Dear Reader, this book project brings to you a unique study tool for ESD
protection solutions used in analog-integrated circuit (IC) design. Quick-start
learning is combined with in-depth understanding for the whole spectrum of cross-
disciplinary knowledge required to excel in the ESD field. The chapters cover
technical material from elementary semiconductor structure and device levels up
to complex analog circuit design examples and case studies.
This text, ESD Basics: From Semiconductor Manufacturing to Product Use was initiated on
the need to produce a text that addresses fundamentals of electrostatic discharge from the
manufacturing environment to today’s products. As the manufacturing world evolves, semi-
conductor networks scale, and systems are changing, the needs and requirements for reliabi-
lity and ESD protection are changing. A text is required that connects basic ESD phenomena
to today’s real world environment.
ESD is a crucial factor for integrated circuits and influences their quality and reliability.
Today increasingly sensitive processes with deep sub micron structures are developed. The
integration of more and more functionality on a single chip and saving of chip area is
required. Integrated circuits become more susceptible to ESD/EOS related damages.
However, the requirements on ESD robustness especially for automotive applications are
increasing. ESD failures are very often the reason for redesigns. Much research has been
conducted by semiconductor manufacturers on ESD robust design.
Electric distribution networks are critical parts of power delivery systems. In recent
years, many new technologies and distributed energy resources have been inte-
grated into these networks. To provide electricity at the possible lowest cost and at
required quality, long-term planning is essential for these networks. In distribution
planning, optimal location and size of necessary upgrades are determined to satisfy
the demand and the technical requirements of the loads and to tackle uncertainties
associated with load and distributed energy resources.
A power semiconductor module is basically a power circuit of different
materials assembled together using hybrid technology, such as semiconduc-
tor chip attachment, wire bonding, encapsulation, etc. The materials
involved cover a wide range from insulators, conductors, and semiconduc-
tors to organics and inorganics. Since these materials all behave differently
under various environmental, electrical, and thermal stresses, proper selec-
tion of these materials and the assembly processes are critical. In-depth
knowledge of the material properties and the processing techniques is there-
fore required to build a high-performance and highly reliable power module.
The purpose of this book is to present detailed fundamental information on a
global positioning system (GPS) receiver. Although GPS receivers are popu-
larly used in every-day life, their operation principles cannot be easily found
in one book. Most other types of receivers process the input signals to obtain
the necessary information easily, such as in amplitude modulation (AM) and
frequency modulation (FM) radios. In a GPS receiver the signal is processed
to obtain the required information, which in turn is used to calculate the user
position. Therefore, at least two areas of discipline, receiver technology and
navigation scheme, are employed in a GPS receiver. This book covers both
areas.
Many applications have required the positioning accuracy of a Global Navigation
Satellite System (GNSS). Some applications exist in environments that attenuate
GNSS signals, and, consequently, the received GNSS signals become very weak.
Examplesofsuchapplicationsarewirelessdevicepositioning,positioninginsensor
networks that detect natural disasters, and orbit determination of geostationary
and high earth orbit (HEO) satellites. Conventional GNSS receivers are not
designed to work with weak signals. This book presents novel GNSS receiver
algorithms that are designed to work with very weak signals.
In the early days, embedded systems were built primarily by engineers in a
pretty exclusive club. Embedded devices and software tools were expensive,
and building a functional prototype required significant software engineering
and electrical engineering experience.
This book is an outgrowth of a course developed at Stanford University over
the past five years. It is suitable as a self-contained textbook for second-level
undergraduates or for first-level graduate students in almost every field that
employs quantitative methods. As prerequisites, it is assumed that the student
may have had a first course in differential equations and a first course in linear
algebra or matrix analysis. These two subjects, however, are reviewed in
Chapters 2 and 3, insofar as they are required for later developments.
Despite the development of a now vast body of knowledge known as
modern control theory, and despite some spectacular applications of this
theory to practical situations, it is quite clear that much of the theory has
yet to find application, and many practical control problems have yet to find
a theory which will successfully deal with them. No book of course can
remedy the situation at this time. But the aim of this book is to construct
one of many bridges that are still required for the student and practicing
control engineer between the familiar classical control results and those of
modern control theory.
