ISSCC 1999 - IMAGERS AND MEMS

• Summary
• Daytime Paper Sessions
• Evening Panel Discussion
• Tutorial

Subcommittee Chair: Dennis Polla, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sensor Interface Electronics [7.4] and Fingerprint Verification [7.5]
  
• Highly Integrated CMOS Image Sensors [17.3, 17.4, 17.7] and Small-Pixel CCDs [17.1, 17.2]

MOST-SIGNIFICANT RESULTS

• Advancement of Sensor Integration and Interface Circuits [7.1, 7.2]
  
• Wide-Dynamic-Range CMOS Imagers [17.5]

APPLICATIONS

• MEMS Navigation Aids [7.1, 7.2] and Human/Computer Interface [7.5, 7.6]
  
• Digital Imaging [17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.7]

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT

• Lower-Cost Low-Power Imaging Systems
  
• Lower-Cost Integrated MEMS Sensors

PANEL

• When will MEMS appear in every Communication System [TE3]

TUTORIAL

• Single Chip CMOS Imaging Systems [T5]

Session:TA7

MEMS ICs AND MICROSYSTEMS

Chair: Michael Judy, Analog Devices, Cambridge, MA
Associate Chair: Michael Knoll, Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque, NM

DRIVERS

• Improved circuit interfaces to microsystems
  
• Integration of circuits and MEMS
  
• Novel human-computer interfaces

HIGHLIGHTS

• Integrated electronic compass using standard CMOS with a 5^o resolution [7.1]
  
• Interface circuit for µg capacitive accelerometer with 95dB dynamic range [7.2]
  
• SOI MEMS for high-temperature automotive applications at 200 ^oC [7.3]
  
• Single-chip fingerprint sensor [7.5]
  
• Direct-contact finger mouse [7.6]
  
• 3D gesture-recognition system [7.7]

Session: WA17

IMAGE SENSORS AND INTEGRATED SYSTEMS

Chair: Dan McGrath, Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Associate Chair: Yoshishiro Fujita, NHK, Tokyo, Japan

DRIVERS

• Small Pixels for High Resolution in Small Optical Formats
  
• Higher Levels of Functional Integration On-Chip
  
• Improvement in Fixed-Pattern Noise and Dynamic Range
  
• Lower Power Consumption

HIGHLIGHTS

• Simplified process enabling 1.3Mpixel resolution in 1/2-inch [17.1]
  
• Pixel Size shrinks to 3.8µm by 4.2µm [17.2]
  
• 8- and 9-bit On-chip A/D CMOS image sensors [17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.7]
  
• Camera on a Chip [17.4]
  
• Wide-Dynamic-Range (>80dB) CMOS image sensors [17.5]

Panel Session: TE6

WHEN WILL MEMS APPEAR IN EVERY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM?

OBJECTIVE

• Identify technical challenges and opportunities for applying MEMS in RF communication systems

APPLICATIONS

• A large variety of communication devices and systems including handheld wireless systems

CHALLENGES

• Process integration of micromachined components with RF circuits
  
• Reliability

CONTROVERSIES

• Replacement of conventional RF components with MEMS
  
• Fabrication costs
  
• System and component partitioning
  
• Calibration

Tutorial: T5

OVERVIEW

• Discussion of single-chip CMOS imaging systems including fabrication technology, and pixel and system architectures
  
• A/D-conversion approaches
  
• Color-processing techniques
  
• On-chip image processing
  
• Impact of CMOS device and technology scaling on CMOS imager performance

TUTORIAL SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Hon-Sum Philip Wong in 1998 received the PhD in EE from Lehigh University and joined the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. His research has included the development of a high-resolution image scanner, as well as devices, processes and applications for sub-50nm CMOS.

Abbas El Gamal in 1978 received the PhD in EE from Stanford, where he is an Associate Professor of EE. From 1978-80 he was Assistant Professor of EE at USC. From 1984-88, he was Director of LSI Logic Research Lab., where he developed compilation technology and the DSP and image processing ASICs, and then cofounded and was Chief Scientist of Actel. From 1990-95, he was a cofounder and Chief Technical Officer of Silicon Architects.