Abstract: Nowadays, both digital and analog electronics are reaching fundamental limits that will require revolutionary approaches to satisfy the power/bandwidth requirements of the next generation of data-driven applications. In the first part of the talk, analog and digital signal processing will be compared in terms of power efficiency by highlighting the presence of a thermodynamic upper-bound which relates dynamic range, bandwidth and power dissipation. To circumvent this limit, in the second part of the talk, the quantized-analog signal processing will be introduced. In such approach, analog and digital domains are merged together in a more fluid scenario compared to traditional mixed-signal circuits avoiding the needs of rigid interfaces such as analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. It will be shown that the quantized-analog signal processing leads to superior power efficiency and flexibility compared to its analog counterpart and it represents a good candidate for the development of a new generation of mixed signal integrated circuits. The effectiveness of the proposed solutions will be demonstrated through simulations and measurement results. Speaker(s): Professor Antonio Liscidini, Room: Room 037, Bldg: Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, 185 W Stevens Wy NE , Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195

Title: Fractional-N Phase-Locked Loops Using Harmonic-Mixer-Based Feedback and Noise Cancellation Abstract: Frequency synthesizers are an integral part of various applications, such as wireless and wireline communication systems. The generation of frequency sources with low phase noise under limited power, area, and many other factors has been an ongoing challenge over the years. Especially for the fractional-N phase-locked loops (PLLs), the suppression of quantization noise (Q-noise) and spurs has been one of the main challenges. Architectures based on quantization error cancellation, either in the time domain using digital-to-time converters or in the voltage domain using digital-to-analog converters, have been popular in recent years. However, the circuits used for the cancellation are often affected by PVT-related gain errors and non-linearity, requiring intensive digital calibration to prevent severe performance degradation. In this talk, we introduce some harmonic-mixer-based fractional-N PLL architectures that avoid the amplification of the Q-noise by the loop. With this concept, we can effectively suppress the contribution of the Q-noise at the PLL output without applying intensive calibration. Speaker(s): Tetsuya, Room: Room ECE 269, Bldg: Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, 185 Stevens Way, Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195

IEEE WIE AG Schenectady is going to organize WIE Distinguished Lecture (virtual webinar) on “Human System Engineering Initiatives: From Human Views to Human Readiness Levels” on 5 June 2026, Friday, 12-1 pm EDT. The speaker is Holly A. H. Handley, PhD, PE, the Interim Dean of the Interdisciplinary Schools and a Professor in the Engineering Management and System Engineering Department of Old Dominion University (ODU). This talk discusses the role of Human System Engineering within the System Engineering discipline. It describes two initiatives that are enabling better integration of humans and systems. The Human Views comprise a system architecture viewpoint that provides a perspective on the human roles, activities, and information flows required by a complex system. The Human Readiness Levels assess the degree to which human-focused requirements are incorporated into design decisions and the readiness of a system to interact with its human operator. Together these two efforts encourage System Engineering for the total system by supporting a comprehensive integration of the human component into the systems engineering effort, which is critical to the design, development, and operation of successful systems. Current standards and applications of both initiatives will be included. Speaker(s): Holly Handley Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/550987