Thomas Parry - Amateur satellite radio, Open Source vs Industry tools, beautiful analogue layout

Thomas Parry - Amateur satellite radio, Open Source vs Industry tools, beautiful analogue layout

Author: Matt Venn March 23, 2021 Duration: 34:16
00:00 Introducing Thomas Parry
00:36 Project is an amateur satellite transceiver
01:02 Thomas wanted a challenging project
01:17 His background
01:50 Working for SystematIC Design in Delft doing analogue chip design
02:29 Design split into 2 repositories, see links below
03:50 Day to day work with Cadence and MentorGraphics industry standard tools
04:25 Pay money to reduce risk - no one to shout at
05:42 Previous interviews with Diego & Lakshmi
06:04 His design process is similar
06:57 Using Klayout for layout
07:15 Using OpenLANE for a small part of the design
08:35 Still uses Magic for extraction of circuit
08:52 Nice structure in his repository
10:24 Overview of the structure of a transceiver
12:20 Difference of the visual appearance of digital vs analogue layout
12:46 Taking a look at the GDS
13:30 Control signals
13:46 Digital section - fractional N divider for the PLL
14:29 9x9 array charge pump output
15:30 VCO - do they always look like bathroom tiles?
15:55 4 inverting amplifiers arranged in a ring
16:35 Created MOSFETs with the generator in Magic, then exported into Klayout
17:08 8x4 blocks of output drivers
17:40 Compensation filter for the PLL is off-chip
18:50 Characterise bandgap in a thermal chamber
19:30 Bandgap references replicated 3 times for different measurement options
20:15 Lovely routing!
21:08 Drawn by hand…
21:14 Ruby & Python scripting for Klayout
21:45 Efabless are working to integrate Klayout more tightly into OpenLANE
22:54 Terminology corner: Corner!
24:04 Typical Typical
25:26 How to get the RF signals in and out of Caravel padring?
26:35 WLCSP
27:20 Currently IO cells are digital
27:44 First 8 pins can be switched to analogue, but not ideal for high frequency
28:16 Power amplification
28:58 What are the next steps? Complete the TX chain
30:20 How to get started with analogue design?
32:02 Python binding for spice: https://pypi.org/project/PySpice/ 
33:02 Books by Behzad Razavi are recommended.

Design repo: https://github.com/yrrapt/amsat_txrx_ic 
Shuttle application repo: https://github.com/yrrapt/caravel_amsat_txrx_ic 

Connect with Thomas here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-parry-60419468/

For anyone curious about how the tiny, powerful chips that run our world are actually created, Zero to ASIC Course offers a clear and engaging path through the complex landscape. Hosted by Matt Venn, this podcast demystifies the journey of designing Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), breaking down the barriers between abstract concepts and physical silicon. Each episode serves as an informal lesson, weaving together foundational physics, current industry news, and practical engineering insights. You'll hear conversations with practitioners and pioneers who are actively shaping open-source silicon, making a field often shrouded in proprietary secrecy feel accessible and collaborative. This isn't just theoretical; it's about the tools, the challenges, and the community effort to bring custom chip design to more people. By listening to this podcast, you gain a nuanced understanding of semiconductor development, from initial design to final fabrication. The discussions naturally explore the intersection of education, technology, and open-source philosophy, providing context for both newcomers and seasoned engineers looking to stay current. Matt guides the exploration with a focus on real-world application, ensuring that every interview and news segment builds towards a comprehensive, practical knowledge base. Tune in to connect the dots between software, hardware, and the innovative future of computing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 43

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Podcast Episodes
Get started with Analog - Interview with Nanik Adnani. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:41
take my analog course: https://www.zerotoasiccourse.com/analog/Nanik's distortion ASIC: https://www.tinytapeout.com/chips/tt0...Kelly Heaton's analog birds: https://www.kellyheatonstudio.com/dee...--00:00 Intro 00:55 Nan…
Rest in peace Z80, long live the open source Z80! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:38
00:00 intro 00:56 z80 04:54 Submitted to TT07 06:52 NMOS 08:22 dynamic memory 10:28 z80 was everything in one chip 12:00 hand layout 14:10 most widely used CPU in the 80s 17:27 Tiny Tapeout compromise 18:56 voltage compa…
Chips in days with Minimal Fab - An interview with Leo Moser [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:25
Talking about the minimal fab with Leo Moser. Leo recently won a competition run by minimal fab and had a design fabricated.He's published a few blog posts about it here:About the Minimal Fab: https://mole99.uber.space/2…
An interview with Ed Conway - Silicon Supply Chains [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:45
Follow Ed here: https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky Buy his book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo... Sign up to my newsletter here: https://www.zerotoasiccourse.com/news...