Hype wave - Internet of Things (IoT) is IT right now... The IoT is all about things being connected. Well, last time I check the Internet part of IoT was pretty well established (thank you Al Gore). And Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE or Bluetooth Low Energy) has made the 'of' part of IoT pretty ubiquitous. I refer to the 'of' in IoT as the connecting of sensors (things) to the Internet. With the 'I' and the 'o' of IoT well in hand, this presentation shows you how to integrate sensors, actuators and all the electronics of THINGS (the 'T' of IoT) into small and affordable semi-custom ASICs called ViaASICs from Triad Semiconductor. Watch the presentation and learn how to make mixed-signal application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for a fraction of the cost and time you would have though possible. Stealing thunder here but the presentation will show you how to design and fabricate a ViaASIC from Triad Semiconductor for less than $10,000 and get it done in 3-5 months...

1. Internet of Things
ViaASICs – Configurable Mixed Signal Integration
“Sensor as a Service” Solutions
© Triad Semiconductor 2013

2. www.triadsemi.com 2
2009

3. www.triadsemi.com 3
IoT – Simplified View
A bit too simplified view of the Internet of Things
Sensor
Sensor
Sensor Sensor
Sensor
Sensor

4. www.triadsemi.com 4
The Sensor-aaS Signal Chain
Sensor
Analog
Front
End
Local
CPU
Bluetooth
Smart
Web
Server

5. www.triadsemi.com 5
The Internet, The Cloud
• <blank> as a Service
Regardless of who invented it, the Net is well established, robust, & everywhere.
The Internet part of IoT isn’t the problem.

6. www.triadsemi.com 6
Is that a Web Server in your pocket?
• Why yes, yes it is
You are carrying around in your pocket more computing power than was required to put a
man on the moon.

7. www.triadsemi.com 7
Smartphones for Nano Satellites

8. www.triadsemi.com 8
The Sensor-aaS Signal Chain
Sensor
Analog
Front
End
Local
CPU
Bluetooth
Smart
Web
Server

9. www.triadsemi.com 9
What You Wish You Had
Sensor
Web
Server
Custom
Sensor
Interface
Bluetooth
Smart
Micro
My custom
“Sensor as
a Service”
Chip

10. www.triadsemi.com 10
What You Actually Have

11. www.triadsemi.com 11
What You Actually Have

12. www.triadsemi.com 12
Integrated Circuit Drivers
• Lower Cost
• Reduce Size, Weight, Power
• Protect IP
• Improve Reliability
• Improve Manufacturability
ASIC
Application
Specific
Integrated
Circuit
These are all the excellent reasons why people look to
integrate their electronics into a custom integrated circuit

13. www.triadsemi.com 13
ASIC Adoption Barriers
Expensive development
and fabrication
Long development,
fabrication & respin time
Risky (schedule, cost,
multiple respins)
Big production volume
commitment
Desired ASIC Benefits
Lower Cost
Size, Weight, Power
Protect IP
Reliability
Manufacturability
Traditional ASICs are too
expensive, time consuming
& risky for all but highly
funded high‐volume designs

14. www.triadsemi.com 14
Triad’s ViaASIC - a better ASIC
Inexpensive development
and fabrication
Fast development
Low risk: silicon‐proven,
easy to make changes
Any production volume
Desired ASIC Benefits
Lower Cost
Size, Weight, Power
Protect IP
Reliability
Manufacturability
ViaASICs provide all the
benefits of mixed signal
ASICs without the
headaches

15. www.triadsemi.com 15
Triad’s ViaASIC versus ASIC
Feature Traditional
ASIC
Triad
ViaASIC
ViaASIC
Savings
Development
Cost
$1,000,000+ $300,000 to
$10,000
70% to
99%
Development
Time
14 to 18
months
3‐6 months
>60%
Risk
(re‐spin time)
3 months 4 weeks
66%

16. www.triadsemi.com 16
VCA Technology
Silicon‐Proven analog & digital IP
implemented in reusable tiles
Tiles arrayed and overlaid with a patented
global routing fabric
Mixed‐signal aware place & route tool
places vias in the routing fabric to
interconnect all resources
Single (Via‐Only™) mask layer sent to the
foundry to be processed against staged VCA
wafers resulting in customized ViaASIC
1
2
3
4

17. www.triadsemi.com 17
VCA‐12
VCA Analog Tile Example
17
Resource Value
Single‐ended Op‐Amp 1
Output stage 1
0.1pF MIM Caps 32
Remainder MIM Caps 28
Switches (SW01) 20
Resistors 37
NMOS Transistors 7
PMOS Transistors 7
Switches (SW02) 6
Analog Logic (AL01) 24
Analog Logic (AL02) 8
VCA‐12 contains 8 of these single‐
ended op‐amp analog tiles
VCA‐12 5V
Single‐Ended
Op‐Amp Tile

18. www.triadsemi.com 18
VCA Family
AMS 0.35uAMS 0.35u
VCA‐1
VCA‐4
VCA‐7
(Mocha‐1)
AMS 0.35u
High Voltage
AMS 0.35u
High Voltage
VCA‐2
VCA‐9
VCA‐10
VCA‐11
IBM 0.18uIBM 0.18u
VCA‐3
VCA‐5
VCA‐6
VCA‐8
VCA‐17
TowerJazz 0.18u
High Voltage
TowerJazz 0.18u
High Voltage
VCA‐12
VCA‐15
VCA‐16
MagnaChip
0.18u
MagnaChip
0.18u
VCA‐13
VCA‐14

19. www.triadsemi.com 19
MochaBlue™
Configurable Sensor-as-a-Service Chip
Sensor
Web
Server
Configurable Analog
Bluetooth
Smart
ARM
Cortex‐M0
Configurable Digital
ViaASIC

20. www.triadsemi.com 20
Wireless Pulse Oximetry Circuit
on MochaBlue
Analog
Front End
AHB
Interface
ARM
Cortex‐M0
AHBAHB
APBAPB
RAM
NVM
SPI
Master
Bluetooth
Smart
Radio
Debug
Sensor
Power
Manager

21. www.triadsemi.com 21
TSX1001 “Mocha” Evaluation Board
• TSX1001 example mixed signal design
implemented on the Mocha‐1 VCA
• ARM Cortex‐M0 Processor
• 32KB EEPROM Program Memory
• 24KB Data RAM
• NVIC, Watchdog, WIC, Serial Wire Debug
• Flexible Clocking
• 16‐bit Sigma‐Delta ADC
• 12‐bit DAC
• Precision Bandgap & V‐Ref
• Uncommitted op‐amps for prototyping
• 320x240 graphical display with touchscreen
• Prototyping area
• USB Powered

22. www.triadsemi.com 22
TSX1001 Software Development Environment
• Easy to use, Keil RealView IDE
• PC‐Based USB / Single Wire Debug
I/F
– Software development
– Programming
– Debugging
– Simulation
– Profiling
• CMSIS compliant drivers

23. www.triadsemi.com 23
TSX1001+BLE Evaluation System
• Based on EM Micro
EM9301 BLE Radio
• Complete Cortex‐M0
BLE Radio Stack
• Software & Hardware
Co‐Development
• Sensor Interface
Prototyping

24. www.triadsemi.com 24
Mixed signal chip design software for everyone!
• Schematic capture
• HDL design entry (Verilog & VHDL)
• VHDL‐AMS & SPICE modeling built‐in
• Combined SPICE, VHDL‐AMS, Verilog, VHDL
simulation environment
• Powerful, easy to use design wizards
• Analysis tools: area estimate, power, sim corners
designerdesigner

25. www.triadsemi.com 25
Getting Started
• Visit www.ViaDesigner.com
• Register & Download ViaDesigner
• Show us Your Design…
• Reid Wender
• rwender@triadsemi.com
• 865‐684‐5106
• @viadesigner ‐ twitter

26. www.triadsemi.com 26

27. Low Cost Mixed Signal ASIC Design
© Triad Semiconductor, 2012
27
Intuitive and powerful schematic capture

28. www.triadsemi.com 28
Hierarchical Schematic Browser
• Hierarchical
browsing
• Supports
multiple
views
– Schematic
– HDL
Push down
HDL View

29. www.triadsemi.com 29
Syntax-Aware HDL Editor

30. www.triadsemi.com 30
Wizards Simplify and Speed-up Design
1
2
3
4
5
Step Tasks
Place un‐configured integrator
symbol & launch wizard
Set design parameters
See how parameters affect
transfer function, size, …
Wizard generates detailed
circuit structure & models
ViaDesigner schematic with a
configured integrator
1
2
3
4
5

31. www.triadsemi.com 31
Op Amp Wizard
General Purpose
Low Power
Micro Power
Low Offset
General Purpose
Low Power
General Purpose
Low Power
Single Ended
Wideband
OTA
Micro Power
Fully Differential
Micro Power
Prog Gain Amp
TIA
Instrumentation Amp
Prog InAmp

32. www.triadsemi.com 32
Filter Wizard:
Implementation Style
• Continuous Time
• Discrete Time (switched capacitor)
Filter Type
• Low pass, High pass
• Band pass, Band stop
• Corner frequency
• Filter order
Filter Approximation
• Butterworth
• Bessel
• Chebyshev I, II
• Elliptical
Filter Wizard

33. www.triadsemi.com 33
ViaDesigner Roadmap
Q2‐2012 Release 2012.2 Release
 Resistor
 Capacitor
 Switch
 Analog Logic
 Op‐Amp
 Comparator
 Integrator
 Filter
 SAR ADC
 Sigma Delta
Modulator
 DAC
 IO Pad
 Band Gap, Bias
 Power On Reset
• High Voltage Wizards
• Regulators
• H‐Bridge
• Clock Generation
• PLL
• Multi‐finger FET cell
• ADC Extensions
• Differentiator
• Peak Detector
• Sample &Hold
• Prog Gain Amplifier
• Instrumentation Amp
• I‐V Converter
• DAC Extension
• SPI, I2C
• UART
• Microcontroller
• Adder/Multiplier/DSP
• Fully Differential
Options
• Log Amp
Fidelity vs Speed Controls
(global & local options)
Spec Builder, Constraint
Generator, Platform Fitter,
Analog DFT, IC Packager,…

34. www.triadsemi.com 34
Simulation Model Control
Simulation
Speed
Model
Fidelity
Model
Level
Fidelity / Speed
0 Ideal+
1
2 Process, Voltage, Temp
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 SPICE BSIM‐III
FidelitySpeed

35. www.triadsemi.com 35
Powerful Waveform Display & Analysis
Waveform
Measurements
Waveform Calculator
(Generator)
Save & Compare
Results

36. www.triadsemi.com 36
ViaASIC™ Design Using ViaDesigner™
2013
High‐Level ViaASIC
Modeling & Simulation
Platform Fitting
Scan & ATPG
Constraints & Package
ViaPath™ Place & Route
Static Timing Analysis
Final QC
ViaASIC Fabrication,
Assembly & Test
Here’s what you do
in ViaDesigner
Here’s what Triad
does after you
submit your
ViaASIC order
ViaASIC
Triad support
throughout the
ViaDesigner process

37. Low Cost Mixed Signal ASIC Design
© Triad Semiconductor, 2012
37
MochaBlue™
Internet‐of‐Things
Sensor Processor
MochaBlue™
Internet‐of‐Things
Sensor Processor