Nanoscale Digital-Based Analog Processing: Circuits and Systems Solutions for Emerging Applications and Technologies

While digital Integrated Circuits (IC) have been reaping the benefits of CMOS technology scaling in terms of speed, power consumption, and area, the techniques used for analog signal processing have not progressed at the same rate. It is evident that there have been substantial and ongoing improvements in the performance of digital circuits when compared to analog building blocks. To address this disparity, there is a growing trend towards exploring alternative IC design strategies that leverage digital-in-concept methodologies to implement analog functions. By capitalizing on the well-established fullyautomated EDA digital tools, reimagining analog functions in digital terms holds the promise of making Analog IC blocks more conducive to achieving energy efficiency and adapting to the shrinking feature sizes of new technologies. This presentation aims to showcase the current state-of-the-art digital-based analog building blocks, such as OTA, comparators, and converters, along with their impact on emerging applications and technologies. This shift in approach has the potential to revolutionize the field of analog signal processing and pave the way for undefined advancements in IC design.