580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How can evolutionary algorithms enable autonomous design and fault recovery in Field Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAAs)?
This research area investigates the use of evolutionary/genetic algorithms for automatic synthesis and adaptive reconfiguration of analog circuits implemented on programmable transistor arrays, enabling intrinsic self-optimization and fault tolerance relevant for robust, adaptive systems especially in harsh environments such as spacecraft.
Key finding: Demonstrated how evolutionary algorithms autonomously evolved parametrical fuzzy logic circuits directly on a fine-grained Field Programmable Transistor Array (FPTA) chip by using intrinsic evolution, with evolutionary... Read more
Key finding: Presented real-time intrinsic evolutionary fault recovery of a 4-bit DAC built on a JPL FPTA chip, achieving restoration of functionality in under a minute after simulated stuck-at faults, while initial full evolutionary... Read more
Key finding: Established that Field Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAA), specifically switched-capacitor based AN221E04 devices, enable rapid hardware prototyping of mixed-signal systems such as serial bit-per-bit algorithmic ADCs, leading... Read more
2. What architectural and technological advances improve performance and programmability of Field Programmable Analog Arrays (FPAAs) for signal processing applications?
This theme centers on the design and implementation of novel FPAA architectures leveraging translinear circuits, digitally programmable current conveyors, and optimized analog blocks aiming to increase frequency bandwidth, reduce parasitics, and expand configurability, thereby enabling complex analog signal processing circuits such as multipliers and filters on reconfigurable analog hardware.
Key finding: Developed and demonstrated a translinear FPAA architecture based on CMOS translinear elements arranged in a 5x5 cell array with programmable current mirrors and variable capacitors. Implemented complex analog circuits... Read more
Key finding: Proposed a hexagonal FPAA composed of seven configurable analog blocks based on novel digitally programmable current conveyors (DPCCIIs) which use 3-bit digitally controlled current division without extra biasing, yielding... Read more
Key finding: Showed that an FPAA design prioritizing primarily local interconnections between signal-processing cells can still implement a wide variety of linear and nonlinear analog signal processing circuits including eighth-order... Read more
3. How can Field Programmable Arrays (FPGA and FPAA) be leveraged for rapid prototyping and real-time implementation in signal processing and neural computing applications?
This research domain addresses the use of reconfigurable digital and analog arrays for prototyping complex digital control systems, beamforming algorithms, image processing pipelines, and mixed-signal neural networks. The focus is on reducing development cycles, improving flexibility, enabling real-time operation, and integrating analog sensor processing with digital classification.
Key finding: Developed a FPGA-based micro PLC system supporting ladder programming to improve operational flexibility, reduce product development cycles, and enhance accuracy and parallel processing speeds compared to conventional PLCs.... Read more
Key finding: Implemented a real-time MVDR adaptive beamforming algorithm on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA using QR decomposition based Recursive Least Square algorithm and systolic array processor architecture. Verified through MATLAB... Read more
Key finding: Presented a combined FPAA and FPGA based heterogeneous computing framework implementing Leaky Integrate-and-Fire neuron models in the analog FPAA layer followed by digital neural network layers in FPGA, enabling near-sensor... Read more
Key finding: Surveyed publication trends showing that FPAA and FPGA have been extensively applied in diverse domains including digital control, image/video processing, machine learning, cryptography, and networking. Highlighted that... Read more
Key finding: Designed a programmable FPAA-based RMS-to-DC converter circuit for processing low-frequency, weak amplitude analog signals from novel piezoelectric sensors, allowing dynamic adjustment of gain and filter parameters during... Read more