Lecturer: Rinaldo Castello  

Course name: Filtri e convertitori
Course code: 064038
Degree course: Ingegneria Elettronica
Disciplinary field of science: ING-INF/01
The course relates to:
University credits: CFU 5
Course website: http://ingegneria.unipv.it/didattica/schedacorso0910.ph
p?cod=064038&spec=0

Specific course objectives

The course assumes that the student is familiar with the working characteristics of the main solid state electronic devices (especially the MOS transistor) and with the models that describe them in addition to have a basic knowledge of the analysis techniques of simple circuits (Electronic I course). The course aims at providing the student with the basic knowledge required to start designing integrated analog filters together with a qualitative introduction to the main architectures of Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog converters. In addition to the classroom presentation the laboratory implementation of various kind of analog integrated filters and of one example of ADC will be used as a means to teach the student not only the design techniques but also the CAD tools used in the design flow.

Course programme

The course includes a very important laboratory portion that is used to teach the student the use of several software tools used for computer aided design (CAD). The teaching of the CAD tools is done through the implementation of real world projects taken from relevant industry applications. The projects that span the area of A/D converters and of different kinds of integrated filters like gm-C, active RC and switched capacitor (SC).

A/D and D/A converters
Introduction of the main architectures of A/D and D/A converters. Laboratory project on the analog portion of either a Delta Sigma or of a Pipeline converter.

Introduction to analog filters
Different kind of filters., Normalization and De-normalization, frequency scaling, impedance scaling and frequency transformation.

Main steps of the filter design flow
Transfer function approximation. Transfer characteristics of different kind (Batterworth, Chebyshev ed Elliptic). Different kind of network functions (Batterworth, Chebyshev ed Elliptic).

Introduction to the synthesis of passive filters
Loss-less networks, canonic realization. Singly and doubly terminated LC ladder networks. Filter senstivity.

Active RC filters
Active RC Bi-quadratic filters cells. Higher order active RC filters. Laboratory project on the design of an active RC filter with the use of the circuit simulator SPICE.

Filter based on transconductors and capacitors (gm-C).
Filters for application requiring a wide bandwidth. First order gm-C filter. Practical limitation of gm-C filters (finite gain and bandwidth of the transconductor tuning circuits etc). Laboratory project on the design of a gm-C filter with the use of SPICE.

Switched Capacitor filters
Concept of Switched Capacitor filter. Flesher and Laker bi-quadratic SC cell. Laboratory project

Course entry requirements

Analog circuit design course (recommended)

Course structure and teaching

Lectures (hours/year in lecture theatre): 26
Practical class (hours/year in lecture theatre): 6
Practicals / Workshops (hours/year in lecture theatre): 32
Project work (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0

Suggested reading materials

The text book covers the basic material on the synthesis of analog filters. In addition there are teacher hand outs on A/D, D/A and on the more practical aspect of analog filter design.

Kendall Su. Analog Filters, Second Edition. Kluwer Academic Publisher Group The netherland.

Testing and exams

A midterm written exam and a final exam with an oral and a written part in addition to a percentage of the final score assigned to the lab projects.