A 0.18μm CMOS GAIN-SWITCHED LNA AND MIXER WITH LARGE DYNAMIC RANGE

A 2.4GHz 0.18μm CMOS gain-switched single-end Low Noise Amplifier （LNA） and a passive mixer with no external balun for near-zero-IF （Intermediate Frequency）/RF （Radio Frequency） applications are described. The LNA, fabricated in the 0.18μm 1P6M CMOS technology, adopts a gain-switched technique to increase the linearity and enlarge the dynamic range. The mixer is an IQ-based passive topology. Measurements of the CMOS chip are performed on the FR-4 PCB and the input is matched to 50Ω. Combining LNA and mixer, the front-end measured performances in high gain state are： -15dB of Sll, 18.5dB of voltage gain, 4.6dB of noise figure, 15dBm of IIP3, 85dBm to -10dBm dynamic range. The full circuit drains 6mA from a 1.8V supply.

Modulation of neuronal dynamic range using two different adaptation mechanisms

The capability of neurons to discriminate between intensity of external stimulus is measured by its dynamic range.A larger dynamic range indicates a greater probability of neuronal survival.In this study,the potential roles of adaptation mechanisms（ion currents） in modulating neuronal dynamic range were numerically investigated.Based on the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model,which includes two different adaptation mechanisms,i.e.subthreshold and suprathreshold（spike-triggered） adaptation,our results reveal that the two adaptation mechanisms exhibit rather different roles in regulating neuronal dynamic range.Specifically,subthreshold adaptation acts as a negative factor that observably decreases the neuronal dynamic range,while suprathreshold adaptation has little influence on the neuronal dynamic range.Moreover,when stochastic noise was introduced into the adaptation mechanisms,the dynamic range was apparently enhanced,regardless of what state the neuron was in,e.g.adaptive or non-adaptive.Our model results suggested that the neuronal dynamic range can be differentially modulated by different adaptation mechanisms.Additionally,noise was a non-ignorable factor,which could effectively modulate the neuronal dynamic range.

Dynamic range and linearity improvement for zero-field single-beam atomic magnetometer

Zero-field single-beam atomic magnetometers with transverse parametric modulation for ultra-weak magnetic field detection have attracted widespread attention recently.In this study,we present a comprehensive response model and propose a modification method of conventional first harmonic response by introducing the second harmonic correction.The proposed modification method gives improvement in dynamic range and reduction of linearity error.Additionally,our modification method shows suppression of response instability caused by optical intensity and frequency fluctuations.An atomic magnetometer with single-beam configuration is built to compare the performance between our proposed method and the conventional method.The results indicate that our method’s magnetic field response signal achieves a 5-fold expansion of dynamic range from 2 nT to 10 nT,with the linearity error decreased from 5%to 1%.Under the fluctuations of 5%for optical intensity and±15 GHz detuning of frequency,the proposed modification method maintains intensityrelated instability less than 1%and frequency-related instability less than 8%while the conventional method suffers 15%and 38%,respectively.Our method is promising for future high-sensitive and long-term stable optically pumped atomic sensors.

Extraordinary tunable dynamic range of electrochemical aptasensor for accurate detection of ochratoxin A in food samples

We report the design of a sensitive,electrochemical aptasensor for detection of ochratoxin A(OTA)with an extraordinary tunable dynamic sensing range.This electrochemical aptasensor is constructed based on the target induced aptamer-folding detection mechanism and the recognition between OTA and its aptamers results in the conformational change of the aptamer probe and thus signal changes for measurement.The dynamic sensing range of the electrochemical aptasensor is successfully tuned by introduction of free assistant aptamer probes in the sensing system.Our electrochemical aptasensor shows an extraordinary dynamic sensing range of 11-order magnitude of OTA concentration from 10^−8 to 10^2 ng/g.Of great significance,the signal response in all OTA concentration ranges is at the same current scale,demonstrating that our sensing protocol in this research could be applied for accurate detections of OTA in a broad range without using any complicated treatment of signal amplification.Finally,OTA spiked red wine and maize samples in different dynamic sensing ranges are determined with the electrochemical aptasensor under optimized sensing conditions.This tuning strategy of dynamic sensing range may offer a promising platform for electrochemical aptasensor optimizations in practical applications.

Research for the Dynamic Range and Its Extension of Digital Intermediate Frequency Receiver

For the optimization of dynamic range and bandwidth of digital intermediate frequency receiver(DIFR), main factors affecting them and their relationships are studied. Firstly, the DIFR sensitivity, bandwidth, noise factor of radio frequency (RF) analog front-end (RFAF), and processing gain of intermediate frequency(IF) sampling are analyzed. Secondly, the constraint relationship of the noise factor of RFAF, the signal-to-noise ratio of ADC and the dynamic range of DIFR are studied. The relationship between the dynamic range and the RFAF gain, and that of the extended dynamic range and the RF AGC(automatic gain control) step are educed and simulated. These results can be used as theory foundations and design references for the implementation and optimization of the large dynamic range and wideband DIFR.

Distortion-Free Data Embedding Scheme for High Dynamic Range Images

Distortion-free data embedding is a technique which can assure that not only the secret data is correctly extracted but also the cover media is recovered without any distortion after secret data is extracted completely. Because of these advantages, this technique attracts the attention of many researchers. In this paper, a new distortion-free data embedding scheme for high dynamic range （HDR） images is proposed. By depending on Cartesian product, this scheme can obtain higher embedding capacity while maintaining the exactly identical cover image and stego image when using the tone mapping algorithms. In experimental results, the proposed scheme is superior to Yu et aL＇s scheme in regard to the embedding rate——an average embedding rate of 0.1355 bpp compared with Yn et aL＇s scheme （0.1270 bpp）.

Effects of Sevoflurane on the discharges of wide dynamic range neurons in spinally transected rats

Objective: To study the effects of clinical concentration of sevoflurane on activity of wide dynamic range neurons. Methods: Eight Spraque-Dawley rats(male) were selected. Their spinal cords were exposed and transected at T 9-10 level. The rate of firings of single neurons in the dorsal horn in response to electrical stimulation of skin was recorded with microelectrodes. The early and late discharges were observed when rats inhaled 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% sevoflurane. Results: Sevoflurane suppressed the early and late discharges at the concentration of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%. Compared with early discharges, the extent of inhibition of late discharges was wider at the concentration of 1%, 1.5%, and 2.0% of sevoflurane. Conclusion: It is indicated that sevoflurane could suppress the transmission of nociceptive and non-nociceptive stimulation at dorsal horn. The suppression on nociceptive imput is stronger than that on non-nociceptive imput when the concentration of sevoflurane is more than 1%.

Multi-exposure fusion for high dynamic range scene

Due to the existing limited dynamic range a camera cannot reveal all the details in a high-dynamic range scene. In order to solve this problem,this paper presents a multi-exposure fusion method for getting high quality images in high dynamic range scene. First,a set of multi-exposure images is obtained by multiple exposures in a same scene and their brightness condition is analyzed. Then,multi-exposure images under the same scene are decomposed using dual-tree complex wavelet transform( DT-CWT),and their low and high frequency components are obtained. Weight maps according to the brightness condition are assigned to the low components for fusion. Maximizing the region Sum Modified-Laplacian( SML) is adopted for high-frequency components fusing. Finally,the fused image is acquired by subjecting the low and high frequency coefficients to inverse DT-CWT.Experimental results show that the proposed approach generates high quality results with uniform distributed brightness and rich details. The proposed method is efficient and robust in varies scenes.

Novel Logarithmic Active Pixel Sensor with High Dynamic Range and High Output Swing

The logarithmic response complementary metal oxide semiconductor （CMOS） image sensor provides a wide dynamic range, but its drawback is the lack of simple fixed pattern noise（FPN） cancellation scheme. Designed is a novel logarithmic active pixel sensor（APS） with high dynamic range and high output swing. Firstly, the operation principle of mixed-model APS is introduced. The pixel can work in three operation modes by choosing the proper control signals. Then, FPN sources of logarithmic APS are analyzed, and double-sampled technique is implemented to reduce FPN. Finally, according to the simulation results, layout is designed and has passed design rule check（DRC）, electronic rule eheck（ERC） and layout versus schematic（LVS） verifications, and the post-simulation results are basically in agreement with the simulation results. Dynamic range of the new logarithmic APS can reach about 140 dB; and the output swing is about 750 inV. Results show that by using double sampled technique, most FPN is eliminated and the dynamic range is enhanced.

Shape recovery using high dynamic range images

An effective method for object shape recovery using HDRIs （high dynamic range images） is proposed. The radiance values of each point on the reference sphere and target object are firstly calculated, thus the set of candidate normals of each target point are found by comparing its radiance to that of each reference sphere point. In single-image shape recovery, a smoothness operation is applied to the target normals to obtain a stable and reasonable result; while in photometric stereo, radiance vectors of reference and target objects formed due to illuminations under different fight source directions are directly compared to get the most suitable target normals. Finally, the height values can be recovered from the resulting normal field. Because diffuse and specular reflection are handled in an unified framework with radiance, our approach eliminates the limitation presented in most recovery strategies, i.e., only Lambertian model can be used. The experiment results from the real and synthesized images show the performance of our approach.

ANALYSIS AND MEASUREMENT OF LARGE DYNAMIC RANGE RF SWITCH INTER-MODULATION

Radio Frequency (RF) switch circuit is the basic part of microwave devices and systems. The non-linearity distortion figure is necessary in the field of large dynamic range of signal. This letter analyzes the basic switch circuit and its inter-modulation, and studies in detail the measurement methods and systems of RF switch intercept point. It has provided cascaded simulation testing methods, which can accurately measure the PF switch, of which the second or third order intercept point value is above 75dB and 60dB, respectively. As the testing results are consistent with the theoretical analyses, it proves that the validity of the method satisfies the requirements of large scaled linearity measurement in engineering.

A Parallel Amplifier Structure for Increasing Dynamic Range of EW Receivers

In Electronic Warfare （EW） receivers, the desired Dynamic Range （DR） often far exceeds the dynamic range attainable with available Analog-to-Digital Converter （ADC） technology. ADC is the key bottleneck in achieving the needed dynamic range. In this paper, an approach for improving the effective DR by utiliTing multiple amplifiers is presented. The amplifiers, arranged in parallel channels with different gains, can increase the dynamic range greatly.

Dynamic range expansion for optical frequency shift detection based on multiple harmonics

Sensors based on optical resonators often have their measurement range limited by their cavity linewidth,particularly in the measurement of time-varying signals.This paper introduces a method for optical frequency shift detection using multiple harmonics to expand the dynamic range of sensors based on optical resonators.The proposed method expands the measurement range of optical frequency shift beyond the cavity linewidth while maintaining measurement accuracy.The theoretical derivation of this method is carried out based on the equation of motion for an optical resonator and the recursive relationship of the Bessel function.Experimental results show that the dynamic range is expanded to 4 times greater than the conventional first harmonic method while still maintaining accuracy.Furthermore,we present an objective analysis of the correlation between the expansion factor of the method and the linewidth and free spectrum of the optical resonator.

Large dynamic range Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor based on adaptive spot matching

The Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor(SHWS)is widely used for high-speed,precise,and stable wavefront measurements.However,conventional SHWSs encounter a limitation in that the focused spot from each microlens is restricted to a single microlens,leading to a limited dynamic range.Herein,we propose an adaptive spot matching(ASM)-based SHWS to extend the dynamic range.This approach involves seeking an incident wavefront that best matches the detected spot distribution by employing a Hausdorff-distance-based nearest-distance matching strategy.The ASM-SHWS enables comprehensive spot matching across the entire imaging plane without requiring initial spot correspondences.Furthermore,due to its global matching capability,ASM-SHWS can maintain its capacity even if a portion of the spots are missing.Experiments showed that the ASM-SHWS could measure a high-curvature spherical wavefront with a local slope of 204.97 mrad,despite a 12.5%absence of spots.This value exceeds that of the conventional SHWS by a factor of 14.81.

Design of a high-dynamic-range prototype readout system for VLAST calorimeter

In the future, the Very Large Area gamma-ray Space Telescope is expected to observe high-energy electrons and gamma rays in the MeV to TeV range with unprecedented acceptance. As part of the detector suite, a high-energy imaging calorimeter(HEIC) is currently being developed as a homogeneous calorimeter that utilizes long bismuth germanate(BGO) scintillation crystals as both absorbers and detectors. To accurately measure the energy deposition in the BGO bar of HEIC, a highdynamic-range readout method using a silicon photomultiplier(SiPM) and multiphotodiode(PD) with different active areas has been proposed. A prototype readout system that adopts multichannel charge measurement ASICs was also developed to read out the combined system of SiPMs and PDs. Preliminary tests confirmed the feasibility of the readout scheme, which is expected to have a dynamic range close to 10~6.

Electrophysiological properties of spinal wide dynamic range neurons in neuropathic pain rats following spinal nerve ligation

Objective The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological properties of wide dynamic range （WDR） neurons in spinal dorsal horn of rats with neuropathic pain induced by lumber 5 （L5） spinal nerve ligation （SNL） in a large size of samples.Methods Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal and SNL groups.Electrophysiological technique was used to record the characteristics of WDR neurons in the spinal dorsal horn.Results Compared with the WDR neurons in normal rats,the WDR neurons in SNL rats showed an increase in excitability,manifested by an enlargement of the receptive field size,an increase in the proportion of neurons that exhibited spontaneous activities,decreases in the Cresponse threshold and latency,and an increase in the C-response duration.In addition,the numbers of A-and C-fiberevoked discharges were smaller in SNL rats than in normal rats.Conclusion The excitability of spinal WDR neurons increased in rats with neuropathic pain induced by L5 SNL.The increase in excitability of WDR neurons may contribute to the development of neuropathic pain.

A high gain wide dynamic range transimpedance amplifier for optical receivers

As the front-end preamplifiers in optical receivers, transimpedance amplifiers （TIAs） are commonly required to have a high gain and low input noise to amplify the weak and susceptible input signal. At the same time, the TIAs should possess a wide dynamic range （DR） to prevent the circuit from becoming saturated by high input currents. Based on the above, this paper presents a CMOS transimpedance amplifier with high gain and a wide DR for 2.5 Gbit/s communications. The TIA proposed consists of a three-stage cascade pull push inverter, an automatic gain control circuit, and a shunt transistor controlled by the resistive divider. The inductive-series peaking technique is used to further extend the bandwidth. The TIA proposed displays a maximum transimpedance gain of 88.3 dBΩ with the -3 dB bandwidth of 1.8 GHz, exhibits an input current dynamic range from 100 nA to 10 mA. The output voltage noise is less than 48.23 nV/√Hz within the -3 dB bandwidth. The circuit is fabricated using an SMIC 0.18 μm 1P6M RFCMOS process and dissipates a dc power of 9.4 mW with 1.8 V supply voltage.

InGaAs/InAlAs SAGCMCT avalanche photodiode with high linearity and wide dynamic range

Linearity is a very important parameter to measure the performance of avalanche photodiodes(APDs) under high input optical power. In this paper, the influence of the absorption layer on the linearity of APDs is carefully studied by using bandgap engineering with the structure model of separated absorption, grading, charge, multiplication, charge, and transit(SAGCMCT). The simulated results show that in the hybrid absorption layer device structure the 1 d B compression point can be improved from-9 d Bm to-2.1 d Bm by increasing the proportion of the p-type absorption layer. In the device structure with only one absorption layer, increasing the doping level of the absorption layer can also improve the 1 d B compression point from-8.6 d Bm to 1.43 d Bm at a gain of 10. Therefore, the absorption layer is very critical for the linearity of APDs.

A high sensitive 66 dB linear dynamic range receiver for 3-D laser radar

This study presents a CMOS receiver chip realized in 0.18μm standard CMOS technology and in- tended for high precision 3-D laser radar. The chip includes an adjustable gain transimpedance pre-amplifier, a post-amplifier and two timing comparators. An additional feedback is employed in the regulated cascode tran- simpedance amplifier to decrease the input impedance, and a variable gain transimpedance amplifier controlled by digital switches and analog multiplexer is utilized to realize four gain modes, extending the input dynamic range. The measurement shows that the highest transimpedance of the channel is 50 kΩ, the uncompensated walk error is 1.44 ns in a wide linear dynamic range of 66 dB （1 ： 2000）, and the input referred noise current is 2.3 pA/√ （rms）, resulting in a very low detectable input current of 1μA with SNR = 5.