Engineering the small stuff is what Iota Physics Design does best. If you need a prototype, we can take your concept and make it reality, using our skills with microelectronics design and hardware and software development. Our extensive experience means we know how to do the job right, and our rates are extremely competitive. Below are a few examples of the types of projects we encounter.
Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM)
A Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) can see objects smaller than the wavelength of light. The NSOM can reliably position a probe tip within fractions of a nanometer of a sample surface. The tip is illuminated with a laser, and the reflected light from the sample shows the surface topology.
For this project at the University of Texas Department of Physics, a prototype NSOM already existed, but it needed extensive modifications. It now uses an innovative, purely optical tip positioning method that allows it to work in a vacuum, with increased scanning speed. MATLAB software was used to enhance the image quality. The NSOM also has a new and improved LabVIEW interface, incorporating custom C library calls. Click to view Images from the NSOM project.
Raman Light Emission Analysis
Another project at the University of Texas required skills in data acquisition. A high-power Coherent "Corona" laser was used to generate Raman light emission from a flame. The data acquisition system incorporated a monochromator, PMT, and lock-in amplifier with a custom DAQ/Labview application to detect and analyze the Raman light emissions.
High-Power LED Light
Iota Physics Design provided the PCB design for a new product prototype which is now in the manufacturing stage. It has two high-power Luxeon Rebel LEDs controlled by a microcontroller to allow multiple levels of brightness. The printed circuit board was designed to integrate the microcontroller with the battery and LEDs. We created the schematics, the PCB, and the firmware. We used EagleCAD schematic capture software to create the printed circuit board. The microcontroller is a Texas Instruments MSP430. Click to view Images of the PCB layout and schematic.
3-Axis Geophone Node
This 3-axis geophone node used for seismic measurements required a data acquisition system integration chip. The hardware design included schematics for PCBs that included sensitive analog amplifiers with programmable gain, ADCs, FPGAs, and data transmission circuits with ECC. The software was written as synthesizable Verilog code for decimating DSP filters, forward error correction, delta-sigma test generator, SPI interfaces, Manchester phase detector, CRC generator, and SERDES blocks.
Sensor Interface
This sensor interface for a MEMS accelerometer contained three Xylinx FPGAs. Software written in Visual C++ controlled a National Instruments Data Acquisition card that interfaced with the accelerometer. VHDL code was used to program the FPGAs with DSP algorithms that processed and communicated the micromachined accelerometer’s delta-sigma data stream to the card.
VHDL Signal Generator
Iota Physics Design can provide RTL programming in Verilog and VHDL for use in custom chips or FPGAs, such as this signal generator created in VHDL code. The code generates a high SNR sine wave, with delta-sigma bitstream output. The design is simple, yet elegant: on silicon, it would be very small for the quality of the result. Click to view Images of the sine wave simulation in MATLAB.
Your Project?
Whatever your needs, from custom digital circuit design, to FPGA design, to PCB design, and custom electronics, Iota Physics Design is your resource for quality microelectronics design. We would be happy to discuss the specifics of your project and provide an estimate for our services. Contact Us to get started.
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