sscs_NLsummer08.qxd 7/11/08 8:53 AM Page 1 SSCSSSSCSSSSCCSS IEEE SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS SOCIETY NEWS Summer 2008 Vol. 13, No. 3 www.ieee.org/sscs-news Eric Vittoz The Electronic Watch and Low Power Circuits sscs_NLsummer08.qxd 7/11/08 8:53 AM Page 2 Editor’s Column Mary Y. Lanzerotti, IBM, [email protected] elcome to work and impact of Dr. Eric Vittoz, As a result, we are honored to the Sum- who has written an extensive lead offer: Wmer 2008 article entitled “Electronic Watch and (1) “A Short Story of the EKV MOS issue of SSCS News! Low Power Circuits.” I am grateful to Transistor Model,“ by Christian As with prior Dr. Erik Heijne for suggesting Dr. Vit- C. Enz (Swiss Center for Elec- issues, its goal is to toz as a potential subject and feature tronics and Microtechnology); be a self-contained author, and for his recommendations (2) “Watch Microelectronics: Pio- resource, with original sources and of experts who could attest to the neer in Portable Consumer new contributions by experts describ- impact of Dr. Vittoz’s career on the Electronics,” by Mougahed ing the current state of affairs in tech- development and commercialization Darwish, Marc Degrauwe, nology in view of the influence of the of electronic Swiss watches. Please Thomas E. Gyger, Gunther original papers and/or patents. be sure to read Dr. Heijne’s Intro- Meusburger, (all at EM Micro- In Summer 2008, we feature the duction to this issue on page 4. electronic-Marin SA), Jean Claude Robert (ETA); (3) “It’s About Time: A Brief Chronol- IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society ogy of Chronometry,” by Thomas SSCS News Administrative Committee Elected AdCom Members at Editor-in-Chief: President: Large Lee (Stanford University); Mary Y. Lanzerotti Willy Sansen Terms to 31 Dec. 08: (4) “History of the Development of IBM T. J. Watson Research K. U. Leuven, Belgium Wanda K. Gass Center [email protected] Ali Hajimiri the Swiss Watch Microproces- [email protected] Fax: +32 16 321975 Paul J. Hurst sors,” by Christian Piguet (CSEM Fax: +1 914 945 1358 Vice-President: Akira Matsuzawa Centre Suisse d’Electronique et Technology Editor: Bernhard Boser Ian Young de Microtechnique S.A.); Richard C. Jaeger University of California Alabama Microelectronics Berkeley, CA Terms to 31 Dec. 09: (5) “Eric Vittoz and the Strong Center Auburn John J. Corcoran Impact of Weak Inversion Cir- University, AL Secretary: Kevin Kornegay [email protected] David A. Johns Hae-Seung (Harry) Lee cuits,” by Yannis Tsividis University of Toronto Thomas H. Lee (Columbia University). Tutorials Editor: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jan Van der Spiegel Rakesh Kumar Summer ’08 also includes reprints Technology Connexions Treasurer: Terms to 31 Dec. 10: of one original paper and the first Poway, CA Rakesh Kumar Terri S. Fiez [email protected] Technology Connexions Tadahiro Kuroda two pages of two original patents by Poway, CA Bram Nauta Dr. Vittoz: Associate Editor for Jan Sevenhans Europe/Africa: Past- President: Mehmet Soyuer (1) F. Leuenberger and E. Vittoz, Tony Harker Richard C. Jaeger “Complementary-MOS Low- Alba Centre Alba Campus Alabama Microelectronics Region 8 Representative: Livingston Scotland EH54 7EG Center Jan Sevenhans Power Low-Voltage Integrated [email protected] University, AL Binary Counter,” Proceedings Region 10 Representative: News Editor: Other Representatives: C.K. Wang of the IEEE, Vol. 57, No. 9, Katherine Olstein Representative to Sensors September, 1969, pp. 1528- IEEE SSCS Council Chairs of Standing [email protected] Darrin Young Committees: 1532. Representative from CAS to Awards John J. Corcoran (2) E. A. Vittoz, “Frequency Divider SSCS Chapters Jan Van der Spiegel Domine Leenaerts Education C.K. Ken Yang Circuit,” U. S. Patent 3,619,646, Representative to CAS from Meetings Bill Bidermann Nov. 9, 1971. SSCS Membership Bruce Hecht Un-Ku Moon Nominations Richard C. Jaeger (3) W. Hammer, E. A. Vittoz, J. Her- Publications Glenn Gulak mann, H. Choffat, “Timekeeper,” For detailed contact informa- U. S. Patent 3,895, 485, July 22, tion, see the Society e-News: 1975. www.ieee.org/portal/site/sscs To accentuate the impact of Dr. Executive Director: Administrator: Vittoz’s work, I would like to Anne O’Neill Katherine Olstein IEEE SSCS-West: IEEE SSCS include two photographs that I 1500 SW 11th Avenue #1801 445 Hoes Lane took of the Swatch store in Grand Portland, OR 97201 Piscataway, NJ 08854 Tel: +1 732 981 3400 Tel: +1 732 981 3410 Central Terminal, New York, NY. Fax: +1 732 981 3401 Fax: +1 732 981 3401 (This store is directly on the walk- Email: [email protected] ing path from the train to the sub- For questions regarding Society business, contact the SSCS Executive Office. Contributions for the way.) Fall 2008 issue of the Newsletter must be received by 8 August 2008 at the SSCS Executive Office. A complete media kit for advertisers is available at www.spectrum.ieee.org/mc_print. Scroll down to continued on page 95 find SSCS. 2 IEEE SSCS NEWS Summer 2008 sscs_NLsummer08.qxd 7/11/08 8:53 AM Page 3 Photo of Eric Vittoz Summer 2008 Volume 13, Number 3 Editor’s Column . 2 President’s Message . 4 Introduction . 4 Symbiosis in the Technology World, Tony Harker, Associate Editor for Europe/Africa . 5 Corrections . 73 TECHNICAL LITERATURE Electronic Watch and Low-Power Circuits, Eric A. Vittoz . .7 A Short Story of the EKV MOS Transistor Model, Christian C. Enz . 24 Watch Microelectronics: Pioneer in Portable Consumer Electronics, M. Darwish, M. Degrauwe, T. Gyger, G. Meusburger, J. C. Robert . 31 It’s About Time: A Brief Chronology of Chronometry, Thomas H. Lee . 42 History of the Development of Swiss Watch Microprocessors, Christian Piguet . 50 Eric Vittoz and the Strong Impact of Weak Inversion Circuits, Yannis Tsividis . 56 Executive Summary: Advances in Ultra-Low-Voltage Design, J. Kwong, A. Chandrakasan . 59 Executive Summary: Gigasensors for an Attoscope, Erik H. M. Heijne, . 60 11 Complementary-MOS Low-Power Low-Voltage Integrated Binary Counter, Fritz Leuenberger and Eric Vittoz, reprinted from Proceedings of the IEEE, 57 (9):1528-1532, September, 1969 . 61 Microwatt Switched Capacitor Circuit Design, E. Vittoz, presented at a Summer Course On Switched Capacitor Circuits, June 9-12, 1981, ESAT, KU Leuven . 66 Frequency Divider Circuit (U.S. Patent No. 3,619,646) Eric Andre Vittoz, 1971 67 Timekeeper (U.S. Patent No. 3,895,486) W. Hammer, E. Vittoz, J. Hermann, H. Choffat, 1975 . 69 16 PEOPLE Clark Nguyen Presents DL Talk on RF-MEMS in Japan, Katherine Olstein . 71 New Senior Members . 72 Tools: Tips for Making Writing Easier, Part 2: Five-Minute Miracle - Narrow Your Questions, Shape Your Answers, Peter and Cheryl Reimold . 72 CONFERENCES ISSCC Student Forum, Anne O’Neill . .74 2007 VLSI-TSA/DAT Best Paper Awards Presented in April, 2008, Clara Wu and Elodie Ho . .75 53 Now It’s Japan’s Turn to Host A-SSCC, Koji Kito . .76 Hot Chips 20: Three Days of the Best in High-performance Chips and Technologies, Don Draper . .78 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC) Celebrates 30th Year . .79 Sister Conferences ESSCIRC/ESSDERC Meet on 15-19 September, Franz Dielacher . .80 2008 IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Conference to Meet in Monterey, CA, Marise Bafleur . .81 2008 IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (CSICS) to Collocate with BCTM in October, Sorin Voinigescu . .82 79 CHAPTER NEWS SSCS-Green Mountain Organizes 17th IEEE North Atlantic Test Workshop, P. Nsame . .84 Oregon State University Student Branch Chapter Inaugurated in March, Sunwoo Kwon . .85 SSCS NEWS Sansen and Matsuzawa Visit National Taiwan University, C.K. Wang . .86 Eight Candidates Vie for Five AdCom Positions, Anne O’Neill . .87 86 Call for Nominations for Sensors Awards, Anne O’Neill . .94 CEDA Currents . .94 Summer 2008 IEEE SSCS NEWS 3 sscs_NLsummer08.qxd 7/11/08 8:53 AM Page 4 President’s Message Willy Sansen, K. U. Leuven, [email protected] SCS members ask me, is hard- convinced us that sending thousands organized per screen (or slide). Only ware disappearing? (They seem of pages to readers who look at only one delta of understanding is added Sto be worried.) Is this an obser- a few makes too heavy a carbon per screen. The longer we follow, the vation, or is it the conclusion of some print on our precious world. So the more our insight is built up. At the hardware vs. software panel? Journal in paper has gone virtual; it end we see some SPICE files and Where has hardware gone? Has it has turned into a passworded list of curves. Who would actually go that gone virtual, or has it been global- numbers on a website. Of course, we far? Only someone who wants to use ized out? have kept the last paper copy in the the circuit. First some money must be Hardware is, for example, my car. lowest drawer of our desk so we can paid, however. On the lowest level, I It is not gone. I sit in it and I drive show it to our grandchildren; and we can do a redesign, according to my it, thanks to all the software inside. smile at their remarks that this is specs. The design procedure is then The chips in my car are also hard- what we indulged in some time ago. started a few layers higher, and my ware, but they have been realized So we remember and we still like version is ready. More money is need- thanks to software. the red color of that red rag. Now ed to get a hardware version, and the red rag has gone green.