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ECE faculty members receive TxACE grants to develop analog technology that enhances public safety
Drs. Jose Silva-Martinez (left) and Sam Palermo (right) from the Analog and Mixed Signal Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, recently were among 10 recipients of a grant from The Texas Analog Center of Excellence (TxACE) at The University of Texas at Dallas, to develop analog technology that enhances public safety and security.
The projects funded by the grants, which total nearly $3 million, are intended to:
- Enable a new generation of devices that can scan for harmful substances such as explosives and chemical agents (by researching 200-300-GHz silicon integrated circuits for use in spectrometers).
- Significantly lower the cost of in-vehicle radar technology that could help improve automotive safety (by researching circuit techniques that can improve manufacturing and lower test and packaging costs).
“We’re excited to announce this first round of funding, which will be followed by a another round early next year focused on medical, health and energy-independence technology,” said Dr. Kenneth O, director of TxACE. “We are committed to being a catalyst for technology development in key areas of importance.”
Silva-Martinez, an associate professor in the department, will use the grant for his research titled “A Hybrid 14-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter for Broadband Applications.” Palermo, an assistant professor in the department, will use his grant for his research titled “Energy-Efficient CMOS 10-GS/s 6-Bit ADC With Embedded Equalization.”
TxACE received 34 requests for funding. The recipients were chosen by a Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) Industrial Advisory Board for TxACE, which consists of representatives from Advanced Micro Devices, Freescale Semiconductor, IBM, Intel and Texas Instruments. The other eight recipients of the three-year grants come from UT Austin, Rice University, the University of North Texas and UT Dallas.
Silva-Martinez joined the department in 1999. His research interests include Design and fabrication of integrated circuits for communication and biomedical applications.
Other honors include having served as chairman and member of the technical committee of ISCAS-96 and MWCAS-95 and co-recipient of the 1990 European Solid-State Circuits Conference best paper award.
Silva-Martinez received his bachelors degree from Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico in 1979, his masters from The Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE) in 1981 and his Ph.D. from The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 1992.
Palermo joined the Analog and Mixed Signal group in 2009. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Texas A&M in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2007. From 1999 to 2000, he was with Texas Instruments, where he worked on the design of mixed-signal integrated circuits for high-speed serial data communication. In 2006, he joined Intel Corporation where he worked on high-speed optical and electrical I/O architectures. His research interests include high-speed electrical and optical links, clock recovery systems, and techniques for device variability compensation. He is a member of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu.
The other recipients of the three-year grants come from UT Austin, Rice University, the University of North Texas and UT Dallas. They include:
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The University offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For more information about UT Dallas, please visit utdallas.edu.
About SRC
Celebrating 27 years of collaborative research for the semiconductor industry, SRC defines industry needs and invests in and manages the research that gives its members a competitive advantage in the dynamic global marketplace. Awarded the National Medal of Technology, America’s highest recognition for contributions to technology, SRC expands the industry knowledge base and attracts premier students to help innovate and transfer semiconductor technology to the industry. For more information, visit src.org.
About TxACE
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced the creation of TxACE last fall. Designed to create leading-edge analog technology for both traditional electronics and emerging applications, the center is a $16 million collaboration among Semiconductor Research Corp., the state through its Texas Emerging Technology Fund, Texas Instruments Inc., and the UT System and UT Dallas. Analog technology is vital for connecting digital electronics with the real world.
About the Texas Emerging Technology Fund
The $200 million Texas Emerging Technology Fund was enacted by the Texas Legislature in June 2005 to expedite the commercialization of innovations and to create and establish private sector entities that will increase high-quality jobs and increase applied research projects for Texas institutions of higher education. The ETF assists early-stage companies with the commercialization of scientific breakthroughs with the potential to disrupt the market, provide economic development stimulus and new high-value jobs for the state. ETF also matches grants for the development of emerging technologies with substantial commercial potential and the acquisition of research talent for Texas institutions of higher education. The ETF was renewed at $203.5 million in the state legislature’s 2009 session.