2019 Acrtivities
The October 19, 2019 meeting was held at QualComm Santa Clara, Building B, 3165 Kifer Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051
This was a joint meeting hosted by the Circuits and Systems Society (CASS)
Topic: “Millimeter-Wave Power Amplifiers in FinFET Technology”
Speaker: Dr. Christopher Hull, Senior Principal Engineer & Director: Radio Circuit & Technologies, Intel Labs
Summary: Fifth generation cellular communications standards (5G) target Gb/s data-rates, pushing the industry beyond to use frequencies above 26 GHz. To maintain acceptable link budgets with sufficient antenna apertures, arrays are typically required at these frequencies and electrical beam steering is needed to retain spatial coverage. Fortunately, due to the array gain and distributed power among many power amplifiers, the power output required per PA is moderate. This talk will focus on how to design such power amplifiers in FINFET technologies suitable for high levels of integration on a multi-transceiver die.
The February 9, 2019 meeting was held at the Plug and Play Center, 440 N. Wolfe Rd, Sunnyvale
Topic: Why did Silicon Valley come into being?
Speaker: Paul Wesling, KM6LH, H-P (retired), IEEE Life Fellow
Summary: Why did Silicon Valley come into being? The story goes back to local Hams (amateur radio operators) trying to break RCA’s tube patents, Stanford “angel” investors, the sinking of the Titanic, Fred Terman and Stanford University, local invention of high-power tubes (gammatron, klystron), WW II and radar, William Shockley’s mother living in Palo Alto, and the SF Bay Area infrastructure that developed — these factors pretty much determined that the semiconductor and IC industries would be located in the Santa Clara Valley, and that the Valley would remain the world’s innovation center as new technologies emerged — computers, software, mobile, biotech, Big Data, VR, and now autonomous vehicles — and it would become the model for innovation worldwide.
The January 9 meeting was held at National Instruments, 4600 Patrick Henry Dr., Santa Clara CA 95054
This was a joint meeting with the MTT Society.
Topic: Application of Phased-Array Technology to Millimeter-Wave 5G systems – the implications
Speaker: Dr Deon Glajchen /IBM Almaden Research Center
IBM-Research has been engaged in Phased-Array development for 15 years now. The first completely integrated phased-array IC was demonstrated a little more than 10 years go – but now Millimeter-Wave 5G systems will be deployed in next-generation cellular systems deployed by Ericsson and others. This talk covered the history of how IBM-Research got to this point, the technologies involved, and the new functionality and services that this technology will enable.
Deon is a Business Development Executive with the IBM Research division, in San Jose, California. He has been at IBM for 15 years in this capacity. His responsibility includes worldwide commercial IP Licensing of a broad portfolio of research advances, in the fields of basic sciences, semiconductors, computer science and emerging technologies. This includes VC deals, joint innovation with other Divisions and other companies, and standalone deals. He has a reputation for using novel business models to raise Research funding.
Previously he was Division President at Filtronic Solid-State, where he led a Semiconductor Fab Operation of 110 people for 5 years – supplying Gallium-Arsenide wireless, base station and optical communications products for the Internet communications revolution.
Before that he was at Hewlett-Packard for 12 years, responsible for R&D Strategic Planning and a R&D Section Manager responsible for Wireless Power products – including the 10GHz communications amplifiers used on the Mars Pathfinder and Cassini space missions. As a result of this work, he was invited by NASA & JPL to attend the Mars Pathfinder launch from Cape Canaveral. He also worked on various products used in other communications and defense programs, including the Patriot missile systems used to protect US troops and allies around the world from incoming missiles, and the first phased-array radar system deployed on the Advanced Tactical Fighter.
Deon has a PhD in Business, focused on mobile financial services, an MBA, and an MSEE and BSEE in Electrical Engineering