Alba Ávila, PhD of Universidad de los Andes

"100 Years of the Field-Effect Transistor and Its Transformative Impact

on Technology and Society vs challenges"

presented by

Alba G. Ávila Bernal, PhD

Distinguished Lecturer, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Universidad de los Andes
Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract:

The Field-Effect Transistor (FET) stands as one of the most transformative innovations in modern electronics. Its conceptual roots trace back to Julius Lilienfeld’s 1925 patent for a three-terminal device capable of controlling current through an electric field an idea far ahead of its time. While early experimental attempts failed to realize a working device, they laid the scientific groundwork for the later success of solid-state transistors and deepened our understanding of semiconductor physics.
The invention of the FET was not merely a technical milestone but a cultural shift in electronic design. It challenged engineers to think beyond the thermionic principles of vacuum tubes and embrace a new paradigm based on charge carriers and field control. This reorientation from current driven by heat to current governed by an electric field transformed how we conceive, build, and interact with technologies. Devices are not just discrete elements for digital or analog electronics. They represent the core of our technological relationships, reminding us to approach engineering with a more holistic and systems-oriented mindset.
In this talk, we will highlight one of the most persistent engineering challenges that has accompanied transistor evolution: material and thermal management.

Biography:

Alba G. Ávila Bernal, Ph.D.

 

Alba Ávila is an active member of the EDS WiE community. She is the director of the Microelectronics Center, Associate Professor and researcher at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, a fellow at the Resilience Center at Imperial College in London, and a Senior MEMBER of the EDS IEEE and a WIE member. She has a doctorate in Physics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and she has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes, where she also graduated as a physicist and electrical engineer. Her areas of expertise include nanomaterials for energy applications, nanotechnology and sensors, and humanitarian technologies. She is the author of over 95 publications, including critical reviews of materials characterization, batteries, and engineering of materials and piezoelectrics, and has 4 patents under study, two in Colombia and one in the United States.

Email:

Address:Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Roberto Murphy, PhD of Electronics Department INAOE

"Semiconductor Devices and Passive Components 
Characterization for High Frequency Applications"

presented by

Roberto S. Murphy Arteaga, PhD

Distinguished Lecturer, Electronics Department 
INAOE
Tonantzintla, Puebla 

Abstract:

The development of integrated circuit manufacturing processes in the last few years has translated into ever smaller features for the elements they are comprised of, being now just 5 nm.  This enables the attainment of higher frequencies of operation, in the range of tens to hundreds of GHz.  Since modern processes are based on silicon, and circuits are designed mostly using CMOS technology, circuits can be designed and manufactured to operate with very low power, making them ideal for high-frequency, wireless communications with hand-held devices.  But besides having transistors, integrated circuits include passive devices such as inductors, capacitors, resistors, and interconnects, among others. Before sending a circuit to the fab, the designer has to be sure that it is going to work as desired, and thus its behavior has to be extensively simulated using computers.  In order to achieve trustworthy simulations, however, it is fundamental to have models —physical, mathematical, electrical— for each device and component, models which are obtained from individual characterization processes. This talk focuses on presenting some of the basic concepts of device characterization and modeling techniques for high-frequency applications, highlighting the second-order effects present in this frequency range, and suggesting a methodology to use to obtain trustworthy models for simulation routines.

Biography:

Roberto S. Murphy Arteaga, Ph.D. 

Dr. Roberto Murphy is a Full Researcher “C” at INAOE, where he has worked since 1988, associated with the Electronics Coordination. His field of interest focuses on high-frequency electronics, particularly on the physics, modeling, and characterization of devices for wireless communication applications.

In recent years, he has dedicated his work to the study, design, measurement, and modeling of antennas. Additionally, he has carried out administrative duties at INAOE for more than 18 years; he served as Director of Academic Training, Director of Research, and Head of the Electronics Department. He also served as Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the Mexican Council for Graduate Studies (COMEPO), and as a member of the Board of Directors and later President of the Iberoamerican Science and Technology Education Consortium (ISTEC), a non-profit academic organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

He has published more than 160 works in scientific journals, conferences, and proceedings, has taught over 100 postgraduate courses, and has supervised 38 graduate theses.

He is a Level 2 member of the National System of Researchers, a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, of the European Microwave Association, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where he also serves as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Electron Devices Society (EDS).

Email:

Address:Puebla, Mexico