Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: Electrical Engineering Program
Description
This thesis outlines the hand-held memory characterization testing system that is to be created into a PCB (printed circuit board). The circuit is designed to apply voltages diagonally through a RRAM cell (32x32 memory array). The purpose of this sweep across the RRAM is to measure and calculate the high and low resistance state value over a specified amount of testing cycles. With each cell having a unique output of high and low resistance states a unique characterization of each RRAM cell is able to be developed. Once the memory is characterized, the specific RRAM cell that was tested is then able to be used in a varying amount of applications for different things based on its uniqueness. Due to an inability to procure a packaged RRAM cell, a Mock-RRAM was instead designed in order to emulate the same behavior found in a RRAM cell.
The final testing circuit and Mock-RRAM are varied and complex but come together to be able to produce a measured value of the high resistance and low resistance state. This is done by the Arduino autonomously digitizing the anode voltage, cathode voltage, and output voltage. A ramp voltage that sweeps from 1V to -1V is applied to the Mock-RRAM acting as an input. This ramp voltage is then later defined as the anode voltage which is just one of the two nodes connected to the Mock-RRAM. The cathode voltage is defined as the other node at which the voltage drops across the Mock-RRAM. Using these three voltages as input to the Arduino, the Mock-RRAM path resistance is able to be calculated at any given point in time. Conducting many test cycles and calculating the high and low resistance values allows for a graph to be developed of the chaotic variation of resistance state values over time. This chaotic variation can then be analyzed further in the future in order to better predict trends and characterize the RRAM cell that was tested.
Furthermore, the interchangeability of many devices on the PCB allows for the testing system to do more in the future. Ports have been added to the final PCB in order to connect a packaged RRAM cell. This will allow for the characterization of a real RRAM memory cell later down the line rather than a Mock-RRAM as emulation. Due to the autonomous testing, very few human intervention is needed which makes this board a great baseline for others in the future looking to add to it and collect larger pools of data.
The final testing circuit and Mock-RRAM are varied and complex but come together to be able to produce a measured value of the high resistance and low resistance state. This is done by the Arduino autonomously digitizing the anode voltage, cathode voltage, and output voltage. A ramp voltage that sweeps from 1V to -1V is applied to the Mock-RRAM acting as an input. This ramp voltage is then later defined as the anode voltage which is just one of the two nodes connected to the Mock-RRAM. The cathode voltage is defined as the other node at which the voltage drops across the Mock-RRAM. Using these three voltages as input to the Arduino, the Mock-RRAM path resistance is able to be calculated at any given point in time. Conducting many test cycles and calculating the high and low resistance values allows for a graph to be developed of the chaotic variation of resistance state values over time. This chaotic variation can then be analyzed further in the future in order to better predict trends and characterize the RRAM cell that was tested.
Furthermore, the interchangeability of many devices on the PCB allows for the testing system to do more in the future. Ports have been added to the final PCB in order to connect a packaged RRAM cell. This will allow for the characterization of a real RRAM memory cell later down the line rather than a Mock-RRAM as emulation. Due to the autonomous testing, very few human intervention is needed which makes this board a great baseline for others in the future looking to add to it and collect larger pools of data.
ContributorsDobrin, Ryan Christopher (Co-author) / Halden, Matthew (Co-author) / Hall, Tanner (Co-author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Kitchen, Jennifer (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
My honors thesis took the form of a creative project. My final deliverables are my research presentation (pdf attachment) and solar powered electric scooter (image attachment). The goal of my project was to fix a second-hand electric scooter and create a solar-powered charger for its battery. The research portion of my creative project focused on exploring the circuit elements in a solar charging schematic and their relationships to power output. First, I explored methods of maximizing power output of the basic solar charging schematic. To find the maximum power output based on different settings of photocurrent (sunlight), I wrote a MATLAB code to calculate maximum power based on its derivative with respect to voltage set equal to zero. Finding this maximum power point in MATLAB allowed me to find its corresponding current and voltage output to produce that exact power. With these max current and voltage values, I was able to solve for an ideal resistor value to set in series with the solar panel in order to achieve these values. In doing so, I designed a maximum power point tracker (MPPT). This became an essential component in my charger’s final design. Next, I explored the microcircuit level of a solar panel schematic. In order to do so, I had to break my single diode model into several diodes in series, resulting in the overall solar panel voltage drop (aka the voltage rating of the solar panel) being divided N times. To find what this N value for a given solar panel is, I performed a lab experiment using a small solar panel and a floodlight to gather the panel’s turn on current and open circuit voltage. These two values helped me find the solar panel’s N value after linearizing the lab data. Now, with a much deeper understanding of solar charging circuitry, I was able to move forward with the design and implementation phase. The design and implementation portion of my creative project included the physical assembly of the solar-powered scooter. First, I analyzed the efficiency differences between having an AC coupled vs. DC coupled system. Due to the added complexity of AC conversions, I deemed it unnecessary to use an inverter in the charger. The charging schematic I designed only called for a charge controller and MPPT, both parts that could easily DC couple the system. Keeping the system in DC from solar panel to battery was definitely the most efficient method, so DC coupling was my final selection. Next, I calculated the required current and voltage output of my charger to meet the specs of the battery and the requirements I set for my project. Finally, I designed a solar array based on these ratings. The final design includes one 30 W panel in parallel with two series-connected 5W panels. The two series panels are affixed on the scooter neck for a built in charge design so that the scooter can be charged anywhere (outside while not in use). The big panel can be connected using a parallel branch in the charging cord that I spliced for added current if charging is set up in a stationary setting (by a window at home). The final design serves the need for sustainable micro mobility in a daily 50% depletion use case kept above 20% charged at all times.
ContributorsLevin, Aviva (Author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Schoepf, Jared (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsLevin, Aviva (Author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Schoepf, Jared (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
My honors thesis took the form of a creative project. My final deliverables are my research presentation (pdf attachment) and solar powered electric scooter (image attachment). The goal of my project was to fix a second-hand electric scooter and create a solar-powered charger for its battery.
The research portion of my creative project focused on exploring the circuit elements in a solar charging schematic and their relationships to power output. First, I explored methods of maximizing power output of the basic solar charging schematic. To find the maximum power output based on different settings of photocurrent (sunlight), I wrote a MATLAB code to calculate maximum power based on its derivative with respect to voltage set equal to zero. Finding this maximum power point in MATLAB allowed me to find its corresponding current and voltage output to produce that exact power. With these max current and voltage values, I was able to solve for an ideal resistor value to set in series with the solar panel in order to achieve these values. In doing so, I designed a maximum power point tracker (MPPT). This became an essential component in my charger’s final design. Next, I explored the microcircuit level of a solar panel schematic. In order to do so, I had to break my single diode model into several diodes in series, resulting in the overall solar panel voltage drop (aka the voltage rating of the solar panel) being divided N times. To find what this N value for a given solar panel is, I performed a lab experiment using a small solar panel and a floodlight to gather the panel’s turn on current and open circuit voltage. These two values helped me find the solar panel’s N value after linearizing the lab data. Now, with a much deeper understanding of solar charging circuitry, I was able to move forward with the design and implementation phase.
The design and implementation portion of my creative project included the physical assembly of the solar-powered scooter. First, I analyzed the efficiency differences between having an AC coupled vs. DC coupled system. Due to the added complexity of AC conversions, I deemed it unnecessary to use an inverter in the charger. The charging schematic I designed only called for a charge controller and MPPT, both parts that could easily DC couple the system. Keeping the system in DC from solar panel to battery was definitely the most efficient method, so DC coupling was my final selection. Next, I calculated the required current and voltage output of my charger to meet the specs of the battery and the requirements I set for my project. Finally, I designed a solar array based on these ratings. The final design includes one 30 W panel in parallel with two series-connected 5W panels. The two series panels are affixed on the scooter neck for a built in charge design so that the scooter can be charged anywhere (outside while not in use). The big panel can be connected using a parallel branch in the charging cord that I spliced for added current if charging is set up in a stationary setting (by a window at home). The final design serves the need for sustainable micro mobility in a daily 50% depletion use case kept above 20% charged at all times.
ContributorsLevin, Aviva (Author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Schoepf, Jared (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsLevin, Aviva (Author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Schoepf, Jared (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) are a critical component in modern circuit applications. ADCs are used in virtually every application in which a digital circuit is interacting with data from the real world, ranging from commercial applications to crucial military and aerospace applications, and are especially important when interacting with sensors that observe environmental factors. Due to the critical nature of these converters, as well as the vast range of environments in which they are used, it is important that they accurately sample data regardless of environmental factors. These environmental factors range from input noise and power supply variations to temperature and radiation, and it is important to know how each may affect the accuracy of the resulting data when designing circuits that depend upon the data from these ADCs. These environmental factors are considered hostile environments, as they each generally have a negative effect on the operation of an ADC. This thesis seeks to investigate the effects of several of these hostile environmental variables on the performance of analog to digital converters. Three different analog to digital converters with similar specifications were selected and analyzed under common hostile environments. Data was collected on multiple copies of an ADC and averaged together to analyze the results using multiple characteristics of converter performance. Performance metrics were obtained across a range of frequencies, input noise, input signal offsets, power supply voltages, and temperatures. The obtained results showed a clear decrease in performance farther from a room temperature environment, but the results for several other environmental variables showed either no significant correlation or resulted in inconclusive data.
ContributorsSwanson, Taylor Catherine (Co-author) / Millman, Hershel (Co-author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Garrity, Douglas (Committee member) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Most machine learning algorithms, and specifically neural networks, utilize vector-matrix multiplication (VMM) to process information, but these calculations are CPU intensive and can have long run-times. This issue is fundamentally outlined by the von Neumann bottleneck. Because of this undesirable expense associated with performing VMM via software, the exploration of new ways to perform the same calculations via hardware have grown more popular. When performed with hardware that is specialized to perform these calculations, VMM becomes far more power-efficient and less time consuming. This project expands upon those principles and seeks to validate the use of RRAM in this hardware.
The flexibility of the conductance of RRAM makes these devices a strong contender for hardware-driven VMM calculation for neural network computing. The conductance of these devices is affected by the pulse width of a voltage signal sent across the devices at each node. This pulse is produced on-chip and can be modified by user inputs. The design of this pulse- producing circuit, as well as the simulated and physical functionality of the design, is discussed in this Honors Thesis.
Simulation and physical testing of the pulse-producing design on the ASIC have verified correct operation of the design. This operation is imperative to the future ability of the ASIC to perform accurate VMM.
ContributorsPearson, Katherine (Author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Wilson, Donald (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
When exposed to radiation, many electronic components become damaged and operate incorrectly. Making sure these components are resistant to radiation effects is especially important for components used in space flight operations. At low dose rates, a phenomenon known as the enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) effect causes an increase in current within linear bipolar circuits. This increase in current is not desirable for space flight operations. Correctly selecting radiation hardened components or figuring out how to deal with the effects for space operation is important, however, radiation testing each component is very expensive and time consuming. To further the future of space travel, a more efficient way of testing is highly desired by the space industry.
A low-cost and time-efficient solution is the IMPACT tool. The Multiscale Tool for Modeling Radiation Effects in Linear Bipolar Circuits project aims to improve the existing IMPACT tool for radiation simulation. This tool contains a database of commonly used linear bipolar circuits and allows the user to model the radiation effects. Currently the tool is not very easy to use and the circuit database is limited. The team’s goal and overall outcome of the project is to deliver the IMPACT tool with a user-friendly interface and an expanded circuit database. The team is using multiple tools to improve the overall appearance of the IMPACT tool and running simulations to collect any necessary data for the database expansion.
In our thesis, Kerri and Kylie are using LTSpice simulations to expand the database. Cheyenne is using TCAD modeling to create TCAD models of transistors and compare them with her other group member’s simulations.
ContributorsCook, Cheyenne (Author) / Welch, Kerri (Co-author) / Welch, Kylie (Co-author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
When exposed to radiation, many electronic components become damaged and operate incorrectly. Making sure these components are resistant to radiation effects is especially important for components used in space flight operations. At low dose rates, a phenomenon known as the enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) effect causes an increase in current within linear bipolar circuits. This increase in current is not desirable for space flight operations. Correctly selecting radiation hardened components or figuring out how to deal with the effects for space operation is important, however, radiation testing each component is very expensive and time consuming. To further the future of space travel, a more efficient way of testing is highly desired by the space industry.
A low-cost and time-efficient solution is the IMPACT tool. The Multiscale Tool for Modeling Radiation Effects in Linear Bipolar Circuits project aims to improve the existing IMPACT tool for radiation simulation. This tool contains a database of commonly used linear bipolar circuits and allows the user to model the radiation effects. Currently the tool is not very easy to use and the circuit database is limited. The team’s goal and overall outcome of the project is to deliver the IMPACT tool with a user-friendly interface and an expanded circuit database. The team is using multiple tools to improve the overall appearance of the IMPACT tool and running simulations to collect any necessary data for the database expansion.
In our thesis, Kerri and Kylie are using LTSpice simulations to expand the database. Cheyenne is using TCAD modeling to create TCAD models of transistors and compare them with her other group member’s simulations.
ContributorsWelch, Kylie (Author) / Welch, Kerri (Co-author) / Cook, Cheyenne (Co-author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
When exposed to radiation, many electronic components become damaged and operate incorrectly. Making sure these components are resistant to radiation effects is especially important for components used in space flight operations. At low dose rates, a phenomenon known as the enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) effect causes an increase in current within linear bipolar circuits. This increase in current is not desirable for space flight operations. Correctly selecting radiation hardened components or figuring out how to deal with the effects for space operation is important, however, radiation testing each component is very expensive and time consuming. To further the future of space travel, a more efficient way of testing is highly desired by the space industry.
A low-cost and time-efficient solution is the IMPACT tool. The Multiscale Tool for Modeling Radiation Effects in Linear Bipolar Circuits project aims to improve the existing IMPACT tool for radiation simulation. This tool contains a database of commonly used linear bipolar circuits and allows the user to model the radiation effects. Currently the tool is not very easy to use and the circuit database is limited. The team’s goal and overall outcome of the project is to deliver the IMPACT tool with a user-friendly interface and an expanded circuit database. The team is using multiple tools to improve the overall appearance of the IMPACT tool and running simulations to collect any necessary data for the database expansion.
In our thesis, Kerri and Kylie are using LTSpice simulations to expand the database. Cheyenne is using TCAD modeling to create TCAD models of transistors and compare them with her other group member’s simulations.
ContributorsWelch, Kerri (Author) / Welch, Kylie (Co-author) / Cook, Cheyenne (Co-author) / Barnaby, Hugh (Thesis director) / Kozicki, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Electrical Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2022-05