Short_Course.html

This Short Course is intended to jumpstart engineers in the design and development of circuits and technologies for 2.4/5.6GHz, and above, RF wireless networks. Course completion provides an overall perspective of competing Si-based RFIC devices and a detailed description of possible circuit designs of key RF wireless transceiver building blocks. Topics covered include Si and SiGe device characteristics/tradeoffs in RF applications, low-noise amplifier characteristics, tradeoffs, and designs, fundamental objectives in mixer designs for RF transceivers and Si/SiGe solutions, and circuit and devices designs for RF power amplifiers. Emphasis is on Si/SiGe circuits and devices.

For Registration, please use the ISSCC 2000 Registration Form on the Advance Program Centerfold. Sign-in is at San Francisco Marriott Hotel, Level B-2, beginning at 8:00 AM.

New for ISSCC 2000: CD of the Short Course & Relevant Papers: For the first time at ISSCC 2000, Short Course registrants can purchase an interactive CD-ROM of the Short Course with relevant papers and background material. The CD-ROM includes: (1) The four Short Course presentations in slide-show with accompanying audio, (2) Bibliographies of relevant papers for all four presentations, (3) PDF copies of relevant background material and important papers in the field (about 10-20 papers per presentation), and (4) PDF version of the presentations for printing hard copy of the slides. Short Course registrants can receive the CD for $50 in addition to the Short Course registration fee.

RF designers must consider device gain, power consumption and efficiency, low frequency and broadband noise, linearity, and cost. The migration to higher frequencies stresses the capabilities of competing RF device technologies. This presentation examines the device requirements and tradeoffs needed to support multi-GHz RF circuits, discusses the status of scaled Si CMOS for RF circuits, and explores the possibilities offered by emerging SiGe technologies.

Instructor: John D. Cressler received the PhD from Columbia Univ. (1990). He was with IBM (1984-1992), and is now Prof. of ECE at Auburn Univ. His research includes SiGe and SiC devices/technology, Si-based RF/microwave devices/circuits, and device simulation. He is Assoc. Editor of the IEEE J. of Solid-State Circuits, and has served on the ISSCC Technical Program Committee (1992-1998, 1999-), and as the 1998 ISSCC Technical Program Chairman. He has received several teaching and research awards, and was an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator (1994).

The availability of devices with high gain and low noise figure for the frequency range up to 5GHz simplifies trading gain for input match, spur-free dynamic range, and power consumption, with little sacrifice in noise figure. These tradeoffs can be modeled, and some techniques for practical low-noise amplifier design are suggested.

Instructor: Allen Podell has extensive RF and Microwave experience, having designed GaAs and Si monolithic and discrete circuits. He has a solid foundation in device-circuit interaction, and specializes in the practical realization of new techniques. An IEEE Fellow, he has authored over 50 technical papers, founded three companies (Anzac Electronics, Podell Assoc., and Pacific Monolithics) and holds 43 US patents ranging from IMPATT diodes to 3-decade-bandwidth microwave components and food processors. His courses have ranged from Basic Electronics, in Tanzania, to RFIC and System Design at Besser Assoc., in Mountain View, CA.

Mixers have been a crucial part of radio systems since the invention of the heterodyne by Armstrong, in 1918. While the mathematics call for analog multiplication in implementing frequency translation, high-performance mixers are a far cry from general purpose-multipliers. This presentation outlines fundamental objectives, mostly with receivers in mind, reviews classical techniques, and presents specialized solutions using Si/SiGe bipolar technologies.

Instructor: Barrie Gilbert joined Tektronix in 1964 where he invented the translinear principle, Gilbert mixer, Gilbert gain-cell, Gilbert multiplier, etc. From 1970-1972, he was with Plessey. He joined Analog Devices Inc. in 1972, and currently manages their Northwest Labs. He was the first ADI Fellow (1979). He has received five ISSCC Best Paper Awards, the IEEE Outstanding Achievement Award (1970), the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Council Outstanding Development Award (1986), Oregon Researcher of the Year (1990), the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Award (1992), and an Honorary Doctorate from Oregon State University (1997).

Power amplifiers for wireless communications applications present a daunting challenge from the semiconductor-device and circuit-design perspective. They operate at the maximum current, voltage, and speed limits to obtain the best possible performance. This lecture summarizes the key requirements on the devices and circuits, outlines the current "best practices," and summarizes the challenges as wireless communications evolve into third-generation systems.

Instructor: Lawrence Larson received BS and MEng from Cornell University, and his PhD from UCLA in 1986. He joined Hughes Research Laboratories in 1980, where he worked on Si, GaAs, and InP-based ICs for communications applications. Since 1996, he has been Communications Industry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, where he is involved in the Center for Wireless Communications. He is the co-recipient of the Hughes "Hyland" award, and the IBM Managerial Excellence award.