EP2: Lost art? Analog tricks and techniques from the masters

Analog design has sunk into a local minimum characterized by tired old topologies and well-worn design techniques. This panel will shake things up with a combination of circuit gems and design methodologies mined from the brains of some of our community´s most creative individuals. Prof. Asad Abidi will explain the operation of a common yet often inadequately understood circuit containing just a single FET. Barrie Gilbert will then amaze you with a collection of translinear circuits exploiting the mighty BJT. Jan Craninckx will take a different tack, showing that true magic is possible nowadays with digitally-assisted analog design, in which calibration blocks form the basic units of creativity. Professors Shoji Kawahito and Rinaldo Castello will return to straight circuits, showing gems used in imaging ICs and power-efficient rail-to-rail amplifiers. Lastly, Prof. Huei Wang will bring the discussion back to design techniques by asking if traditional RF design is a Lost Art, perhaps deservedly so.