2002 IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting

 

Wireless communications is a burgeoning market area and a major driver behind the semiconductor industry, and SiGe BiCMOS and III-V technologies have emerged as the manufacturing processes of choice for many wireless ICs. If you work or are interested in this exciting area, then the IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting (BCTM) is a conference you want to attend.

BCTM has historically been held in Minneapolis, MN. However, due to popular demand the conference is now on the road. In 2002 it will be held 30 September “ 1 October at the Doubletree Hotel in Monterey, CA, and in 2003 it will be in Europe, in Toulouse, France. The Doubletree Hotel in Monterey is just a few steps from FishermanĂs Wharf, a pleasant stroll from Cannery Row and sandy beaches, and the area is widely known through the works of John Steinbeck. So Monterey is not just a new and exciting place for BCTM; itĂs a great place to bring the family as well.

The technical program for BCTM consists of one day of short courses (Sunday Sep. 29) given by noted industry experts, and two days of invited and contributed technical presentations. Also for 2002, we will follow a tradition established in 2001 of having a Conference Banquet on the Monday evening. For 2002, this will be at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a world famous marine institute. The Banquet will actually be a strolling dinner, where you can wander among the exhibits, munch on Californian gourmet specialties, and socialize with other conference attendees.

For the Short Courses this year, we have three noted experts who will present 2-hour courses on various aspects of bipolar devices and technology. Dr. Peter Zampardi of Conexant Systems, Inc., will present a designerĂs practical view of Si/SiGe, GaAs, and InP bipolar junction transistor (BJT) device technologies. This will include analysis of the device physics of BJTs in various technologies and the impact on the practical realizations of commercial power amplifiers. Prof. Torkel Arnborg of Ericsson Microelectronics will present a course on linearity modeling and simulation for BiCMOS devices. The need for linearity modeling is increasing, as more RF/analog circuit applications become suitable for implementation in semiconductor technology. Prof. Arnborg will focus on how distortion is created due to non-linearity, how it differs in bipolar vs. MOS devices, and what is required for a successful modeling and simulation. The third course, by Prof. Lode Vandamme of T. U. Delft, will cover noise in BJTs, a topic critical to wireless communications.

The technical part of the conference opens on Monday Sep. 30, with a keynote address by Professor Herbert Kroemer of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prof. Kroemer, 2000 Nobel Physics Laureate, is the founding father of semiconductor heterostructures, and he will present a fascinating discourse on the history and technical achievements of heterostructure devices. Dr. Michael Marcus of the US Federal Communications Commission will present the luncheon speech, always a conference favorite, śThe Search for Captain Midnight.” In April 1986, HBO viewers were surprised to see the programming interrupted by a text message criticizing HBOĂs recent price change. The message was a result of the first deliberate satellite jamming in history. The only evidence this crime left was a few feet of consumer grade videotape. Yet within a month FCC investigators, using what Time magazine called śhigh-tech, Holmesian detective work” unmasked the perpetrator. About a year later there was a similar jamming incident on the Playboy Channel where the source was also identified with a month. (Whether or not one approves of the content Playboy was sending, satellite jamming can damage the satellite transponder and Congress made such action a felony.) Since the śPlayboy perp” didnĂt confess as in the first case, it was necessary to prepare an ironclad technical analysis for the ultimate successful prosecution. This talk will describe the unprecedented analysis that led to the conclusion of both cases, including G-rated versions of the actual incidents.

The technical program includes sessions on bipolar/BiCMOS process technology, power devices, device physics, modeling and simulation, analog circuit design, and RF circuit design. Each technical content area includes a double-length invited talk on an area of present interest. Dr. Chih-Hsien Lin of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation will present śState-of-the-Art RF/Analog Foundry Technology.” Dr. Richard Williams of Analogic Technologies will talk about simulation of power devices. Prof. Achim Burghartz of the Delft University of Technology will present śSubstrate Options and Add-On Process Modules for Monolothic RF Silicon Technology.” Dr. Pat Drennan of Motorola, Inc., will talk about accurate modeling of parametric mismatch, a leading cause of yield loss in analog/RF ICs. Dr. Roy Gosser of Analog Devices, Inc., will address relating device parameters and figures-of-merit to real performance of high speed circuits, a topic that will undoubtedly trigger much discussion. And Dr. Tallis Blalack of Simplex Solutions will address substrate and cross talk modeling a simulation, which is an area of critical concern for analog and RF ICs.

On the morning of Tuesday, October 1, there will be a Special Session on Emerging Technologies. There will be four invited presentations in this session. Dr. Jamal Ramdani from Motorola Inc. will describe their recently announced GaAs-on-Si technology. Dr. Eugenio Cantatore from Philips Natlab will give a talk on circuit and technology developments in polymer electronics, a relatively new and exciting field, with applications from photonics to displays. Dr. Berinder Brar from Rockwell Scientific will outline the present state-of-the-art and project future trends in InP bipolar technology. Also, Dr. Dieter Knoll from GermanyĂs IHP will describe the advantages of carbon-doped SiGe HBTs within the context of a BiCMOS technology for RF applications.

So between the locations, the banquet at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the technical presentations BCTM2002 is a must for those working in bipolar/BiCMOS technologies. For more information contact Jan Jopke, CCS Associates, Conference Manager, E-mail: CCS@mn.rr.com 6611 Countryside Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55346, USA, TEL 612-934-5082, FAX 612-934-6741 See you there.

Colin McAndrew
Technical Program Chair
Motorola
Tempe, AZ, USA