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Expert has been an analog and system designer for the better part of 25 years.

Expert has worked in RF and microwave designs (both commercial and government) requiring filtering, amplification and interconnection techniques from 200 MHz to 30 GHz. He has developed sensors which are capable of detecting tens of femtoamperes at KHz bandwidths, power converters (both AC-DC and DC-DC) ranging from 2-3 Watts to 50 KW, optoelectrical front-ends capable of detecting chemiluminescent emissions in the nanoseconds with phase resolution to better than 0.1 degree at 50KHz, invasive medical equipment with extremely strict FDA requirements to EMI and leakage requirements, performed detailed math analysis in both time and frequency domains for control loop (feedback) and forward loop dynamics, PCB layout associated with signal integrity issues using manufacturer’s substrate/dielectric data, etc.

Recently, Expert has had much to do with highly advanced A/D and D/A devices. During a recent design proposal (and acceptance!), he showed how to implement a 10 bit 2GHz DAC from Euvis (California-based company) for ETEC and Applied Materials subsidiary. His job was to look and characterize all of the code transitions, INL and DNL properties of this DAC as it applied to controlling an electron beam gun assembly for IC mask generation. This effort required getting into the semiconductor physics, interaction with the ASIC designer and interfacing this with the client (ETEC). Heat dissipation was a major concern as p-HEMT fabrication technology (for the DAC IC) has a thermal “memory” which affect phase and precision. This and other effects due to the extremely high conversion speed and precision requirements, is not generally known and many of the findings are now proprietary to Euvis and ETEC (signed IP agreement last year).

Power Conversion:
Power conversion is something Expert has done from a few Watts to 10's of KWs. Specifically, Expert has designed buck, boost, flyback, forward and SEPIC switchmode designs. These designs have been as simple as using standard Linear Technology-like ICs and “cookbooking” it to discrete topologies which had to be implemented due to safety constraints and/or client specified dynamics not amenable to the “cookbook” approaches (specifically, the medically invasive tissue ablation designs). Many of the later designs were for high frequency converters (smaller reactive components) with high efficiency as they were battery operating products and maximizing battery lifetime is critical to the product being profitable.

Low Noise Analog:
Down to the shot-noise limits with the aid of LN cooling (77K) HgCdTe & other Cadmium salt IR and near IR detection front-ends.

Tools:
Cadence’s PSPICE & SpecctraQuest SI, AWR & CST Microwave Office tools for 2-D & 3-D analysis solver, respectively and OrCAD’s schematic Capture and Allegro layout. Waterloo Software’s MAPLE and Visual Solutions’ VisSim numerical simulator for the analytically intractable problems.

He has designed and implemented the next generation of high power National Grid instrument testers for high power transformers and gap switchers. These instruments have 6-8 times better numerical measurement resolution over the next best instrument for testing residential/commercial power line high powered reactors. He developed an optimal mathematical modeling protocol software tool for the Ford Motor Company and Mercedes-Benz car companies to determine the best passive component (resistors) for voltage division used by the CAN bus protocol. This optimization tool model saved both car companies 20-30 million dollars per build year in replacement parts, increased yield and up-front building material costs. He has developed some of the most robust and efficient high power converters for the medical tissue ablation market known. Cardiac, bone and breast tissue RF ablation units normally operate at 87% efficiency. Designs done by this consultant, on average, exceed 95% at rated power and also have a lower amount of EMI/RFI regulatory problems for the V&V phase of the product development. He has developed full high powered Ultracapacitors testers for the robotic and automotive industries. This custom Ultracapacitor tester proved that the Ultracapacitor is better than rechargeable batteries in terms if aggressive discharge/charge speed, endurance and operating costs for the applied vehicular industry. Developed a novel shaft torque fluxgate monitoring sensor and recorder used by the John Deere company for knowing when the heavy equipment's drive line has been stressed beyond it's rated load. Designed system uses harmonic analysis to very accurately determine just how much torsional stress the drive line has experienced.