Digital phase-shift modulation for an isolation buffer in silicon-on-sapphire CMOS

— We designed and fabricated a 4-channels digital isolation amplifier in a 0.5µm Silicon-on-Sapphire technology. The isolation device was fabricated on a single die, taking advantage of the isolative properties of the sapphire substrate. The individual isolation channels can operate in excess of 40Mbps using digital phase-shift-keying modulation. Modulation of the input signal is used to increase immunity to errors at low input data rates. The device can tolerate ground bounces of 1V/µs and isolate more than 800V. The device uses N+1 capacitors for N channels as opposed to 2N of previous implementations, thus minimizing the coupling silicon area and increasing reliability. Typical applications are in harsh industrial environments, transportation, medical and life-critical systems.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: ISCAS
• Authors: Eugenio Culurciello, Philippe O. Pouliquen, Andreas G. Andreou
• Keywords: 4-channels Digital Isolation, Individual Isolation Channels, ISCAS 2006, Isolation Device