The Johns Hopkins University

Whiting School of Engineering

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Asking Terabits, Paying Picojoules:

Silicon circuits for high capacity and low power communication

Seminar By

James Buckwalter

University of California, San Diego

Abstract:

The endless advance of computing and network performance has sparked a revolution in the devices, circuits, and system architectures that comprise high-speed interconnect. Short-reach optical communication links open a profound amount of circuit bandwidth on and off-chip. Broadband drivers implemented in silicon must be fast but also capable of providing sufficient drive voltage for optoelectronic devices. We are investigating broadband circuit techniques that enable signaling of 40 to 100-Gb/s and beyond. Silicon integrated circuit technologies offer fast transistors ( f_T > 200-GHz ), high-quality passive structures, and high yields to create new possibilities in millimeter wave design. In the first part of this talk I will describe new distributed circuit techniques that offer an effective design method to push circuits to device speed and voltage limits.

Signal integrity also poses a serious issue for high-speed links. Electrical links for short reach chip-to-chip communication are under pressure to communicate efficiently. Communication capacity is hardware limited and new opportunities for channel coding exist that combine mixed signal and rf design. In this second part of the talk, I will discuss opportunities for low-power channel coding in silicon.

Faculty Search Applicant

Friday, March 28, 2008

11:00 a.m.

CSEB 320

Refreshments will be served at 10:45 a.m.

FOR DISABILITY INFORMATION

CONTACT: Candace Abel (410) 516-7031 cabel@jhu.edu