Applied Technology

High-performance Chips Applied in Equipment Fabrication

Recently, the ultra-high-speed mixed signal circuits R&D team of Microwave Device & IC Department at the Institute of Microelectronics, CAS has made a significant progress in developing ultra-high-speed data converter (ADC/DAC), direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDS) and related chips. The team has successfully developed a variety of high-performance chips, including: 4GS/s 8bit ADC and 3GS/s 12bit DAC. The ADC chip consists of two interleaved ADC cores; each integrates wideband sample-and-hold circuit and optimized folding-and-interpolating block. The chip also integrates SPI interface, which can be used to calibrate the offset between two ADC cores effectively and configure the operating mode of the ADC. The chip is developed by home-grown technology. The tested ENOB is larger than 7.0 bit and the analog input bandwidth reaches up to 1.5GHz. The chip is currently the highest sampling rate 8bit ADC chip in mainland China. The DAC chip uses a segmented current steering structure, integrated LVDS signal receivers and a 4-1 MUX circuit. Return-to-zero output is also supported, making the chip with good usability. Test results reveal that the chip achieves a spurious-free dynamic range up to 72dBc. Ultra-high-speed mixed signal circuit is the key component in digitization equipment. It is demanded urgently by the market in production of radar, high-speed optical communication, high-end instrumentation, etc.

AUV Goes to Still Deeper Sea

From April 10 to May 8, 6000m unmanned autonomous under water vehicle (AUV) practical transformation project (referred to 6000 m AUV) completed its sea trials by the underwater robotics department at the Shenyang Institute of Automation, CAS. The main purpose of 6000 m AUV project is to check the performance of the polymetallic nodules, and in the meantime to acquire more knowledge about what improvements are needed for the survey of various deep-sea resources in the Pacific Ocean. The project is aimed to upgrade and improve the prototype of "6000m AUV", and to make it more stable and reliable, so it would be adapted to deep-sea topography detection, sediment detection and marine environment element measurement, and to provide an effective means for the China’s Ocean Mineral Resources Exploration and marine scientific expedition. During the sea trials period, the 6000 m AUV project group faced but overcame the severe weather conditions of high temperature, high humidity, seasickness and other environmental factors, and members of this group made a number of dives into deep sea for comprehensive performance test. The AUV completed a series of function and performance verification tests in terms of structural strength, deep-water pressure, deep-sea trim, launch and recovery, autonomous control, combination navigation, acoustic detection, optical detection and hydrological parameters measurement. The operators succeeded in free launching and recovering of AUV without assistance of small vessels. The test obtained effective probe data, perfected system’s operating procedure, and laid a solid foundation for the maritime practical application.

Hybridized System of Solar Energy with Fossil Energy to be Industrialized Soon

From May 8-10, a key project entitled multi-functional energy system hybridized solar energy fossil energy implemented by Prof. Jin Hongguan and his research group from the Institute of Engineering Thermal Physics successfully passed the acceptance check. Because of the consistent growing demand for renewable energy in China, to find a solution for the bottle-neck of low solar-to-electricity efficiency, but high-cost for solar thermal power, a new concept was adopted, and the multi-energy system combined the concentrated solar power (CSP) and the fossil fuel through thermalchemical hybridization was systematically studied. After four years of hard work, the project group acquired significant achievements with home-grown property rights, which has provided a new way for the combined power generation based on solar PV and the traditional fuel power generation for mid-term development of power supply in China. A new demonstration power plant based on this new solar-coal hybrid technology with capacity of 1 MW and the thermal-chemical distributed energy system with capacity of 100 kW will be constructed soon.

Trial Run of 100kW Floating Wave Energy Device Completed

On April 17, a floating wave energy device “100 kW wave energy device duck”, developed by the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, CAS, was shipped to the sea near the Dawanshan Island, Zhuhai City by a self-developed floating dock, launched in a given position, and has run smoothly and generated electricity successfully. The device employed a hydraulic system with a multi-level mode to generate electricity for different wave conditions. When the wave is minor, a 30 kW generator shall be triggered; when the wave is moderate, a 70kW generator shall be triggered; while the wave becomes rough, the above two generators shall be triggered simultaneously, the power of which may reach 100kW. The floating dock is a launching and withdrawing platform for the wave energy devices with an application of a special designation. In the real sea status, the successful launch and generation of this wave energy device verified the safety and validity of the special designed floating dock, and also lay a solid foundation for reducing costs, improving efficiency and large-scale development and utilization of ocean wave energy.