AI-driven Design of Analog Integrated Circuits for Ultrasound Applications

The analog front end is essential in most ultrasonic hardware systems, which is widely used in communications, industrial inspection, medical diagnosis, robotically enhanced sensing, surgical tools, etc. Although the analog circuit area is usually less than 20% in an SoC, its required design efforts can be more than 80%. The productivity gap between analog and digital circuits keeps widening. While the design automation level for digital circuits has been increasing steadily over the years, the design automation level for analog circuits remains very low. The analog IC design methodology remains almost unchanged over the past four decades: it is still a slow experience and trial-and-error-driven manual process. Recently, developing novel AI techniques to automate the design of analog ICs starts to attract attention. The AI-driven design lab, University of Glasgow, is a pioneer in AI-driven analog IC design. Being the first few to introduce AI techniques to analog IC design (2008), the AI-driven analog IC sizing method, called ESSAB, was proposed in 2021, which firstly addressed industry-level high-performance analog building blocks (considering the full set of "hard to learn" performances). Through comparison, ESSAB surpasses experienced designers' design quality in only a few hours. However, process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations have not been considered in ESSAB yet. Built upon this, this project aims to (1) Design various analog ICs for ultrasound applications using ESSAB achieving promising results. (2) Identify the pros and cons of ESSAB. (3) Propose ESSAB-II considering PVT variations obtaining robust designs, which is ready for industry use. This project is interdisciplinary.
The student is expected to have a good understanding of AI techniques and have skills to implement AI algorithms through the study. However, more emphasis locates on using ESSAB and possible ESSAB-II to design ultrasonic analog ICs practically.

FUSE has been designed to maximise impact in partnership with industry, international academics, and other organisations such as NPL and the NHS. It includes funded mechanisms to deal with opportunities in equality, diversity and integration (EDI) and in realisation of impactful outcomes.

EDI is aimed at realising the full potential of the talented individuals that join FUSE. Funding mechanisms include support for ten undergraduate internships to prime the pipeline into FUSE research studentships; part-time studentships reserved for people with specific needs to access this route; and talent scholarships for people from Widening Participation backgrounds. Additionally, cultural issues will be addressed through funded support for work life-balance activities and for workshops exploring the enhancement of research creativity and inventiveness through diversity.

People: As a community, FUSE will contribute to impact principally through its excellent training of outstanding people. At least 54 EngD and PhD graduates will emerge with very high value skills from the experience FUSE will provide in ultrasonics and through highly relevant professional skills. This will position them perfectly as future leaders in ultrasonics in the types of organisation represented by the partners.

Knowledge: FUSE will also create significant knowledge which will be captured in many different forms including industrial know-how, patents and processes, designs, and academic papers. Management of this knowledge will be integrated into the students' training, including data management and archival, and will be communicated effectively to those in positions to exploit it.

Economic Gain: In turn, the people and knowledge will lead to the economic impact that FUSE is ultimately designed to generate. The close interaction between the FUSE academics, its research students and industry partners will make it particularly efficient and, since FUSE includes both suppliers and customers, the transition from knowledge creation to exploitation will be accelerated.

Societal Benefit: FUSE is well placed to deliver a number of societal benefits which will reinforce our researcher training and external partner impacts. This activity encompasses new consumer products; improved public safety through advanced inspection across many industrial sectors; and new modalities for medical surgery and therapy. In addition, FUSE will provide engaging demonstrators to promote education in science, technology, engineering and maths, helping replenish the FUSE pipeline and supporting growth of the FUSE community far beyond its immediate members.

Impactful outcomes will gain from several specific funding mechanisms: horizon scanning workshops will focus on specific ultrasonic engineering application areas with industrial and other external participation; all FUSE students will have external partners and both industrial and international academic secondments will be arranged, as well as EngD studentships primarily in industry; and industry case studies will be considered. There will also be STEM promotion activity, funding ultrasonic technology demonstrators to support school outreach and public science and engineering events.