Internet of Things (IoT) Affordable & Fast Semi-Custom ASIC Solutions

Internet of Things ViaASICs – Configurable Mixed Signal Integration“Sensor as a Service” Solutions

© Triad Semiconductor 2013

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IoT – Simplified View

A bit too simplified view of the Internet of Things

Sensor

Sensor

Sensor Sensor

Sensor

Sensor

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The Sensor-aaS Signal Chain

Sensor

AnalogFront End

Local CPU

Bluetooth

Smart

Web Server

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The Internet, The Cloud

• <blank> as a Service

Regardless of who invented it, the Net is well established, robust, & everywhere.The Internet part of IoT isn’t the problem.

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Is that a Web Server in your pocket?

• Why yes, yes it is

You are carrying around in your pocket more computing power than was required to put a man on the moon.

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Smartphones for Nano Satellites

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The Sensor-aaS Signal Chain

Sensor

AnalogFront End

Local CPU

Bluetooth

Smart

Web Server

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What You Wish You Had

Sensor

Web Server

Custom Sensor Interface

Bluetooth Smart

Micro

My custom “Sensor as a Service”

Chip

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What You Actually Have


What You Actually Have


Integrated Circuit Drivers

• Lower Cost• Reduce Size, Weight, Power• Protect IP• Improve Reliability• Improve Manufacturability

ASICApplicationSpecificIntegratedCircuit

These are all the excellent reasons why people look to integrate their electronics into a custom integrated circuit


ASIC Adoption Barriers

Expensive development and fabrication

Long development, fabrication & respin time

Risky (schedule, cost, multiple respins)

Big production volume commitment

Desired ASIC BenefitsLower CostSize, Weight, PowerProtect IPReliabilityManufacturability

Traditional ASICs are too expensive, time consuming & risky for all but highly funded high‐volume designs


Triad’s ViaASIC - a better ASIC

Inexpensive development and fabrication

Fast development

Low risk: silicon‐proven, easy to make changes

Any production volume

Desired ASIC BenefitsLower CostSize, Weight, PowerProtect IPReliabilityManufacturability

ViaASICs provide all the benefits of mixed signal ASICs without the headaches


Triad’s ViaASIC versus ASIC

Feature TraditionalASIC

Triad ViaASIC

ViaASIC Savings

Development Cost

$1,000,000+ $300,000 to $10,000

70% to 99%

Development Time

14 to 18 months

3‐6 months >60%Risk (re‐spin time)

3 months 4 weeks 66%


VCA TechnologySilicon‐Proven analog & digital IP implemented in reusable tiles

Tiles arrayed and overlaid with a patented global routing fabric

Mixed‐signal aware place & route tool places vias in the routing fabric to interconnect all resources

Single (Via‐Only™) mask layer sent to the foundry to be processed against staged VCA wafers resulting in customized ViaASIC

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VCA‐12

VCA Analog Tile Example

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Resource Value

Single‐ended Op‐Amp 1

Output stage 1

0.1pF MIM Caps 32

Remainder MIM Caps 28

Switches (SW01) 20

Resistors 37

NMOS Transistors 7

PMOS Transistors 7

Switches (SW02) 6

Analog Logic (AL01) 24

Analog Logic (AL02) 8

VCA‐12 contains 8 of these single‐ended op‐amp analog tiles

VCA‐12 5V Single‐Ended Op‐Amp Tile


VCA Family

AMS 0.35uAMS 0.35u

VCA‐1

VCA‐4

VCA‐7 (Mocha‐1)

AMS 0.35uHigh VoltageAMS 0.35uHigh Voltage

VCA‐2

VCA‐9

VCA‐10

VCA‐11

IBM 0.18uIBM 0.18u

VCA‐3

VCA‐5

VCA‐6

VCA‐8

VCA‐17

TowerJazz 0.18uHigh Voltage

TowerJazz 0.18uHigh Voltage

VCA‐12

VCA‐15

VCA‐16

MagnaChip 0.18u

MagnaChip 0.18u

VCA‐13

VCA‐14


MochaBlue™ Configurable Sensor-as-a-Service Chip

Sensor

Web Server

Configurable Analog

Bluetooth Smart

ARMCortex‐M0

Configurable Digital

ViaASIC


Wireless Pulse Oximetry Circuiton MochaBlue

Analog Front End

AHB Interface

ARMCortex‐M0

AHBAHB

APBAPB

RAM

NVMSPI

Master

BluetoothSmartRadio

DebugSensor

PowerManager


TSX1001 “Mocha” Evaluation Board• TSX1001 example mixed signal design

implemented on the Mocha‐1 VCA• ARM Cortex‐M0 Processor• 32KB EEPROM Program Memory• 24KB Data RAM• NVIC, Watchdog, WIC, Serial Wire Debug• Flexible Clocking• 16‐bit Sigma‐Delta ADC• 12‐bit DAC• Precision Bandgap & V‐Ref• Uncommitted op‐amps for prototyping• 320x240 graphical display with touchscreen• Prototyping area• USB Powered


TSX1001 Software Development Environment

• Easy to use, Keil RealView IDE• PC‐Based USB / Single Wire Debug

I/F– Software development– Programming– Debugging– Simulation– Profiling

• CMSIS compliant drivers


TSX1001+BLE Evaluation System

• Based on EM Micro EM9301 BLE Radio

• Complete Cortex‐M0 BLE Radio Stack

• Software & Hardware Co‐Development

• Sensor Interface Prototyping


Mixed signal chip design software for everyone!

• Schematic capture• HDL design entry (Verilog & VHDL)• VHDL‐AMS & SPICE modeling built‐in• Combined SPICE, VHDL‐AMS, Verilog, VHDL simulation environment

• Powerful, easy to use design wizards• Analysis tools: area estimate, power, sim corners

designerdesigner


Getting Started

• Visit www.ViaDesigner.com• Register & Download ViaDesigner

• Show us Your Design…

• Reid Wender• [email protected]• 865‐684‐5106• @viadesigner ‐ twitter


Low Cost Mixed Signal ASIC Design© Triad Semiconductor, 2012 27

Intuitive and powerful schematic capture


Hierarchical Schematic Browser

• Hierarchical browsing

• Supports multiple views– Schematic– HDL

Push down

HDL View


Syntax-Aware HDL Editor


Wizards Simplify and Speed-up Design

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Step Tasks

Place un‐configured integrator symbol & launch wizard

Set design parameters

See how parameters affecttransfer function, size, …

Wizard generates detailedcircuit structure & models

ViaDesigner schematic with a configured integrator

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Op Amp Wizard

General Purpose

Low Power

Micro Power

Low Offset

General Purpose

Low Power

General Purpose

Low Power

Single Ended

Wideband

OTA

Micro Power

Fully Differential

Micro Power

Prog Gain Amp

TIA

Instrumentation Amp

Prog InAmp


Filter Wizard:

Implementation Style• Continuous Time• Discrete Time (switched capacitor)Filter Type• Low pass, High pass• Band pass, Band stop• Corner frequency• Filter orderFilter Approximation• Butterworth• Bessel• Chebyshev I, II• Elliptical

Filter Wizard


ViaDesigner RoadmapQ2‐2012 Release 2012.2 Release

Resistor Capacitor Switch Analog Logic Op‐Amp Comparator Integrator Filter SAR ADC Sigma Delta

Modulator DAC IO Pad Band Gap, Bias Power On Reset

• High Voltage Wizards• Regulators• H‐Bridge• Clock Generation• PLL• Multi‐finger FET cell• ADC Extensions• Differentiator• Peak Detector• Sample &Hold• Prog Gain Amplifier• Instrumentation Amp• I‐V Converter• DAC Extension

• SPI, I2C• UART• Microcontroller• Adder/Multiplier/DSP• Fully Differential

Options• Log Amp

Fidelity vs Speed Controls (global & local options)

Spec Builder, Constraint Generator, Platform Fitter, Analog DFT, IC Packager,…


Simulation Model Control

SimulationSpeed

Model Fidelity

Model Level

Fidelity / Speed

0 Ideal+

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2 Process, Voltage, Temp

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9

10 SPICE BSIM‐III

Fide

lity

Speed


Powerful Waveform Display & Analysis

Waveform Measurements

Waveform Calculator (Generator)

Save & Compare Results


ViaASIC™ Design Using ViaDesigner™2013

High‐Level ViaASIC Modeling & Simulation

Platform Fitting

Scan & ATPG

Constraints & Package

ViaPath™ Place & Route

Static Timing Analysis

Final QC

ViaASIC Fabrication, Assembly & Test

Here’s what you do in ViaDesigner

Here’s what Triad does after you submit your ViaASIC order

ViaASIC

Triad support throughout the ViaDesigner process

Low Cost Mixed Signal ASIC Design© Triad Semiconductor, 2012 37

MochaBlue™Internet‐of‐ThingsSensor Processor

MochaBlue™Internet‐of‐ThingsSensor Processor