course presents the five essential components of digital architectures: control, data path, memory, input, output. The first part of the course covers the internal architecture of microprocessors, while the second part explains how the processor communicates (i.e. over which medium and with which protocol) with external peripherals (such as hard disks, mouse, keyboard, monitor ...)

Summary:

• Microprocessor architectures (general operation of a microprocessor, memory technologies and architectures, adressing techniques)
• Microprocessor interfaces (buses: how the microprocessor communicates with its environment, bus structure analysis, peripherals)

Mixed systems

The objective of this course is to present discrete-time systems, with clear focuses on their usages (i) at the interface to digital systems and (ii) as reliable signal processing elements.

Summary:

• Principles of sampled systems (sampling theory, electronic switching devices)
• Discrete-time filters (elements for sampled filters, synthesis of discrete-time filters)
• Converters (analog-digital conversion, digital-analog conversion)
• Digital signal processors (architectures, peripherals and applications)

Lab sessions

The lab sessions put into practice the various techniques presented in lectures. Spread over various modules, they cover the following themes:

• Synthesis and operation of analog systems (filters, phase-locked loops)
• Reconfigurable processor programming

ECL Year 3 - Open course: Introduction to autonomous microsystems

with Pedro Rojo-Romeo

Course structure: 8 2h lectures; 3 4h lab sessions

Phenomenal advances in the field of micro-nano-technologies have enabled the integration of extremely diverse functionalities within volumes of the order of just one cubic millimeter. The era of ambient intelligence (the massive use of technology in "intelligent" environments for free and intuitive use) is based on the collective operation of a significant number of autonomous microsystems. Such objects are autonomous in terms of energy, capable of wireless communication and integrate data-processing circuits. A typical application example is in atmospheric or environmental analysis, where several hundreds of autonomous microsystems can be deployed over a surface of several km2 to measure the quality of air or water and transmit the gathered data towards a central (base) node, for data fusion and interpretation. The constraints relative to the design of these objects are extremely low power consumption, low voltages, low noise, micro-volume and high-frequency communication.

The objective of this course is two-fold:

• The students should acquire essential knowledge of the operating principles and of the design of intelligent autonomous microsystems. To optimise the overall performance of such systems, it is essential to be able to handle and link together concepts as diverse as physical sensors, analog circuit design, signal processing and communication protocols.
• The students should become aware of the technical and economic issues concerning this type of device in the following application domains:
• biomedical
• ambient intelligence
• autonomous instrumentation
• intelligent homes, automotive, military ...

Summary:

• Introduction to the principles of microelectronic process technology
• Description of technologies specific to integrated microsystems, applications
• Sensors, actuators
• Electronic signal amplification
• Nanometric integration issues (thermal, mechanical, noise, ...)

Lab sessions

• Introduction to cleanroom micro-nano-technologies
• Design of a low-noise CMOS amplifier
• Autonomous microsystem design

ECL Year 3 - Micronanobiosystems course: Microsystems, microsensors, microfluidics

with Philippe Carrière, Jean-Pierre Cloarec, Emmanuelle Laurenceau

Course structure: 11 2h lectures; 2 4h study sessions

This course covers microsystems for biological analyses (e.g. a lab-on-chip) and aims to develop and clarify the problems related to the integration of the various components and functions on a miniaturized scale. An introduction to microfluidics (physics on a microfluidic scale, the influence of scaling on system miniaturization, hydrodynamics of microfluidic systems, diffusion, mixture and separation in the microsystem) is given, as well as notions necessary to the comprehension of the problems of ultra-low amplitude signal acquisition. Case studies of chemical and biological sensors are particularly developed.

ECL Year 3 - Micronanobiosystems course: Micronanoelectronic logic circuit design

Course structure: 4 4h lectures / study sessions

This study unit covers transistor-level design techniques for micro-nano-electronic circuits. After an introduction to classical analysis and synthesis techniques for digital and analog circuits, the group will be taught how to approach the design of basic circuits, while taking into account the limits of deep submicron/nanometer-scale MOS transistor models. Some more prospective ideas will also be discussed on the future use of nanodevices (carbon nanotube field effect transistors, resonant tunneling diodes, single-electron transistors) in elementary system-on-chip functions (data processing, memory, interconnect).