Hardware Podcasts

An Interview with Adrian Tang

The Amp Hour · 9 Mar 2020 · 1h 22m · Episode 483

What this episode covers

Adrian Tang, the lead CMOS designer at JPL, explains the design of custom high-frequency silicon chips for terahertz spectroscopy used in space and terrestrial missions. He details the transition from exotic semiconductor mixers to CMOS-based synthesizers and ADCs, highlighting the 'Rectangle' balloon mission's 180 GHz receiver and the 'Herschel' telescope's backend processing. Tang discusses the engineering trade-offs between sensitivity, power, and mass, noting why terahertz technology is uniquely suited for space science rather than terrestrial wireless or security applications.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
JPL, Roden Schwartz, TSMC, Northrop Grumman
Products
Rectangle, Herschel

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