FALL SEMINAR 2003

(Organized Professor John Owens)

September 26	“Power and Performance In Digital VLSI Design”
	Professor Rajeevan Amirtharajah, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis
	Abstract:
	Among the challenges confronting today?s digital IC and system designer is balancing power consumption and performance. This tradeoff is increasingly important in high performance computing and networking systems as well as embedded and portable electronics applications. Future projections indicate that power will become a dominant design issue as semiconductor technology scales. In this talk, we will examine two systems operating in verydifferent power/performance contexts and the tradeoffs involved in their design. The first example explores the possibility of using energy from ambient mechanical vibration to power digital systems for collecting and processing sensor data. The low throughput requirements of this type of computation enables aggressive scaling of supply voltages and very low power solutions. We discuss implementations of transducers for converting mechanical vibration to electrical energy using discrete and MEMS technology, power electronics for conditioning transducer outputs, and an ultra low power DSP chip that is designed to implement a power scalable detection and classification algorithm for a wearable biomedical sensor. This chip demonstrates appropriate architectures and circuits for low to medium throughput sensor applications and consumes 560 nW at 1.5 V with a 1 kHz clock frequency. In the second example, we discuss electromagnetic coupling and pulse based modulation for high speed multi drop buses in computers and networking equipment. We describe a prototype 8 module memory bus operating at a 400 MHz symbol rate, with 4 bits of data encoded per symbol, resulting in 1.6 Gb/s/pair performance. The choice of modulation techniques, circuit styles, and interconnect implementation all impact the transceiver power consumption. The differential transceiver, designed in 3 metal 0.25 um CMOS, dissipates 40 mW peak power.
	Bio:
	Rajeevan Amirtharajah received the S.B. and M.Eng. degrees in 1994, and the Ph.D. degree in 1999, all in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. From 1999 to 2002, he was a senior member of the technical staff at High Speed Solutions Corp., an Intel Company, Hudson, MA, now known as Intel Platform Technologies. He worked as an ASIC and mixed-signal circuit design consultant at SMaL Camera Technologies, Cambridge, MA, in 2003. In July 2003, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of California, Davis, where he is currently an assistant professor. He is an inventor on ten United States patents. He is a member of IEEE, AAAS, and Sigma Xi.
October 3	“Preparing Now for Your Future Academic Career”
	Dr. Richard M. Reis, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering – Design and Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing, Stanford University.
	Abstract:
	This seminar will look at how to prepare for, find, and succeed at academiccareers in engineering. In particular we will examine a three-prongedpreparation strategy that you can start using now to put you in the bestpossible position for an exciting career as a professor.In the first element of the strategy, Breadth-on-Top-of-Depth, you putdeveloping expertise in a broad context that allows you to see connectionsbetween your work and that of others, to develop related areas of depth, andto make a more compelling case for your own research contribution. In theNext-Stage component of the strategy you think ahead, look ahead, and actahead of the stage you (and your future competition) currently occupy andthus not only demonstrate your willingness, but also your readiness, to assumethe position you are seeking. Finally, the Multiple Options element allows youto prepare concurrently for careers in academia, government, and industry.
	Bio:
	Richard Reis is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing (AIM) at Stanford and Associate Director of Global Learning Partnerships of the Stanford Learning Lab. He has been with the former since 1989. From 1987 to 1989 he also served as the Associate Dean for Professional Development in the Stanford School of Engineering. Dr. Reis is also a Consulting Professor in the Stanford Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments. He teaches an introductory seminar for all incoming Electrical Engineering graduate students in the fall quarter (EE201A) and a graduate seminar (EE201B) on "Life after Stanford" in the winter quarter. Throughout the academic year, he teaches the Proseminar in Manufacturing Education for students in the Stanford Future Professors of Manufacturing program. He is a part-time instructor in astronomy at the College of San Mateo and a curriculum consultant to the Menlo School and College. Prior to coming to Stanford he was the Executive Officer and editor of the astronomy magazine, Mercury, for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, a Professor of science education at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Newfoundland, Canada, and a high school physics teacher in Los Angeles. Reis holds bachelor's degrees in physical geography (honors), physics (honors) and a master's degree in science education from California State University at Los Angeles, and a master's degree in physical science (geophysics) and a PhD in science education (physics) from Stanford University.
October 10	“Challenges In Multimedia Compression, Networking and Computer Architecture Research”
	Professor Mihaela van der Schaar, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis
	Abstract:
	The academic fields of multimedia compression and processing, networking and computer architecture have usually been investigated independently. However, with the advent of universal multimedia access, where pervasive computing devices and the convergence of different wireless and Internet networks will allow users more ubiquitous access to a variety of information, an Increasing number of applications require a combination of theory, tools and methods from these three fields. Recently, a lot of exciting research has occurred at the intersection of these fields and further cross-fertilization is likely to catalyze many interesting and relevant new research topics and applications. In this talk, I will present several such research topics and applications, including the emerging MPEG-video coding and streaming standards, novel multimedia transmission solutions for peer-to-peer networking, distributed coding and streaming, cross-layer optimized multimedia transmission over ad-hoc wireless networks, reconfigurable architectures for adaptive and scalable transmission of multimedia.
	Bio:
	Mihaela van der Schaar received both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, in 1996 and 2001, respectively. Prior to joining the UCLA Electrical Engineering Department faculty on July 1st, 2005, she was between 1996 and June 2003 a senior researcher at Philips Research in the Netherlands and USA, where she led a team of researchers working on multimedia coding, processing, networking, and streaming algorithms and architectures. From January to September 2003, she was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University. From July 1st, 2003 until July 1st, 2005, she was an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at University of California, Davis. Prof. van der Schaar has published extensively on multimedia communications, networking, architectures, systems, compression and processing, and holds 30 granted US patents and several more pending. Since 1999, she has been an active participant in the ISO Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) standard, to which she has made more than 50 contributions and for which she has received three ISO recognition awards. She also chaired the ad-hoc group on MPEG-21 Scalable Video Coding for three years, and co-chaired the MPEG ad-hoc group on Multimedia Test-beds. She was a guest editor of the EURASIP Special Issue on Multimedia over IP and Wireless Networks, and was the general chair of Picture Coding Symposium 2004, the oldest conference on image/video coding. She is a senior member of IEEE, and was also elected as a Member of the Technical Committee on Multimedia Signal Processing, as well as the Technical Committee on Image and Multiple Dimensional Signal Processing of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. She was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Multimedia and the SPIE Electronic Imaging Journal from 2002-2005. Currently, she is an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and System for Video Technology, of the IEEE Signal Processing Letters, and of the newly founded IEEE Signal Processing Society e-Newsletter.
October 17	“Cellular Processor System-on-chip Architectures”
	Dr. Dilip Krishnaswamy, Intel, Santa Clara, California
	Abstract:
	This talk presents the key architectural features in the Intel (R) PXA800F/PXA800EF Cellular Processors. These are the first products in the wireless industry to integrate a DSP processor core, a high performance applications processor core, baseband communication logic, with flash and SRAM memories, all on one chip. These system-on-chip designs have achieved simultaneous optimization of the targeted architecture and design vectors such as system performance, latency, power, energy, noise, area, and cost. The talk discusses the architectural challenges faced, presents the advantages of on-chip memory integration, and includes preliminary results on system-level performance.
October 24	“Beyond Smart Dust-Evolving Sensors to Micro-Instruments”
	Professor Norman Tien, Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis
	Abstract:
	Distributed wireless sensor networks as exemplified by the Professor Pister?s ?Smart Dust? program at UC Berkeley is a ?hot spot? in technology as there is continuous improvement in functionality and performance as well as a vast range of new applications to tackle. Advances in MEMS technology will allow expansive and rapid deployment of these sensors for all forms of Environmental monitoring, and the resulting distributed networks will bring new challenges to systems and network design. But further out in the future, what will these sensor nodes look like? As we move toward adding more function and complexity for higher capability and performance, we will move away from simple sensors to advanced micro-instruments at the nodes in the network. Enabling devices such as micro-actuator driven tunable structures and early work on an air particulate monitoring micro-system will be presented.
	Bio:
	Norman C. Tien is the dean and Nord Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University’s Case School of Engineering. He is also the Ohio Eminent Scholar in Condensed Matter Physics. Tien joined the Case faculty in January as the Nord Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). As chair, Tien facilitated the opening of the state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar Sears Undergraduate Design Laboratory in EECS, which provides electrical engineering students with an environment that promotes and encourages hands-on engineering and design. The $6 million donation from alumni Larry and Sally Zlotnick Sears was the largest outright gift from an individual in the engineering school’s history. In addition, he oversaw the building of new departmental facilities in EECS. Prior to coming to Case, Tien served as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California at Davis and held a joint appointment at the University of California at Berkeley. He also served as co-director of the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center. He previously held faculty positions in Cornell University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Tien received his Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego, his MS from the University of Illinois, and his BS form the University of California at Berkeley.
October 31	“RF Power Semiconductors for Wireless Communications”
	Dr. Chuck Weitzel, Motorola, Inc., Tempe, AZ
	Abstract:
	A wide variety of semiconductor technologies (Si, SiGe, and GaAs) are used for cellphone RF power amplifiers. The performance of the devices fabricated in each of these semiconductor technologies will be compared for the various cellphone systems: GSM, DCS, CDMA, and WCDMA. Of particular interest will be power amplifier power added efficiency, linearity, operating voltage, ruggedness, and die size. Semiconductors also play an important role in cellular base station power amplifiers. At this time Si LDMOS owns this application space, but is being challenged near term by GaAs and longer term by GaN. The performance of power FETs in these technologies will also be compared.
November 7	“RF and Microwave Device and Circuit Research at UCSD-Wireless Technology for the 21st Century”
	Dr. Lawrence L. Larson, Director, University of California San Diego Center for Wireless Communication
	Abstract:
	In order for wireless technology to continue its remarkable development, new RF and microwave device technologies and circuit approaches will be required. These include development of ultra-efficient high power amplifiers, smart antenna structures, ultra-wideband transmitters and receivers, and low-cost millimeter wave transceivers. This talk will summarize the ongoing developments at the UCSD Center for Wireless communications in this area, with particular attention paid to novel device and circuit topologies that provide dramatic improvements in high-frequency performance.
November 14	“RF MEMS – Device and Circuit Applications”
	Dr. Jeffrey DeNatale, Manager, MEMS Department Rockwell Scientific
	Abstract:
	MEMS technology offers the potential for dramatic performance impacts in a broad range of RF communications and radar applications. These benefits are derived from the attractive properties of the MEMS devices relative to semiconductor-based alternatives, and may include insertion loss, power consumption, linearity, and bandwidth. On going work at RSC in RF MEMS technology will be presented, focusing on RF switch and tunable capacitor devices. The device structures and their operational characteristics will be presented, along with examples of their integration into communications and radar circuits such as tunable filters and phase shifters. The importance of key implementation issues, including packaging and reliability, will also be discussed.
	Bio:
	Jeffrey DeNatale: Manager, MEMS Dept., Rockwell Scientific Company. B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Materials Science and Engineering), University of California, Davis (Highest Honors). Since joining RSC since 1986, Dr. DeNatale has been involved in a broad spectrum of advanced R&D programs, including advanced optical thin film materials, nonlinear optical thin films, polycrystalline diamond thin films, high temperature superconductors, and the first-ever demonstration of nonlinear thin films of the rare-earth nickelate family. Since 1997, Dr. DeNatale has led the MEMS group at RSC, directing a broad range of development activities. These include projects in RF MEMS, industrial microsensors, optical MEMS, microassembly technologies, and micro thermal management devices. Dr DeNatale holds 3 US patents (4 pending) and has co-authored over 65 publications.
November 21	“What Every ECE Grad Student Should Know About the Law”
	Professor Carey Heckman, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
	Abstract:
	Electrical engineering graduate students and professionals confront legal issues in nearly every aspect of their work and at nearly all times. Those who incorporate computer hardware or software from others must understand what they legally can and cannot do. Those who design and build computer products for the marketplace must be aware of their responsibilities and potential liabilities. This talk will introduce students to legal thinking and to the information and frameworks they will need to make some of the most frequently arising law-related decisions affecting their work.
December 5	“And What The Heck Is a Sensor Web Anyway?”
	Dr. Kevin Delin, NASA Jest Propulsion Laboratory
	Abstract:
	Because it's easy to slap a radio on a sensor these days, everyone is Suddenly an expert on wireless networks of sensors. Of course, when everybody is a somebody, then nobody is anybody. So, is this new technology a revolution or a fad? What is a network of sensors good for anyway? (This question isn't so easy, there are at least 4 companies still trying to define a good answer for it!) And what the heck is a Sensor Web anyway? Is it just another name for a sensor network? Does it require the World Wide Web to work? So many questions. I might even answer a few.