Design of boundary-scan testing in CMOS image sensors for industrial applications: internship repor

Tests on printed circuit boards and integrated circuits are widely used in industry,resulting in reduced design time and cost of a project. The functional and connectivity tests in this type of circuits soon began to be a concern for the manufacturers, leading to research for solutions that would allow a reliable, quick, cheap and universal solution. Initially, using test schemes were based on a set of needles that was connected to inputs and outputs of the integrated circuit board (bed-of-nails), to which signals were applied, in order to verify whether the circuit was according to the specifications and could be assembled in the production line. With the development of projects, circuit miniaturization, improvement of the production processes, improvement of the materials used, as well as the increase in the number of circuits, it was necessary to search for another solution. Thus Boundary-Scan Testing was developed which operates on the border of integrated circuits and allows testing the connectivity of the input and the output ports of a circuit. The Boundary-Scan Testing method was converted into a standard, in 1990, by the IEEE organization, being known as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard. Since then a large number of manufacturers have adopted this standard in their products. This master thesis has, as main objective: the design of Boundary-Scan Testing in an image sensor in CMOS technology, analyzing the standard requirements, the process used in the prototype production, developing the design and layout of Boundary-Scan and analyzing obtained results after production. Chapter 1 presents briefly the evolution of testing procedures used in industry, developments and applications of image sensors and the motivation for the use of architecture Boundary-Scan Testing. Chapter 2 explores the fundamentals of Boundary-Scan Testing and image sensors, starting with the Boundary-Scan architecture defined in the Standard, where functional blocks are analyzed. This understanding is necessary to implement the design on an image sensor. It also explains the architecture of image sensors currently used, focusing on sensors with a large number of inputs and outputs.Chapter 3 describes the design of the Boundary-Scan implemented and starts to analyse the design and functions of the prototype, the used software, the designs and simulations of the functional blocks of the Boundary-Scan implemented. Chapter 4 presents the layout process used based on the design developed on chapter 3, describing the software used for this purpose, the planning of the layout location (floorplan) and its dimensions, the layout of individual blocks, checks in terms of layout rules, the comparison with the final design and finally the simulation. Chapter 5 describes how the functional tests were performed to verify the design compliancy with the specifications of Standard IEEE 1149.1. These tests were focused on the application of signals to input and output ports of the produced prototype. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions that were taken throughout the execution of the work.

Bundle Block Adjustment of CBERS-2B HRC Imagery Combining Control Points and Lines

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Detection of glucose and triglycerides using information visualization methods to process impedance spectroscopy data

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Information Visualization to Enhance Sensitivity and Selectivity in Biosensing

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The open-ended photothermal cell with LiTaO3 and its use in determining the photochemical loss

Comparative determinations of the noise equivalent power (NEP) of open-ended photothermal cells are performed using LiTaO3 and LiNbO3 crystals with and without indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes. Open-ended cells can be used for in vivo measurements, which are important when considering the achievability for continuous monitoring of a plant, verifying, for example, the effect of water stress or UV-B radiation on a leaf. We also show the results obtained with one of these cells in the determination of photochemical loss of plant leaves. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time multi-sensors measurement system with temperature effects compensation for impedance-based structural health monitoring

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A marker-and-cell approach to free surface 2-D multiphase flows

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Classification and characterization of places for mapping of environment using hierarchical neural network and omnivision

Mobile robots need autonomy to fulfill their tasks. Such autonomy is related whith their capacity to explorer and to recognize their navigation environments. In this context, the present work considers techniques for the classification and extraction of features from images, using artificial neural networks. This images are used in the mapping and localization system of LACE (Automation and Evolutive Computing Laboratory) mobile robot. In this direction, the robot uses a sensorial system composed by ultrasound sensors and a catadioptric vision system equipped with a camera and a conical mirror. The mapping system is composed of three modules; two of them will be presented in this paper: the classifier and the characterizer modules. Results of these modules simulations are presented in this paper.

Lexicografia pedagógica: atores e interfaces

Os dicionários para aprendizes de línguas estrangeiras são obras relativamente recentes no mercado editorial e atendem uma demanda por obras pedagógicas que foi ignorada pelos lexicógrafos durante muito tempo. Esse segmento do mercado lexicográfico vem se revelando promissor, com diversas possibilidades de inovações. A fim de delinear o campo de desenvolvimento da Lexicografia Pedagógica, este artigo analisa-a sob duas perspectivas: a de suas interfaces com outras áreas da Lingüística e a de seus atores, pessoas cuja atuação influencia a produção de suas obras. Esta exposição tem o objetivo de despertar o interesse de pesquisadores brasileiros pela Lexicografia Pedagógica e, indiretamente, promover a produção nacional de dicionários pedagógicos.

Study on the orientation degree of Pb1-xLaxTiO3 thin films by the rocking curve technique and its morphological aspects

Thin films of perovskite-type materials such as PbTiO3, BaTiO3, (Pb,La)TiO3, (Pb, La)(ZrTi)O-3, KNbO3, and Pb(Mg,Nb)03 have been attracting great interest for applications like non-volatile memories, ultrasonic sensors and optical devices. Thin film should be epitaxially grown or at least highly textured since the properties of this anisotropic material depend on the crystallographic orientation. For optical devices, in particular, an epitaxial thin film without defects are essential to reduce optical propagation losses. Pb1-xLaxTiO3 (PLT) where x=0, 13 and 27% thin films were prepared by a chemical method (polymeric precursors method), and deposited by the spin coating technique onto substrates of SrTiO3 (STO) and LaAlO3 (LAO). The films were then beat treated at 500 degrees C in a controlled atmosphere of 0,. The orientation degree of the thin films was obtained from rocking curve technique, by means of X-ray difftaction analysis. A microstructural study revealed that the films were crack-free, homogeneous and have low roughness. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and application of PZT/PU and graphite doped PZT/PU composite

Composites, made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic powder and castor oil-based polyurethane (PU), were prepared in the film form. The films were obtained in the thickness range 100-300 mum using up to 50/50 vol.% of ceramic. Another composite (PZT/C/PU) was obtained by adding a small amount (1.0 vol.%) of graphite (C) to the PZT/PU composite. By increasing the conductivity of PU-containing graphite, polarization of PZT could be carried out with better efficiency. A comparison of piezo- and pyroelectric activities and spatial distribution of polarization between graphite doped and undoped composites reveal the advantages of using semiconductor filler. These composites were used as sensors to detect acoustic emission (AE). The detection was made using two simulated sources of AE, i.e., ball bearing drop and pencil lead break. PZT/C/PU composite was able to detect both flexural and extensional components of wave vibration. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and characterization of an equine behaviour chamber and the effects of amitraz and detomidine on spontaneous locomotor activity

This report describes the development of a behaviour chamber and the validation of the chamber to measure locomotor activity of a horse, Locomotor activity was detected by four Mini-beam sensors and recorded on a data logger every 5 min for 22 h. Horses were more active during daytime than in the evening, which was at least partially related to human activity in their surroundings. To validate the ability of the chambers to detect changes in activity, fentanyl citrate and xylazine HCl, agents well-characterized as a stimulant and a depressant, respectively, were administered to five horses. Fentanyl citrate (0.016 mg/kg) significantly increased locomotor activity which persisted for 30 min, Xylazine HCl (1 mg/kg) significantly reduced locomotor activity for 90 min. Amitraz produced a dose-dependent decrease in locomotor activity, lasting 75 min for the 0.05 mg/kg dose, 120 min for the 0.10 mg/kg dose, and 180 min for the 0.15 mg/kg dose, In a separate experiment, yohimbine administration immediately reversed the sedative effect of amitraz, This suggests there is a similarity in the mode of action of amitraz, xylazine and detomidine, as yohimbine acts primarily by blocking central alpha 2-adrenoceptors that are stimulated by agents like xylazine, There was also a significant decrease in locomotor activity following injection of detomidine (0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 mg/kg) for 1.5, 3.5 and 5.0 h, respectively, the locomotor chamber is a useful, sensitive and highly reproducible tool for measuring spontaneous locomotor activity in the horse, which allows investigators to determine an agent's average time of onset, duration and intensity of effect on movement.

Development of a potentiometric mefenamate ion sensor for the determination of mefenamic acid in pharmaceuticals and human blood serum

The characteristics, performance, and application of a novel and simple electrode, namely Pt vertical bar Hg vertical bar Hg-2(MF)(2)vertical bar Graphite, where MF stands for mefenamate ion, are described. This electrode responds to MF with sensitivity of (58.9 +/- 0.7) mV decade(-1) over the range 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-2) mol L-1 at pH 6.0-9.0 and a detection limit of 6.2 x 10(-7) mol L-1. The electrode is easily constructed at a relatively low cost with fast response time (within 10-25 s) and can be used for a period of 4 months without significant change in its performance characteristics. The proposed sensor displayed good selectivity for mefenamate in the presence of several substances, especially concerning carboxylate and inorganic anions. The potentiometric sensor was successfully applied to the determination of mefenamic acid in pharmaceuticals and human serum samples. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanoscale processing of polyaniline and phthalocyanines for sensing applications

Nanostructured polyaniline-modified electrodes were fabricated via the electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) technique where polyaniline (PANI) was assembled with one of three tetrasulfonated metallic phthalocyanines, viz. iron (FeTsPc), nickel (NiTsPc) and copper (CuTsPc). The multilayer formation was monitored via UV-vis spectroscopy by measuring the increase in the 800 run absorption band due to PANI. Infrared spectroscopy in the transmission mode suggested specific interactions between PANI and the phthalocyanines, such as those between SO3- groups from the phthalocyanines and the protonated NH group from PANI. The films were employed to detect dopamine (DA) using cyclic voltammetry. In the presence of dopamine the PANI-based LbL films showed additional redox peaks at ca. 230 and 190 mV the oxidation peak increased linearly with the concentration of DA in the electrolytic solution. Films comprising PANI/FeTsPc were able to distinguish between DA and ascorbic acid (AA), which acts as a natural interferent in biological fluids. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural health evaluation by optimization techinique and artificial neural network

This paper presents two different approaches to detect, locate, and characterize structural damage. Both techniques utilize electrical impedance in a first stage to locate the damaged area. In the second stage, to quantify the damage severity, one can use neural network, or optimization technique. The electrical impedance-based, which utilizes the electromechanical coupling property of piezoelectric materials, has shown engineering feasibility in a variety of practical field applications. Relying on high frequency structural excitations, this technique is very sensitive to minor structural changes in the near field of the piezoelectric sensors, and therefore, it is able to detect the damage in its early stage. Optimization approaches must be used for the case where a good condensed model is known, while neural network can be also used to estimate the nature of damage without prior knowledge of the model of the structure. The paper concludes with an experimental example in a welded cubic aluminum structure, in order to verify the performance of these two proposed methodologies.