A miniature detection system, which is able to detect and selectively recognize different vapor traces of explosives is presented. It is based on surface-functionalized array of MEMS capacitive sensors and extremely low noise integrated electronics. The measurement system is sensitive and selective, consumes minimum amount of energy, is very small and cheap to produce in large quantities, and is insensitive to environmental influences. Owing to extremely low noise electronics and selective modification of COMB capacitor surfaces, it is possible to detect less than 3.5 ppt of TNT in the atmosphere (three TNT molecules in 10 on 12 molecules of air and 10 times better for RDX) at 25oC in one second using very small volume (few mm3). The measurement system needs only approximately 20 mA current from a 5 V supply voltage.
COBISS.SI-ID: 25306919
A built-in self-test is proposed to simplify the testing procedure of a mixed signal integrated circuit, which requires low noise equipment and a powerful computer. The test signal source is integrated in the ASICs and requires only a small additional circuitry. The main benefits of using a built-in self-test are shorter testing time and the possibility of testing in the field.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8845652
A flash interpolator circuit inherent amplitude measurement algorithm, AMM, is described. A flash interpolation circuit converts a pair of periodic and orthogonal sine-signals into a stream of periodic – phase shifted sinusoidal signals, the amplitudes of which can be combined to produce useful information about the peak amplitude of the input sine-signals, independently of the signal’s frequency. The proposed technique of amplitude measurement is suitable for automatic gain control, AGC, and the systems for automatic signal conditioning, where a flash interpolator is already a part of the integrated motion control system. An interpolation factor of 4 is shown to be sufficient for measuring amplitudes with an accuracy of 5.8 %.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8454484