Abstract: A chemically-modified graphene includes a graphene layer and a plurality of functional groups that are grafted to the graphene layer and each of which is represented by —CO—R—COOH, wherein R is an optionally substituted C1-C5 alkylene group or an optionally substituted C1-C5 alkenylene group. A method for producing a chemically-modified grapheme includes subjecting a cyclic anhydride and graphite to a Friedel-Crafts reaction in the presence of a Lewis acid.

Abstract: A chemically-modified graphene includes a graphene layer and a plurality of functional groups that are grafted to the graphene layer and each of which is represented by —CO—R—COOH, wherein R is an optionally substituted C1-C5 alkylene group or an optionally substituted C1-C5 alkenylene group. A method for producing a chemically-modified grapheme includes subjecting a cyclic anhydride and graphite to a Friedel-Crafts reaction in the presence of a Lewis acid.

Abstract: The adjoint network reduction technique has been shown to reduce 50% of the computational complexity of constructing the congruence transformation matrix. The method was suitable for analyzing the special multi-port driving-point impedance of RLC interconnect circuits. This technique is extended for the general circumstances of RLC interconnects. Comparative studies among the conventional methods and the proposed methods are also investigated. Experimental results will demonstrate the accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed method.

Abstract: A biomedical signal instrumentation amplifier is especially suitable for a circuit processing biomedical signals. In a voltage instrumentation amplifier, a biomedical signal level conversion circuit is added to change an input level, reduce signal distortion and noise, and achieve the performance of low voltage, unisource, low noise, high CMRR, and high PSRR.

Abstract: A method estimates the signal delay in a VLSI circuit and accurately estimates the delay and conversion time of a transmission signal in the circuit in order to prevent a designer of the VLSI circuit from erroneously judging the logic made by the designed circuit.

Abstract: A method of designing a synchronous circuit of VLSI for Clock Skew scheduling and optimization is used to optimize the skew of a digital synchronous VLSI system and formulize the issue of skew optimization into the issue of quadratic equation programming. For estimation of reliability, a quadratic equation cost function is used to analyze an ideal value of skew and an error between feasible solutions. During operation, several algorithms are used to speed up the operation and lower the complexity, and ISCAS'89 is used as a testing circuit.

Abstract: A model reduction method utilizing the rational Arnoldi method with adaptive orders (RAMAO) is applied to high-speed VLSI interconnect models. The method is based on an extension of the classical multi-point Pade approximation, using the rational Arnoldi iteration approach. Given a set of predetermined expansion points, an exact expression for the error between the output moment of the original system and that of the reduced-order system, related to each expansion point, is derived first. In each iteration of the proposed RAMAO algorithm, the expansion frequency corresponding to the maximum output moment error will be chosen. Hence, the corresponding reduced-order model yields the greatest improvement in output moments among all reduced-order models of the same order.

Abstract: Two-sided projection-based model reductions have become a necessity for efficient interconnect modeling and simulations in VLSI design. In order to choose the order of the reduced system that can really reflect the essential dynamics of the original interconnect, the element of reduced model of the transfer function can be considered as a stopping criteria to terminate the non-symmetric Lanczos iteration process. Furthermore, the approximate transfer function can also be expressed as the original interconnect model with some additive perturbations. The perturbation matrix only involves at most a rank-2 modification at the previous step of the non-symmetric algorithm. The information of stopping criteria will provide a guideline for the order selection scheme used in the Lanczos model-order reduction algorithm.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for making a high-linearity and high-power CMOS structure and particularly to a field plate technology that is applied to a CMOS component, in which the field plate is formed on a dielectric layer of the CMOS, being arranged above a gate and a drain. An electric field is provided to significantly improve the RF linearity and output power of the CMOS component.

Abstract: An interconnect model-order reduction method reduces a nano-level semiconductor interconnect network as an original interconnect network by using iteration-based Arnoldi algorithms. The method is performed based on a projection method and has become a necessity for efficient interconnect modeling and simulations. To select an order of the reduced-order model that can efficiently reflect essential dynamics of the original interconnect network, a residual error between transfer functions of the original interconnect network and the reduced interconnect model may be considered as a reference in determining if the iteration process should end, with analytical expressions of the residual error being derived herein. Furthermore, the approximate transfer function of the reduced interconnect model may also be expressed as an addition of the original interconnect model and some additive perturbations. A perturbation matrix is only related with resultant vectors at a previous step of the Arnoldi algorithm.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of estimating the signal delay in a VLSI circuit and accurately estimating the delay and conversion time of a transmission signal in the circuit in order to prevent a designer of the VLSI circuit from erroneously judging the logic made by the designed circuit.

Abstract: A method of searching paths that are susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) at the beginning of an integrated circuit (IC) design is disclosed that includes a circuit spreading out algorithm, a matrix closure algorithm, and a supernode algorithm. The found paths are required to satisfy conditions including that (a) they are connected from a gate of a transistor to a source or a drain thereof, and (b) the head node and the tail node of each path are pins of a top level of the IC. ?1/0/1 matrix multiplication is employed by both the circuit spreading out algorithm and the matrix closure algorithm so as to obtain a result of node connections after a plurality of matrix self-multiplications.

Abstract: This invention relates to a high-linearity and high-power CMOS structure and a method for the same and particularly to a field plate technology that is applied to a CMOS component, in which the field plate is formed on a dielectric layer of the CMOS, being arranged above a gate and a drain. An electric field is provided to significantly improve the RF linearity and output power of the CMOS component.

Abstract: A method of reducing a MIMO interconnect circuit system in a global Lanczos algorithm is used for estimation of the error margin between the original model and the reduced model of MIMO circuit system. In the algorithm, a projection matrix and then a circuit of declining order system are given. A turbulence system being added to the original system, the transfer function union is completely identical to the reduced system union given in the algorithm. It proves that the union of preceding 2q order of the transfer function of reduced system may be surely corresponding to that of original system. It is deduced from the turbulence system added to the original system that the union of preceding 2q order is equal to that of reduced system. In this invention, the algorithm is the basis of determination of the reduced circuit order in a model reduction algorithm a Krylov subspace.

Abstract: A method of designing a synchronous circuit of VLSI for Clock Skew scheduling and optimization is used to optimize the skew of a digital synchronous VLSI system and formulize the issue of skew optimization into the issue of quadratic equation programming. For estimation of reliability, a quadratic equation cost function is used to analyze an ideal value of skew and an error between feasible solutions. During operation, several algorithms are used to speed up the operation and lower the complexity, and ISCAS'89 is used as a testing circuit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for designing low-order linear-phase IIR filters is disclosed. Given an FIR filter, the method utilizes a new Krylov subspace projection method, called the rational Arnoldi method with adaptive orders, to synthesize an approximated IIR filter with small orders. The method is efficient in terms of computational complexity. The synthesized IIR filter can truly reflect essential dynamical features of the original FIR filter and indeed satisfies the design specifications. In particular, the linear-phase property is stilled remained in the passband.

Abstract: A new method of searching paths that are suffering ESD is proposed in this invention, improving the design flow of a VLSI circuit and reducing the cost of designing the ESD circuits in a whole chip, comprising three parts, the circuit flattening, the closure algorithm, and the supernode algorithm. The objective is to find the paths satisfying the following two constraints: (1) only one edge connected to the gate pin and the source (or drain) pin is allowed; (2) only the head-node and the tail-node in a path could be the pin of top-level circuit. Two algorithms in this invention are the closure algorithm that uses the closure property in the ?1/0/1 matrix multiplication so that the connective property of nodes can be observed after several matrix self-multiplication, and the supernode algorithm.

Abstract: A biomedical signal instrumentation amplifier is especially suitable for a circuit processing biomedical signals. In a voltage instrumentation amplifier, a biomedical signal level conversion circuit is added to change an input level, reduce signal distortion and noise, and achieve the performance of low voltage, unisource, low noise, high CMRR, and high PSRR.

Abstract: A new method for MIMO RLCG interconnects model order reduction technique using the global Arnoldi algorithm is proposed that is an extension of the standard Arnoldi algorithm for MIMO systems. Under this framework, the input matrix serves as a stacked vector form and the global Arnoldi algorithm will be the standard Arnoldi algorithm applied to a new matrix pair. This new matrix Krylov subspace from the Frobenius orthonormalization process is the union of system moments. By employing the congruence transformation with this matrix Krylov subspace, the one-sided projection method can be used to construct a reduced-order system. Connections of the reduced system and the original RLCG interconnect circuits are developed. The transfer matrix residual error of reduced system is derived analytically. This error information will be a guideline for the order selection scheme. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract: A moment computation technique for general lumped R(L)C interconnect circuits with multiple resistor loops is proposed. Using the concept of tearing, a lumped R(L)C network can be partitioned into a spanning tree and several resistor links. The contributions of network moments from each free and the corresponding links can be determined independently. By combining the conventional moment computation algorithms and the reduced ordered binary decision diagram (ROBDD), the proposed method can compute system moments efficiently. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can indeed obtain accurate moments and is more efficient than the conventional approach.