sscs_NLspring08.qxd 3/26/08 9:42 AM Page 1 SSCSSSSCSSSSCCSS IEEE SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS SOCIETY NEWS Spring 2008 Vol. 13, No. 2 www.ieee.org/sscs-news Brian Kernighan What Should an Educated Person Know about Computers? sscs_NLspring08.qxd 3/26/08 9:42 AM Page 2 Editor’s Column elcome to impact on solid-state circuits, com- IEEE President and previous SSCS the Spring puters, and technology during the News Editor Lewis Terman, SSCS 2008 issue past several decades. In this issue, Executive Director Anne O’Neill, W Prof. Brian Kernighan has gracious- SSCS Administrator Katherine of SSCS News! With this issue, ly agreed to write “What Should an Olstein, and SSCS Layout Specialist we would like to Educated Person Know About Com- Paul Doto for their ongoing and tire- present a review of puters?” We are grateful that he has less efforts that have successfully essential topics in contributed this overview for SSCS developed SSCS News during the computing prepared by Prof. Brian News. past year. Each issue has been excit- Kernighan of the Department of I would like to take the opportu- ing, and we are grateful for SSCS Computer Science at Princeton Uni- nity in this column to thank our Fea- AdCom support! Each issue has also versity. This review essay is the first ture and Technical Authors, SSCS presented many opportunities to since the SSCS News began present- AdCom, SSCS Past-President Prof. communicate much information ing Feature Authors in September, Richard Jaeger, current SSCS Presi- about activities throughout SSCS as 2006, with articles describing their dent Prof. Willy Sansen, current well as technical information about the long-term impact of several of our colleagues’ and Feature Authors’ IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society work. We hope that our readers SSCS News Administrative Committee Elected AdCom Members at enjoy these issues! We continue to Editor-in-Chief: President: Large Mary Y. Lanzerotti Willy Sansen Terms to 31 Dec. 08: be delighted to receive feedback, IBM T. J. Watson Research K. U. Leuven, Belgium Wanda K. Gass and we are grateful to reprint corre- Center [email protected] Ali Hajimiri spondence in the Letters to the Edi- [email protected] Fax: +32 16 321975 Paul J. Hurst Fax: +1 914 945 1358 tor section of the SSCS News. Vice-President: Akira Matsuzawa With this increase in coverage, Technology Editor: Bernhard Boser Ian Young we are delighted to report that Richard C. Jaeger University of California Alabama Microelectronics Berkeley, CA Terms to 31 Dec. 09: Katherine Olstein has agreed to join Center Auburn John J. Corcoran the editorial staff and take on the University, AL Secretary: Kevin Kornegay David A. Johns Hae-Seung (Harry) Lee position of News Editor. Please do Tutorials Editor: University of Toronto Thomas H. Lee consider communicating informa- Rakesh Kumar Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jan Van der Spiegel tion about news in your area to Technology Connexions Poway, CA Treasurer: Terms to 31 Dec. 10: Katherine: [email protected]. We Rakesh Kumar Terri S. Fiez are also delighted that Dr. Rakesh Associate Editor for Technology Connexions Tadahiro Kuroda Kumar has agreed to join the edito- Europe/Africa: Poway, CA Bram Nauta Tony Harker Jan Sevenhans rial staff as Tutorials Editor, and Alba Centre Alba Campus Past- President: Mehmet Soyuer Prof. Richard Jaeger has agreed to Livingston Scotland EH54 7EG Richard C. Jaeger [email protected] Alabama Microelectronics Region 8 Representative: join the editorial staff as Technical Center Jan Sevenhans Editor. Both of these roles are News Editor: University, AL extremely important to support the Katherine Olstein Region 10 Representative: IEEE SSCS Other Representatives: C.K. Wang recently-approved vote by the SSCS [email protected] Representative to Sensors AdCom to move the SSCS News to a Council Chairs of Standing refereed magazine with additional Darrin Young Committees: Representative from CAS to Awards John J. Corcoran technical content and technical SSCS Chapters Jan Van der Spiegel review articles. We are very fortu- Domine Leenaerts Education C.K. Ken Yang Representative to CAS from Meetings Bill Bidermann nate that Katherine, Rakesh, and SSCS Membership Bruce Hecht Dick have been supportive of SSCS Un-Ku Moon Nominations Richard C. Jaeger News and that they have agreed to Publications Glenn Gulak provide their guidance and expand For detailed contact informa- their roles as SSCS News continues tion, see the Society e-News: www.ieee.org/portal/site/sscs its development. Please welcome them to the editorial staff! Executive Director: Administrator: Dr. Katherine Olstein joined SSCS Anne O’Neill Katherine Olstein IEEE SSCS-West: IEEE SSCS in 2005 as SSCS Administrator after 1500 SW 11th Avenue #1801 445 Hoes Lane careers in higher education and Portland, OR 97201 Piscataway, NJ 08854 information technology. In 2007, Tel: +1 732 981 3400 Tel: +1 732 981 3410 Fax: +1 732 981 3401 Fax: +1 732 981 3401 she completed a certificate program Email: [email protected] in journalism at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. For questions regarding Society business, contact the SSCS Executive Office. Contributions for the She has led the upgrade of SSCS Summer 2008 issue of the Newsletter must be received by 8 May 2008 at the SSCS Executive Office. A complete media kit for advertisers is available at www.spectrum.ieee.org/mc_print. Scroll down to News on the IEEE side and contin- find SSCS. continued on page 50 2 IEEE SSCS NEWS Spring 2008 sscs_NLspring08.qxd 3/26/08 9:43 AM Page 3 Photo of Brian W. Kernighan by Bjarne Stroustrup. Spring 2008 Volume 13, Number 2 Editor’s Column . .2 President’s Message . .4 Letters to the Editor . .4 TECHNICAL LITERATURE What Should an Educated Person Know about Computers?, Brian W. Kernighan . .5 PEOPLE Abidi Receives IEEE Pederson Award at ISSCC . .12 Eight Society Members Congratulated at ISSCC for Elevation to IEEE Fellow Grade .12 JSSC 2006 Best Paper Award, Katherine Olstein . .15 Best Student Designs Spark Discussions at ISSCC Poster Sessions, Bruce Hecht & Katherine Olstein . .18 Nine Lecturers Join SSCS DL Program . .21 10 Chandrakasan Discusses Micro-power Integrated Circuits & Systems in Ottawa, Ram Achar . .23 Kuroda Speaks in Seoul on CMOS Proximity Inter-Chip Communications, Sung Min Park . .24 Dennard Receives Medal from Benjamin Franklin Institute, Beth Scheraga . .25 New Senior Members . .25 Tools: How to Write Readable Reports and Winning Proposals, Part 1: The Five-Minute Miracle, Peter and Cheryl Reimold . .26 CONFERENCES 12 ISSCC 2008 Plenary Talks Spotlight Futuristic Consumer Electronics . .28 ISSCC Replay on Demand, David Pricer . .31 Classic Books and New Releases Share Best-Seller Status at ISSCC 2008, Katherine Olstein . .31 Family Expectations Spawn Successful Careers, Katherine Olstein . .34 ISSCC 2007 Update DVD Needs Foundations Disk . .35 SSCS-Seoul Chapter was Local Organizing Committee for A-SSCC 2007 . .35 2008 Symposium on VLSI Circuits in Honolulu on 18-20 June . .36 RFIC Symposium to Open Microwave Week 2008 in Atlanta, J. Lin, T. Quach, & Y. Deval . .38 Hot Chips 2008 Will Meet on 24-26 August, Don Draper . .39 18 ISLPED Moves to Asia in 2008, Vojin Oklobdzija . .39 CHAPTER NEWS SSCS-Montreal Receives Outstanding Chapter Award for 2007, Anas Hamoui & Mohamad Sawan . .40 3rd Annual Austin Conference on Integrated Systems and Circuits, Mike Seningen .41 New York ED/SSCS IEEE Chapter Formed in October 2007, John Kymissis . .42 SSCS-Israel Revitalized in Collaboration with IEEE MTT & AP Societies, M. Ruberto, D. Gidony, M. Moyal . .43 F. Svelto Presents Short Course on CMOS Wireless Receiver Design in Hsinchu 35 & Taipei . .44 SSCS-Seoul Hosts DVD Replay of ISSCC 2007 Short Courses, Jeongjin Roh . .45 Santa Clara Valley Chapter Sponsors RFIC Course, Dan Oprica . .45 SSCS West Ukraine: A Twelve Year Retrospective, Ihor Isayev . .46 21 SSCS Chapters Represented at February Meeting in San Francisco, Katherine Olstein . .49 Seeking Nominations for IEEE Medals and Recognitions . .50 NEWS AdCom Endorses Newsletter Conversion to Magazine, Katherine Olstein . .51 40 CEDA Currents . .52 Call for Nominations: SSCS Predoctoral Fellowships 2008-2009 . .54 Spring 2008 IEEE SSCS NEWS 3 sscs_NLspring08.qxd 3/26/08 9:43 AM Page 4 President’s Message Willy Sansen, K. U. Leuven, [email protected] t is with great pleasure and a ISSCC, who will be Anantha Chan- I am convinced that all AdCom sense of duty that I have taken up drakasan. I know I will be able to members will join me in thanking the position of President of the count on him for several more Anne O’Neill, Executive Director of I years, and I appreciate it. Other the Society. She has been in contin- IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society for two years. This Society is most recent appointments are Bill Bider- uous support of the past presidents famous for its Journal of Solid-Sate mann for the Meetings committee and me, and all members of the Circuits and its conferences, among and Glenn Gulak for the Publica- AdCom indeed. Whenever a ques- which the International Solid-State tions committee, with Bram Nauta tion arises, she has an answer. Circuits Conference is probably the as General Editor of the Journal. Thanks also go to Katherine Olstein, best-known, not to forget the VLSI- This is a new team, indeed. I am SSCS Administrator, and Mary Circuits Conference, the CICC and the looking forward to working with all Lanzerotti, who is technical Editor of A-SSCC, and ESSCIRC. All of them of them towards a better SSCS. the Newsletter. It is because of this will have to be rethought, however, if I also want to thank the members team that the SSCS Newsletter this Society wants to find an answer of the AdCom, who have helped to expects to be converted into a Mag- to the surge in multimedia tools.