Circuit Design and Verification Method of Integrated Sensor-Front-End Elements for Spaceborne Fluxgate Magnetometers

Maximilian Scherzer, Mario Auer, Aris Valvanoglou, Stefan Leitner, Werner Magnes

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference paperpeer-review

Abstract

To date nearly all sensor-front-end implementations for spaceborne fluxgate magnetometers are discrete. In order to assure a lightweight and power efficient design it is therefore crucial to integrate the essential components on a single chip. This work describes the design of highly integrated sensor- front-end elements for spaceborne fluxgate magnetometers. The design of a current-source required for the linearization of the fluxgate magnetometer via current feedback is shown. It uses a Howland current-source to realize a current-controlled current- source (CCCS) on chip. Harsh environmental conditions mandate the use of system monitoring and temperature calibration. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) used for monitoring environ- mental conditions is implemented as a 2nd-order discrete-time delta-sigma (∆Σ) modulator. This interface circuit was realized in a 180 nm CMOS technology using an active area of less than 1 mm2 . To evaluate the system performance a verification method is proposed based on a microcontroller unit (MCU) that drives a highly linear chopped 1-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
Index Terms—CCCS, Fluxgate Magnetometer, ADC, DAC
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication15th Conference on Ph.D Research in Microelectronics and Electronics (PRIME)
Pages181-184
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event15th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics: PRIME 2019 - EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
Duration: 15 Jul 201918 Jul 2019

Conference

Conference15th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics
Abbreviated titlePRIME
Country/TerritorySwitzerland
CityLausanne
Period15/07/1918/07/19

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