An Energy-Efficient Small-Area Configurable Analog Front-End Interface for Diverse Biosignals Recording

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Integrated Circuit Design
• Analog Signal Processing

Background:

• Bio-potential signal acquisition requires versatile and low-power front-end electronics.
• Existing systems often struggle with noise reduction and bandwidth adaptability for various signals.
• Miniaturization for wearable and implantable devices necessitates energy-efficient and compact solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a fully integrated, configurable analog front-end (CAFE) sensor.
• To enable accommodation of various bio-potential signals with high performance.
• To design a low-power, area-efficient solution for bio-signal acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Developed an AC-coupled chopper-stabilized amplifier to minimize 1/f noise.
• Integrated an energy-efficient tunable filter using a subthreshold-source-follower-based pseudo-RC (SSF-PRC) topology.
• Incorporated a tunable active-pseudo-resistor for reconfigurable high-pass cutoff and enhanced linearity.

Main Results:

• Achieved a mid-band gain of 37 dB with an input-referred noise of 1.7 μVrms (1-260 Hz).
• Demonstrated total harmonic distortion below 1% for a 2.4 m Vpp input signal.
• Implemented in 40 nm technology, occupying 0.048 mm² and consuming 2.47 μW from a 1.2-V supply.

Conclusions:

• The proposed CAFE sensor offers a versatile, low-power, and high-performance solution for bio-potential signal acquisition.
• Its tunable bandwidth and reconfigurable features make it ideal for diverse applications.
• The design is well-suited for integration into advanced wearable and implantable bio-monitoring systems.