Effect of Weak Noise on the Frequency Tuning of Mouse Inferior Collicular Neurons

In order to study the effect of weak noise on the sound signal extraction of mouse (Mus musculus Km) inferior collicular (IC) neurons from environments,we examined the changes in frequency tuning curves (FTCs) of 32 neurons induced by a weak noise relative to 5 dB below minimum threshold of tone (reMT-5 dB) under free field stimulation conditions.The results were as follows:① There were three types of variations in FTCs,sharpened (34.4%),broadened (18.8%),and unaffected (46.9%),nevertheless,only the alteration of sharpened FTCs was statistically different.② Sharpness of frequency tuning induced by a reMT-5 dB noise was very strong.Q 10 and Q 30 of FTCs were increased by (34.42±17.04)% (P=0.026,n=11) and (46.34±22.88)% (P=0.009,n=7).③ The changes of inverse-slopes (ISs,kHz/dB) between high (IS high) and low (IS low) limbs of FTCs were dissymmetry.The IS high of FTCs decreased markedly (P=0.046,n=7),however,there was little change (P=0.947,n=7) in IS low.Our data revealed for the first time that the weak noise could sharpen frequency tuning and increase the sensitivity on the high frequency of sound signal in IC neurons of mouse.

A wideband low-phase-noise LC VCO for DRM/DAB frequency synthesizer

The wideband CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator（VCO）with low phase noise and low power consumption is presented for a DRM/DAB（digital radio mondiale and digital audio broadcasting）frequency synthesizer.In order to obtain a wide band and a large tuning range,a parallel switched capacitor bank is added in the LC tank.The proposed VCO is implemented in SMIC 0.18-μm RF CMOS technology and the chip area is 750 μm×560 μm,including the test buffer circuit and the pads.Measured results show that the tuning range is 44.6%;i.e.,the frequency turning range is from 2.27 to 3.57 GHz.The measured phase noise is-122.22 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset from the carrier.The maximum power consumption of the core part is 6.16 mW at a 1.8 V power supply.

A Novel Method to Compensate the Sigma-Delta Shaped Noise for Wide Band Fractional-N Frequency Synthesizers

A novel method to partially compensate sigma-delta shaped noise is proposed. By injecting the compensation current into the passive loop filter during the delay time of the phase frequency detector（PFD）,a maximum reduction of the phase noise by about 16dB can be achieved. Compared to other compensation methods,the technique proposed here is relatively simple and easy to implement. Key building blocks for realizing the noise cancellation,including the delay variable PFD and compensation current source, are specially designed. Both the behavior level and circuit level simulation results are presented.

Composition of high frequency ambient noise from cross-correlation:A case study using a small aperture array

Long-time cross correlation of ambient noise has been proved as a powerful tool to extract Green＇s function between two receivers. The study of composition of ambient noise is important for a better understanding of this method. Previous studies confirm that ambient noise in the long period （3 s and longer） mostly consists of surface wave, and 0.25-2.5 s noise consists more of body waves. In this paper, we perform cross correlation processing at much higher frequency （30-70 Hz） using ambient noise recorded by a small aperture array. No surface waves emerge from noise correlation function （NCF）, but weak P waves emerge. The absence of surface wave in NCF is not due to high attenuation since surface waves are strong from active source, therefore probably the high ambient noise mostly consists of body wave and lacks surface wave. Origin of such high frequency body waves in ambient noise remains to be studied.

Cognitive anti-jamming receiver under phase noise in high frequency bands

This paper investigates the jamming sensing performance of the simultaneous transmit and receive based cognitive anti-jamming(SCAJ) receiver impaired by phase noise in local oscillators(LO) over fading channels. Firstly, energy detection(ED)based on the jamming to noise ratio(JNR) of the high frequency bands SCAJ receiver with phase noise under different channels is analyzed. Then, the probabilities of jamming detection and false alarm in closed-form for the SCAJ receiver are derived. Finally,the modified Bayesian Cramer-Rao bound(BCRB) of jamming sensing for the SCAJ receiver is presented. Simulation results show that the performance degradation of the SCAJ system due to phase noise is more severe than that due to the channel fading in the circumstances where the signal bandwidth(BW) is kept a constant. Moreover, the signal BW has an effect on the phase noise in LO, and the jamming detection probability of the wideband SCAJ receiver with lower phase noise outperforms that of the narrowband receiver using the same center frequency. Furthermore,an accurate phase noise estimation and compensation scheme can improve the jamming detection capability of the SCAJ receiver in high frequency bands and approach to the upper bound.

Stable continuous-wave single-frequency intracavity frequency-doubled laser with intensity noise suppressed in audio frequency region

We demonstrated a continuous wave(cw) single-frequency intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YVO_4/LBO laser with 532 nm output of 7.5 W and 1.06 μm output of 3.1 W, and low intensity noise in audio frequency region.To suppress the intensity noise of the high power 532 nm laser, a laser frequency locking system and a feedback loop based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer were designed and used.The influences of the frequency stabilization and the crucial parameters of the MZI, such as the power splitting ratio of the beam splitters and the locking state of the MZI, on the intensity noise of the 532 nm laser were investigated in detail.After the experimental optimizations, the laser intensity noise in the frequency region from 0.4 kHz to 10 kHz was significantly suppressed.

Low frequency noise and radiation response in the partially depleted SOI MOSFETs with ion implanted buried oxide

Low frequency noise behaviors of partially depleted silicon-on-insulator(PDSOI) n-channel metal-oxide semiconductors(MOS) transistors with and without ion implantation into the buried oxide are investigated in this paper. Owing to ion implantation-induced electron traps in the buried oxide and back interface states, back gate threshold voltage increases from44.48 V to 51.47 V and sub-threshold swing increases from 2.47 V/dec to 3.37 V/dec, while electron field effect mobility decreases from 475.44 cm2/V·s to 363.65 cm2/V·s. In addition, the magnitude of normalized low frequency noise also greatly increases, which indicates that the intrinsic electronic performances are degenerated after ion implantation processing. According to carrier number fluctuation theory, the extracted flat-band voltage noise power spectral densities in the PDSOI devices with and without ion implantation are equal to 7×10-10V2·Hz-1and 2.7×10-8V2·Hz-1, respectively, while the extracted average trap density in the buried oxide increases from 1.42×1017cm-3·e V-1to 6.16×1018cm-3·e V-1. Based on carrier mobility fluctuation theory, the extracted average Hooge’s parameter in these devices increases from 3.92×10-5to 1.34×10-2after ion implantation processing. Finally, radiation responses in the PDSOI devices are investigated. Owing to radiation-induced positive buried oxide trapped charges, back gate threshold voltage decreases with the increase of the total dose. After radiation reaches up to a total dose of 1 M·rad(si), the shifts of back gate threshold voltage in the SOI devices with and without ion implantation are-10.82 V and-31.84 V, respectively. The low frequency noise behaviors in these devices before and after radiation are also compared and discussed.

Stochastic resonance in a single-mode laser driven by frequency modulated signal and coloured noises

By adding frequency modulated signals to the intensity equation of gain noise model of the single-mode laser driven by two coloured noises which are correlated, this paper uses the linear approximation method to calculate the power spectrum and signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） of the laser intensity. The results show that the SNR appears typical stochastic resonance with the variation of intensity of the pump noise and quantum noise. As the amplitude of a modulated signal has effects on the SNR, it shows suppression, monotone increasing, stochastic resonance, and multiple stochastic resonance with the variation of the frequency of a carrier signal and modulated signal.

Precision measurement and suppression of low-frequency noise in a current source with double-resonance alignment magnetometers

Low-noise high-stability current sources have essential applications such as neutron electric dipole moment measurement and high-stability magnetometers. Previous studies mainly focused on frequency noise above 0.1 Hz while less on the low-frequency noise/drift. We use double resonance alignment magnetometers(DRAMs) to measure and suppress the low-frequency noise of a homemade current source(CS) board. The CS board noise level is suppressed by about 10 times in the range of 0.001-0.1 Hz and is reduced to 100 n A/√Hz at 0.001 Hz. The relative stability of CS board can reach2.2 × 10^(-8). In addition, the DRAM shows a better resolution and accuracy than a commercial 7.5-digit multimeter when measuring our homemade CS board. Further, by combining the DRAM with a double resonance orientation magnetometer,we may realize a low-noise CS in the 0.001-1000 Hz range.

Observation of nonconservation characteristics of radio frequency noise mechanism of 40-nm n-MOSFET

Bias non-conservation characteristics of radio-frequency noise mechanism of 40-nm n-MOSFET are observed by modeling and measuring its drain current noise. A compact model for the drain current noise of 40-nm MOSFET is proposed through the noise analysis. This model fully describes three kinds of main physical sources that determine the noise mechanism of 40-nm MOSFET, i.e., intrinsic drain current noise, thermal noise induced by the gate parasitic resistance, and coupling thermal noise induced by substrate parasitic effect. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by noise measurements, and the intrinsic drain current noise is proved to be the suppressed shot noise, and with the decrease of the gate voltage, the suppressed degree gradually decreases until it vanishes. The most important findings of the bias non-conservative nature of noise mechanism of 40-nm n-MOSFET are as follows.（i） In the strong inversion region, the suppressed shot noise is weakly affected by the thermal noise of gate parasitic resistance. Therefore, one can empirically model the channel excess noise as being like the suppressed shot noise.（ii） In the middle inversion region, it is almost full of shot noise.（iii） In the weak inversion region, the thermal noise is strongly frequency-dependent, which is almost controlled by the capacitive coupling of substrate parasitic resistance. Measurement results over a wide temperature range demonstrate that the thermal noise of 40-nm n-MOSFET exists in a region from the weak to strong inversion, contrary to the predictions of suppressed shot noise model only suitable for the strong inversion and middle inversion region. These new findings of the noise mechanism of 40-nm n-MOSFET are very beneficial for its applications in ultra low-voltage and low-power RF, such as novel device electronic structure optimization, integrated circuit design and process technology evaluation.

Pseudo-noise preamble based joint frame and frequency synchronization algorithm in OFDM communication systems

Frame and frequency synchronization are essential for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing （OFDM） systems. The frame offset owing to incorrect start point position of the fast Fourier transform （FFT） window, and the carrier frequency offset （CFO） due to Doppler frequency shift or the frequency mismatch between the transmitter and receiver oscil ators, can bring severe inter-symbol interference （ISI） and inter-carrier interference （ICI） for the OFDM system. Relying on the relatively good correlation charac-teristic of the pseudo-noise （PN） sequence, a joint frame offset and normalized CFO estimation algorithm based on PN preamble in time domain is developed to realize the frame and frequency synchronization in the OFDM system. By comparison, the perfor-mances of the traditional algorithm and the improved algorithm are simulated under different conditions. The results indicate that the PN preamble based algorithm both in frame offset estimation and CFO estimation is more accurate, resource-saving and robust even under poor channel condition, such as low signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） and large normalized CFO.

Low noise,continuous-wave single-frequency 1.5-μm laser generated by a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We report a low noise continuous-wave （CW） single-frequency 1.5-μm laser source obtained by a singly resonant optical parametric oscillator （SRO） based on periodically poled lithium niobate （PPLN）. The SRO was pumped by a CW single-frequency Nd：YVO4 laser at 1.06μm. The 1.02 W of CW single-frequency signal laser at 1.5 μm was obtained at pump power of 6 W. At the output power of around 0.75 W, the power stability was better than ±l.5% and no mode-hopping was observed in 30 min and frequency stability was better than 8.5 MHz in 1 min. The signal wavelength could be tuned from 1.57 to 1.59 μm by varying the PPLN temperature. The 1.5-μm laser exhibits low noise characteristics, the intensity noise of the laser reaches the shot noise limit （SNL） at an analysis frequency of 4 MHz and the phase noise is less than 1 dB above the SNL at analysis frequencies above 10 MHz.

Negative gate bias stress effects on conduction and low frequency noise characteristics in p-type poly-Si thin-film transistors

The instability of p-channel low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors(poly-Si TFTs)is investigated under negative gate bias stress(NBS)in this work.Firstly,a series of negative bias stress experiments is performed,the significant degradation behaviors in current-voltage characteristics are observed.As the stress voltage decreases from-25 V to-37 V,the threshold voltage and the sub-threshold swing each show a continuous shift,which is induced by gate oxide trapped charges or interface state.Furthermore,low frequency noise(LFN)values in poly-Si TFTs are measured before and after negative bias stress.The flat-band voltage spectral density is extracted,and the trap concentration located near the Si/SiO2 interface is also calculated.Finally,the degradation mechanism is discussed based on the current-voltage and LFN results in poly-Si TFTs under NBS,finding out that Si-OH bonds may be broken and form Si*and negative charge OH-under negative bias stress,which is demonstrated by the proposed negative charge generation model.

Phase-related noise characteristics of 780 nm band single-frequency lasers used in the cold atomic clock

We propose a method to directly measure phase-related noise characteristics of single-frequency lasers in the 728–980 nm band based on a 120°phase difference interferometer.Differential phase information of the laser under test is demodulated via the interferometer.Other parameters related to the phase noise characteristics such as linewidth at different observation time, phase/frequency noise, power spectrum density of phase/frequency fluctuation, and Allan deviation are further obtained.Frequency noise as low as 1 Hz^2/Hz can be measured using our system.Then the phase-related noise characteristics of two commercial lasers frequently used in cold atomic clocks are studied systematically by the method.Furthermore, several influencing factors and their relative evolution laws are also revealed, such as the pump current and frequency-locking control parameters.This would help to optimize the laser performance, select laser sources, and evaluate the system performance for cold atomic physics applications.

Low frequency noise reduction using stiff light composite panels

The experiment presented in this paper is to investigate and analyze the noise reduction at low frequency using stiff light composite panels. Since these composite panels are made of lightweight and stiff materials, this actuation strategy will enable the creation of composite panels for duct noise control without using traditional heavy structural mass. The results suggest that the mass-spring resonance absorption in the case of a comparatively stiff thick panel with a thin flexible plate is more efficient with minimum weight, when subjected to low-frequency (<500 Hz). The efficiency of the panel absorber depends on the mass of the thin flexible plate and the stiffness of the panel.

Noise in a coupling electromagnetic detecting system for high frequency gravitational waves

This paper discusses the basic categories of noise in detecting high frequency gravitational waves in the microwave band （-0.1-10GHz）, which contain shot noise from the laser and the thermal radiation photons, thermal noise from statistical fluctuation of the thermal photons and fluctuation of the temperature, radiation press noise on the fractal membrane, the noise caused by the scattering of the Gaussian Beam （GB） in the detecting tube and noise in the microwave radiometers. The analysis shows that a reasonable signal-to-noise ratio may be achieved for a detecting device with the fixed power of GB （105 W）, only when the temperature of the environment is no more than T=I K, and the optimal length of the microwave radiometers is about 0.3 m.

LOW-FREQUENCY LOW-NOISE CIRCUITS DESIGN USING AN E_n-I_n MODEL

In view of the limitations of a Rn-Gn model in the low frequency range and the defects of an En-In model in common use now, this paper builds a complete En-In model according to the theory of random harmonic. The parameters for the low-noise design such as the equivalent input noisy voltage Ens, the optimum source impedance Zsopt and the minimum noise figure Fmin can be calculated accurately by using this En-In model because it considers the coherence between the noise sources fully. Moreover, this paper points out that it will cause the maximum 30% miscalculation when neglecting the effects of the correlation coefficient 7. Using the series-series circuits as an example, this paper discusses the methods for the En-In noise analysis of electronic circuits preliminarily and demonstrates its correctness through the comparison between the simulated and measured results of the minimum noise figure Fmin of a single current series negative feedback circuit.

A Simple Approach to Determine Noise Frequency of Boiler Drum Level

This paper proposed a simple approach to determine noise frequency of boiler drum level in order to improve control performance. Based on analysis of uncertainty of drum level, the redundant oscillation component of signal, noise is ascribed to the surface wave of drum water. According to the characteristic of surface wave, a new method was proposed to determine noise’s frequency band. By gradually removing the lowest frequency component of signal, the variance of remained component is calculated and observed. An apparent turning point was found and the corresponding critical frequcncy was determined. With this result a low-pass filter was designed to separate noise component. Finally validation is conducted by comparing the proposed method and conventional ones. Results show the accuracy and simpleness of the proposed method.

Degradation of current–voltage and low frequency noise characteristics under negative bias illumination stress in InZnO thin film transistors

The instabilities of indium–zinc oxide thin film transistors under bias and/or illumination stress are studied in this paper. Firstly, illumination experiments are performed, which indicates the variations of current–voltage characteristics and electrical parameters（such as threshold voltage and sub-threshold swing） are dominated by the stress-induced ionized oxygen vacancies and acceptor-like states. The dependence of degradation on light wavelength is also investigated. More negative shift of threshold voltage and greater sub-threshold swing are observed with the decrease of light wavelength.Subsequently, a negative bias illumination stress experiment is carried out. The degradation of the device is aggravated due to the decrease of recombination effects between ionized oxygen vacancies and free carriers. Moreover, the contributions of ionized oxygen vacancies and acceptor-like states are separated by using the mid-gap method. In addition, ionized oxygen vacancies are partially recombined at room temperature and fully recombined at high temperature. Finally, low-frequency noise is measured before and after negative bias illumination stress. Experimental results show few variations of the oxide trapped charges are generated during stress, which is consistent with the proposed mechanism.

Source of Low Frequency Noise in SiGe HBTs

The performance of low frequency noise(LFN)in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors(HBTs)is presented.The experimental results indicate that the performance of LFN in SiGe HBTs agrees with classical LFN theory.Based on classical LFN theory,the source of LFN in SiGe HBTs is confirmed from Hooge modal and McWhorter model simultaneously.Furthermore,according to this results,the base current coefficient α is extracted and the relationship between current noise power spectral density and base current is also shown.