sscs_NLfall08.qxd 10/8/08 10:04 AM Page 1 SSCSSSSCSSSSCCSS IEEE SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS SOCIETY NEWS Fall 2008 Vol. 13, No. 4 www.ieee.org/sscs-news Gordon Bell Bell’s Law for the Birth and Death of Computer Classes sscs_NLfall08.qxd 10/8/08 10:04 AM Page 2 Editor’s Column Mary Y. Lanzerotti, IBM, [email protected] s in the past, the Newsletter in 2006, it has been team has been on board with us the goal of our vision to provide the Society’s every step of the way to convey our Athis issue is 11,000 members with a publication vision to SSCS members through the to be a self-con- that celebrates not only their techni- use of specially-requested design ele- tained resource, with cal accomplishments but also their ments that he took the time to incor- original sources and personal achievements by reporting porate into each issue on our behalf. new contributions awards and publishing photographs, Thanks to Paul, the layout of each by experts describing the current personal commentary, and special issue has uniquely highlighted tech- state of affairs in technology in view historical and business articles to nical articles by and about our feature of the influence of the original provide coverage depth and breadth. author, members’ accomplishments papers and/or patents. Throughout the past two years, and work-in-progress, educational Since launching the redesign of Paul Doto of the IEEE Newsletter outreach and our Distinguished Lec- turer Program, Society news, and key IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society activities of our conferences and chapters throughout the world. SSCS News Administrative Committee Elected AdCom Members at Editor-in-Chief: President: Large To forward our vision, Paul went Mary Y. Lanzerotti Willy Sansen Terms to 31 Dec. 08: above and beyond to personally IBM T. J. Watson Research K. U. Leuven, Belgium Wanda K. Gass Center [email protected] Ali Hajimiri design full-color full-portrait covers [email protected] Fax: +32 16 321975 Paul J. Hurst based on author-supplied photo- Fax: +1 914 945 1358 Vice-President: Akira Matsuzawa graphs and creative twists on our Technology Editor: Bernhard Boser Ian Young society’s red and black theme. The Richard C. Jaeger University of California Alabama Microelectronics Berkeley, CA Terms to 31 Dec. 09: distinguishing elements of our pub- Center Auburn John J. Corcoran lication are its cover portraits, red- University, AL Secretary: Kevin Kornegay [email protected] David A. Johns Hae-Seung (Harry) Lee and-black cover theme and straight- University of Toronto Thomas H. Lee forward red title, black cover back- Tutorials Editor: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jan Van der Spiegel Rakesh Kumar ground, and interior section color Technology Connexions Treasurer: Terms to 31 Dec. 10: highlights. We have personally Poway, CA Rakesh Kumar Terri S. Fiez [email protected] Technology Connexions Tadahiro Kuroda promised all Feature Authors that Poway, CA Bram Nauta their photos will appear on the Associate Editor for Jan Sevenhans Europe/Africa: Past- President: Mehmet Soyuer cover, and Paul’s efforts have ele- Tony Harker Richard C. Jaeger gantly fulfilled these agreements. Alba Centre Alba Campus Alabama Microelectronics Region 8 Representative: Livingston Scotland EH54 7EG Center Jan Sevenhans Thank you, Paul!! It has truly [email protected] University, AL been a pleasure working with you. Region 10 Representative: Associate Editor for the Far Other Representatives: C.K. Wang Please consider sending a thank East: Representative to Sensors you to Paul for all of his hard work Pengfei Zhang Council Chairs of Standing Beken Corporation Darrin Young Committees: and commitment to our society’s Shanghai, China Representative from CAS to Awards John J. Corcoran mission. His email address is [email protected] SSCS Chapters Jan Van der Spiegel Domine Leenaerts Education C.K. Ken Yang [email protected]; his webpage is News Editor: Representative to CAS from Meetings Bill Bidermann http://www.pauldoto.com. Katherine Olstein SSCS Membership Bruce Hecht IEEE SSCS Un-Ku Moon Nominations Richard C. Jaeger In this final issue of the SSCS News, [email protected] Publications Glenn Gulak we feature Gordon Bell, who has con- For detailed contact informa- tributed an extensive new Feature tion, see the Society e-News: Article entitled “Bell’s Law for the Birth www.ieee.org/portal/site/sscs and Death of Computer Classes: A Executive Director: Administrator: Theory of the Computer’s Evolution.” Anne O’Neill Katherine Olstein IEEE SSCS-West: IEEE SSCS Dr. Bell is a principal researcher at 1500 SW 11th Avenue #1801 445 Hoes Lane Microsoft Research in Silicon Valley, Portland, OR 97201 Piscataway, NJ 08854 Tel: +1 732 981 3400 Tel: +1 732 981 3410 working in the San Francisco Labora- Fax: +1 732 981 3401 Fax: +1 732 981 3401 tory. His home page is: http:// Email: [email protected] research.microsoft.com/~GBell. We For questions regarding Society business, contact the SSCS Executive Office. Contributions for the are delighted to have the opportunity Winter 2009 issue of the SSCS Magazine must be received by 8 November 2008 at the SSCS Execu- to present Dr. Bell and his work. tive Office. A complete media kit for advertisers is available at www.spectrum.ieee.org/mc_print. Scroll down to find SSCS. continued on page 4 2 IEEE SSCS NEWS Fall 2008 sscs_NLfall08.qxd 10/8/08 10:04 AM Page 3 Photo of Gordon Bell Fall 2008 Volume 13, Number 4 Editor’s Column . 2 President’s Message . 4 A Returnee from the US Becomes Entrepreneur in China, Pengfei Zhang, Associate Editor for the Far East . 5 Solid-State Circuits Magazine and Redesigned Website to Launch in 2009, Anne O’Neill, SSCS Executive Director . 7 TECHNICAL LITERATURE Bell’s Law for the Birth and Death of Computer Classes: A Theory of the Computer’s Evolution, Gordon Bell . 8 Advances in Ultra-Low Power Design, Joyce Kwong and Anantha Chandrakasan 20 Gigasensors for an Attoscope: Catching Quanta in CMOS, Erik H. M. Heijne . 28 Microwatt Switched Capacitor Circuit Design: Prepared for a Summer Course at K.U. Leuven, 1981, Eric Vittoz . 35 PEOPLE 15 Ankush Goel and Shih-An Yu Receive SSCS Predoctoral Fellowships for 2008-2009, John Corcoran . 49 IEEE DL Vojin Oklobdzija Visits Istanbul, Izzet Cem Goknar . 50 Twenty New Senior Members Elected . 51 Tools: Tips for Making Writing Easier, Part 3: Focus on Your Key Message, Peter and Cheryl Reimold . 51 CONFERENCES 28 ISSCC 2009 Preview, Anne O’Neill . .52 ISSCC 2009 Student Forum, Anne O’Neill . .52 4th Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference – Digital Convergence for a Ubiquitous Lifestyle, Koji Kito . .53 ICCAD Previews Novel Program, Juan-Antonio Carballo . .54 ICUWB 2009 to Focus on Microwave and Millimeter Wave Band Technology, Lutz Lampe . .55 CHAPTER NEWS 56 First IEEE COMCAS a Mega Event in Tel Aviv, Mark Ruberto, Shmuel Auster, Barry Perlman . .56 SSCS-Singapore Hosts 90 at ISSCC 2007 Tutorial Replay, Katherine Olstein . .58 SSCS-Taipei Offers Short Course on CMOS Single-chip Radio Design, Eric Tsung-Hsien Lin . .59 SSCS DL Stefan Rusu Speaks at Santa Clara Valley Chapter Meeting, Katherine Olstein . .59 SSCS-Scotland Sponsors Technical Meeting, Jim Brown . .60 60 Leuven Student Branch and SSCS Chapters Organize 2nd SSCS-Benelux Microelectronics Symposium, Cedric Walravens . .61 Preview of EDSSC2008 in Hong Kong, KP Pun . .61 IEEE SSCS Joint Chapter Formed in Penang, Malaysia, Booon Eu Seow . .62 Romania SSCS Chapter Formed to Promote Circuit Activities in Eastern Europe, Marcel D. Profirescu . .63 SSCS NEWS SSCS AdCom Endorses Newsletter-Magazine Conversion in Summer Meeting . .65 65 CEDA Currents: IEEE/ACM MEMCODE Contest Update . .66 Fall 2008 IEEE SSCS NEWS 3 sscs_NLfall08.qxd 10/8/08 10:04 AM Page 4 President’s Message Willy Sansen, K. U. Leuven, [email protected] Vision 2020 mentary materials such as an e-jour- also whether they will reduce atten- Some level of happiness and satis- nal (whatever that means) may all dance at the ISSCC in February. faction was reached around the have to be defined for a more effi- The Vision 2020 Task Force table at our AdCom meeting in San cient conference. [What is a more report was heard in San Francisco Francisco on August 18th because efficient conference? -- Will net- by the Task Force itself, the of the conversion of the Newsletter working prevail over technical data ISSCC Long Range Planning Com- into a Magazine. transfer, or vice-versa? What is the mittee and ISSCC executive com- Although this may seem trivial, it common content between a confer- mittees, the SSCS Meetings Com- is not. -- The Magazine will have ence paper and a journal paper? mittee chaired by Bill Bidermann much better quality in appearance What is the most efficient way to and the SSCS Publications com- and editing and, most important of put together a paper in terms of mittee chaired by Glenn Gulak all, will be saved from obsoles- information transfer? Can the repro- and, finally, by the AdCom itself. cence, since it may be consulted ducibility of the results be Dennis must be complimented through IEEE Xplore. enhanced? What can be done today for this task. His set of 27 slides The Solid-State Circuits Society rather than in 2020?] not only addresses the future of has worked hard to make this Task Force actions taken already the ISSCC but of all SSCS confer- happen. -- It has been in the will result in four experimental ences, and even conferences in minds and on the table of Anne satellite conferences that will be general. This set of slides will be O’Neill, Katherine Olstein, and, of held next year in the Far East, with- used as a blueprint for a number course, Mary Lanzerotti.