A 0.39–3.56-μW Wide-Dynamic-Range Universal Multi-Sensor Interface Circuit

Abstract

This paper presents an ultra-low-power, widedynamic- range interface circuit for capacitive and resistive sensors. The circuit is implemented as a switched-capacitor circuit using programmable capacitors to achieve high configurability. The circuit was fabricated using a CMOS 0.18 μm process. Different types of capacitive and resistive sensors were measured using the interface to demonstrate its support for multi-sensor systems with an ultra-low-power budget. Experimental results show that the circuit is able to interface various sensors within the overall capacitance range of 0.6–550 pF and resistance range of 3.7–5100 k , while consuming only 0.39–3.56 μW from a 1.2 V supply. A proximity, gesture, and touch-sensing system is also developed consisting of the designed interface circuit and a sensor element that is able to detect the displacement of an object up to 15 cm from the sensing electrodes consuming only 0.83 μW from a 1.2 V supply.