Guest Lecture: "The Inverter: A powerful analog circuit building block."

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Speaker: Professor Glenn Cowan, Concordia University

Date: May 28, 2024

Time: 1:30pm

Location: EIT 3142

All are welcome!

Abstract:

Analog circuits have long relied on the differential-pair as a key amplifier building block used in everything from high precision Opamps to high-speed wireline circuits. With a push to integrating analog circuits in digital-optimized technologies, the early 2000s saw a resurgence of interest in inverter-based circuits, particularly in wireline applications. Examples include source-series terminated line drivers, inverter-based transimpedance amplifiers, optical receiver main amplifiers as well as continuous-time linear equalizers.  

This talk presents an overview of early work in inverter-based amplifiers from the 1960s and 70s that was revived in the late 80s/early 90s for continuous-time filters. A variety of work, mainly for wireline applications will be surveyed, demonstrating the breadth of analog circuit application of the humble CMOS inverter. 

Glenn Cowan

Biography:

Glenn Cowan received the BASc degree from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in 1999, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. In 2007, he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, where he is a Professor. His current research interests include low-power mixed-signal circuits for biomedical applications and wireline communication as well as power electronics for industrial applications.