A new data-I/O scheme with a hidden writing-recovery architecture has been developed for the megabit-class high operating frequency SRAMs. Read-out nodes in the memory cell are separated from bitline-connected writing nodes so as not to delay sensing initiation due to uncompleted bitline recovery. The data stored in a memory cell are read-out by sensing the differential current signal on a double-rail virtual-GND line along bitlines. Each pair of virtual-GND lines is imaginarily short-circuited by a sense amplifier, so that the read-out circuitry would have large immunity against virtual-GND-line noises. The critical noise level associated with data destruction is analyzed at various supply voltages. The virtual-GND-line-sensed memory cell with the squashed topology, the swing-suppression-type low-power writing circuitry, and the current-sense amplifier with extra negative feedback loops, --which are used in the data-I/O scheme are also mentioned. Assuming a sub array in megabit-class SRAMs, 4 K-words 6 -bits test chip was fabricated with a 0.5-µm CMOS process. The SRAM achieved 180-MHz operation at a typical 3.3-V, 25 condition. The power dissipation at the practical operating frequency of 133-MHz was 50-mW.

A procedure for quickly developing highly integrated multifunctional MMICs by using the three-dimensional masterslice MMIC technology has been developed. The structures and advanced features of this technology, such as miniature transmission lines, a broadside coupler, and miniature function block circuits, enable multifunctional MMICs to be quickly and easily developed. These unique features and basic concept of the masterslice technology are discussed and reviewed to examine the advantages of this technology. As an example of quick MMIC development, an amplifier, a mixer, and a down-converter are fabricated on a newly designed master array.

This paper describes a novel layout optimization technique using electromagnetic (EM) simulation. Simple equivalent circuits fitted to EM simulation results are employed in this method, to present a modification guide for a layout pattern. Fitting errors are also investigated with some layout patterns in order to clarify the applicable range of the method, because the errors restrict the range. The method has been successfully adopted to an X-band low noise MMIC amplifier (LNA). The layout pattern of the amplifier was optimized in only two days and the amplifier has achieved target performances--a 35 dB gain and a 1.7 dB noise figure--in one development cycle. The effective chip area has been miniaturized to 4.8 mm2. The area could be smaller than 70% in comparison with a conventional layout MMIC.

We propose a new technique that is able to extract the small-signal equivalent-circuit elements of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) without causing any gate degradation. For the determination of extrinsic resistance values, unlike other conventional techniques, the proposed technique does not require an additional relationship for the resistances. For the extraction of extrinsic inductance values, the technique uses the R-estimate, which is known to be more robust relative to the measurement errors than the commonly used least-squares regression. Additionally, we suggest an improved cold HEMT model that seems to be more general than conventional cold HEMT models. With the use of the improved cold HEMT model, the proposed technique extracts the extrinsic resistance and inductance values.

Ultrahigh-speed integrated-circuit technology is one of the keys to achieving ultralarge-capacity optical communication systems. Technological breakthroughs in circuit and packaging design as well as improved transistor performance are needed to reach the over-40-Gbit/s operating region. This paper describes a 0.1-µm gate InP HEMT, novel circuit design, and broadband packaging technologies developed to boost the circuit speed. We used these technologies to make 40-Gbit/s lightwave communication ICs. This paper also describes the problems and challenges toward 100-Gbit/s operation.

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are key devices for a variety of applications including L-band power amplifiers, high speed A/D converters, broadband amplifiers, laser drivers, and low phase noise oscillators. AlGaAs emitter HBTs have demonstrated sufficient reliability for L-band mobile phone applications. For applications which require extended reliability performance at high junction temperatures (>250) and large current densities (>50 kA/cm2), InGaP emitter HBTs are the preferred devices. The excellent reliability of InGaP/GaAs HBTs has been confirmed at various laboratories. At a moderate current density and junction temperature, Jc = 25 kA/cm2 and Tj = 264, no device failures were reported out to 10,000 hours in a sample of 10 devices. Reliability testing performed up to a junction temperature of 360 and at a higher current density (Jc = 60 kA/cm2) showed an extrapolated MTTF of 5 105 hours at Tj = 150. The activation energy for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs was 0.57 eV, while the activation energy for InGaP/GaAs HBTs was 0.68 eV, which indicated a similar failure mechanism for both devices.

In this paper, we describe an experimental evaluation of visual fatigue in a binocular disparity type 3-D display system. To evaluate this fatigue, we use a subjective assessment method and focus on mismatching between convergence and accommodation, which is a major weakness of binocular disparity 3-D displays. For this subjective assessment, we use a newly-developed binocular disparity 3-D display system with a compensation function for accommodation. Because this equipment only allowed us to compare the terms of the mismatching itself, the evaluation is more accurate than similar previous works.

We have realized excellent viewing angle characteristics for the π cell, by combining a discotic negative birefringence film, which has a hybrid alignment structure, and a positive a-plate. The negative birefringence of the film completely compensates the positive birefringence of the π cell liquid crystals in the dark-state. The roll of a c-plate, which should be accompanied by the a-plate to suppress the light leakage from crossed polarizer at oblique incident angles, was substituted for the vertically aligned component of the π cell liquid crystal. Taking into account the fast electrooptical response, which is one order faster than that of the twisted-nematic liquid-crystal display, the π cell is one of the most promising liquid-crystal-display modes.

We proposed a new method to evaluate display legibility as a function of resolution. This method was able to evaluated display legibility without being restricted to the display resolution. Using this method, subjective psychological experiments were carried out to investigate display resolution, which provides legibility, in observing small characters. Samples viewed by subjects were images displayed on a high-resolution TFT-LCD that we developed, CRT images and printed documents for comparison. We have found that TFT-LCD legibility was much better than that of CRT, and that minimum resolution of about 175 dpi was needed for use in legible document viewers.

In this paper, we investigate an inherent noise reduction characteristic of a modulated orthogonal sequence. The modulated orthogonal sequence generates length N2 sequences from N information symbols. Using the amplitudes of received sequences, we first estimate the smallest amplitude noise. Then the noise is reduced by the proposed scheme. The noise reduction scheme is shown to have an excellent performance in non-Gaussian noise environment.

A new UEP technique for image transmission using trellis code based on Hamming distance criterion has been proposed. The simulation results comparing the image quality and bit-rate for UEP and EEP have been provided. The results show that UEP performs better than EEP in terms of bit-rate without any significant depreciation in image quality.

Optical Code Division Multiple Access (OCD- MA) has been emerging as an attractive scheme in fiber optic communication systems as well as in space communication systems in past few years. In OCDMA systems, M-ary Pulse Position Modulation (PPM), has been regarded as an efficient signalling format which has the capability to reduce the channel interference caused by the other users and also to increase the number of simultaneous users. We apply error control coding to improve the system performance of pulse position modulated OCDMA (PPM/OCDMA) systems and this paper investigates the performance of M-ary PPM/OCDMA systems with M-ary convolutional coding. Dual-k code is used as the M-ary convolutional code and Optical Orthogonal Codes with the maximum cross correlation value of 1 and 2 are employed as the signature sequences. We derive an expression for the bit error probability of the new system and show that combining M-ary convolutional coding and M-ary PPM results in an improved error performance. Also it is shown that the number of simultaneous users can be significantly increased with the proposed system compared to the uncoded PPM/OCDMA system with the same bit error probability and with the same information bit rate. We also analyze the system with binary convolutional coding and a comparison with the proposed system is given.

In this paper, we present simulation algorithms among enhanced mesh models. The enhanced mesh models here include reconfigurable mesh and mesh with multiple broadcasting. A reconfigurable mesh (RM) is a processor array that consists of processors arranged to a 2-dimensional grid with a reconfigurable bus system. The bus system can be used to dynamically obtain various interconnection patterns among the processors during the execution of programs. A horizontal-vertical RM (HV-RM) is obtained from the general RM model, by restricting the network topology it can take to the ones in which each bus segment must be along row or column. A mesh with multiple broadcasting (MWMB) is an enhanced mesh, which has additional broadcasting buses endowed to every row and column. We present two algorithms:1) an algorithm that simulates a HV-RM of size nn time-optimally in θ(n) time on a MWMB of size nn, and 2) an algorithm that simulates a RM of size nn in θ(log2 n) time on a HV-RM of size nn. Both algorithms use a constant number of storage in each processor. Furthermore, we show that a RM of size nn can be simulated in θ((n/m)2 log n log m) time on a HV-RM of size mm, in θ ((n/m)2 m log n log m) time on a MWMB of size mm (m < n). These simulations use θ((n/m)2) storage in each processor, which is optimal.

In the present paper we shall examine the real-time restoration of biomedical signals under additive noises. Biomedical signals measured by instruments such as catheter manometers, ambulatory electrocardiographs and thermo-dilution sensors are susceptible to distortion and noise. Therefore, such signals must be restored to their original states. In the present study, nonstationary biomedical signals are observed and described using a mathematical model, and several restoration filters that are composed of a series of applications of this model are proposed. These filters restored band-limited approximations of the original signals in real-time. In addition, redundancy is introduced into these restoration filters in order to suppress additive noise. Finally, an optimum filter that accounts for restoration error and additive noise is proposed.

In this paper, we consider an integrated voice and data system over CDMA Slotted-ALOHA (CDMA S-ALOHA). We investigate its performance when multi-code CDMA (MC-CDMA) is applied as a multi-rate scheme to support users which require transmission with different bit rates. Two different classes of data users are transmitted together with voice. Performance measurement is obtained in respect of throughput for data and outage probability for voice. Moreover, we consider the Modified Channel Load Sensing Protocol (MCLSP) as a traffic control to improve the throughput of data. As a result, we show that the MC-CDMA technique is an effective one to obtain good throughput for data users at an acceptable voice outage probability. Furthermore, we show that with MCLSP, the throughput of data can be improved to reach a constant value even at a high offered load of data users.

In pattern recognition using neural networks, it is very difficult for researchers or users to design optimal neural network architecture for a specific task. It is possible for any kinds of neural network architectures to obtain a certain measure of recognition ratio. It is, however, difficult to get an optimal neural network architecture for a specific task analytically in the recognition ratio and effectiveness of training. In this paper, an evolutional method of training and designing feedforward neural networks is proposed. In the proposed method, a neural network is defined as one individual and neural networks whose architectures are same as one species. These networks are evaluated by normalized M. S. E. (Mean Square Error) which presents a performance of a network for training patterns. Then, their architectures evolve according to an evolution rule proposed here. Architectures of neural networks, in other words, species, are evaluated by another measurement of criteria compared with the criteria of individuals. The criteria assess the most superior individual in the species and the speed of evolution of the species. The species are increased or decreased in population size according to the criteria. The evolution rule generates a little bit different architectures of neural network from superior species. The proposed method, therefore, can generate variety of architectures of neural networks. The designing and training neural networks which performs simple 3 3 and 4 4 pixels which include vertical, horizontal and oblique lines classifications and Handwritten KATAKANA recognitions are presented. The efficiency of proposed method is also discussed.

In order to improve the efficiency of the feature extraction of backpropagation (BP) learning in layered neural networks, model switching for changing the function model without altering the map is proposed. Model switching involves map preserving reduction of units by channel fusion, or addition of units by channel installation. For reducing the model size by channel fusion, two criteria for detection of the redundant channels are addressed, and the local link weight compensations for map preservation are formulated. The upper limits of the discrepancies between the maps of the switched models are derived for use as the unified criterion in selecting the switching model candidate. In the experiments, model switching is used during the BP training of a layered network model for image texture classification, to aid its inefficiency of feature extraction. The results showed that fusion and re-installation of redundant channels, weight compensations on channel fusion for map preservation, and the use of the unified criterion for model selection are all effective for improved generalization ability and quick learning. Further, the possibility of using model switching for concurrent optimization of the model and the map will be discussed.

The method solving Bessel's differential equation for calculating numerical values of the Bessel function Jν(x) is not usually used, but it is made clear here that the differential equation method can give very precise numerical values of Jν(x), and is very effective if we do not mind computing time. Here we improved the differential equation method by using a new transformation of Jν(x). This letter also shows a method of evaluating the errors of Jν(x) calculated by this method. The recurrence method is used for calculating the Bessel function Jν(x) numerically. The convergence of the solutions in this method, however, is not yet examined for all of the values of the complex ν and the real x. By using the differential equation method, this letter will numerically ascertain the convergence of the solutions and the precision of Jν(x) calculated by the recurrence method.

Dynamical theory of cellular automata on groups is developed. Main results are non-Euclidean extensions of Sato and Honda's results on the dynamics of Euclidean cellular automata. The notion of the period of a configuration is redefined in a more group theoretical way. The notion of a co-finite configuration substitutes the notion of a periodic configuration, where the new term is given to it to reflect and emphasize the importance of finiteness involved. With these extended or substituted notions, the relations among period preservablity, injectivity, and Poisson stability of parallel maps are established. Residually finite groups are shown to give a nice topological property that co-finite configurations are dense in the configuration space.

This paper reports on the development of an eyeglass-type infrared-controlled telephone communication interface for the disabled. This system is comprised of four major components: A) a headset; B) an infrared transmitting module; C) an infrared receiving/signal-processing module; and D) a main controller, the Intel-8951 microprocessor. The headset with a tongue-touch panel, a wireless earphone, and a wireless microphone. The infrared transmitting module utilizes a tongue touch panel via tongue-touch circuitry which is converted to an infrared beam and a low power laser (<0.1 mW) beam. The infrared receiving/signal-processing module, receives the infrared beam and fine tunes the unstable infrared beam into standard pulses which are used as control signals. The main controller is responsible for detecting the input signals from the infrared receiving/signal-processing module and verifying these signals with the mapping table in its memory. After the signal is verified, it is released to control the keys of the telephone interface. This design concept was mainly based on the idea that the use of an infrared remote module fastened to the eyeglasses could allow the convenient control of the dialing motion on the keys of a telephone's dialing-pad which are all modified with infrared receiving/signal-processing modules. The disabled are competent for some of work, such as a telephone operator. The increase of opportunity to do a job for the disabled would help them live independently.