What's New
SSCS Predoctoral Achievement Awards 2021-2022
Attention SSCS Graduate Students!
Applications are open for the 2021-2022 Predoctoral Achievement Award. For a small number of promising graduate students, the IEEE SSCS Predoctoral Achievement Award provides a $1,000 honorarium as well as other expenses incurred by the awardee.
Application instructions
Applicants must be members of the IEEE and the Solid-State Circuits Society and have completed at least one year of study in a PhD program in the area of solid-state circuits. Awards are made on the basis of academic record and promise, quality of publications, and a graduate study program well matched to the charter of SSCS. Prior winners of the Predoctoral Achievement Award will not be eligible. No more than two awards will be granted in a given year to students of one Principal Advisor.
Deadline: November 1st, 2021.
Feature Article
RESCHEDULED: Upcoming SSCS Webinar
A Negative R-Assisted Amplifier on the Virtual Ground and Its Applications - Presented by Prof. Youngcheol Chae, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
The next SSCS monthly webinar will be held on Thursday, November 18th, 2021 at 9 AM ET.
An active network with the property that the impedance on a terminal pair is negative is called as a negative impedance, and many active circuits, such as amplifiers, filters, and oscillators, contain the negative impedance. A negative resistor (negative R) has been used since the days of the vacuum tube oscillators, in which the negative R compensates for resistive leakage of an inductor. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, an amplifier with a negative R on its virtual ground was proposed. The idea of using the negative R-assisted amplifier has been used in recent state-of-the-art works, as it turns out that the negative R compensates for the finite gain, bandwidth, noise and distortion of the amplifier. Despite many advantages, the negative R-assisted amplifier did not get the attention it deserves. The aim of this talk is, therefore, to reconsider some of these early concepts, and to evaluate the benefits of negative R-assisted amplifiers in the light of recent advances. Several design examples including amplifiers, PGAs, TIAs, and CT DS modulators will be discussed.
Did you miss a past SSCS webinar? Catch it on-demand on the SSCS Resource Center.
Technology Spotlight
Now Accepting Applications: IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society James D. Meindl Innovators Award
The IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS) James D. Meindl Innovators Award*, which honors the legacy and contributions of Professor Meindl, was established in 2021. Eligibility requirements and application instructions are below. If you or someone you know has an exciting proposal idea, please refer to the application package.
This award was created to support innovation in the field of solid-state circuits by funding projects that build excitement around the field among future generations, encouraging their participation, and awarding applicants whose project proposals are selected. Project examples include, but are not limited to: design activities that engage students at the pre-college or undergraduate level, and/or teams from under-represented groups; development of tools that provide broad access to design and simulation resources; and projects that expand the application of solid-state circuits technology to new areas.
To apply, you must be a current SSCS member in good standing, with an initial join date at least in the previous calendar year. Each recipient receives a development grant of up to $20,000 to support the recipient’s project proposal, plus a plaque and a $5,000 honorarium. The deadline for the inaugural award is December 15th; winners will be notified by January 15th.
More information about the Meindl Award, including eligibility and application instructions, are available here.
Professor Meindl, a giant in the world of semiconductors and among the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, passed away on June 7, 2020. Professor Meindl was an active member of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Council, the predecessor of SSCS. He was a Chair of the Solid-State Circuits Council, served as the founding editor of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, and chaired the 1966 and 1969 International Solid-State Circuits Conference.
Professor Meindl had an infectious spirit and was passionate about nurturing future generations of solid-state circuits innovators. Mentoring over 90 Ph.D. candidates during his time at Stanford, RPI, and Georgia Tech, Professor Meindl was a trusted confidante and had a profound impact on his students. To read more about Professor Meindl's legacy, click here. If you are interested in helping to expand this award program, you can do so through the IEEE Foundation.
*This award has been approved by IEEE TABARC, and is currently awaiting formal approval by IEEE TAB in November. Per IEEE Policies and Procedures, the award will become effective only after this formal approval.
