MADLAB has completed its first 3 year term having achieved all of its objectives, both in learning and teaching and in research. Analog Devices has renewed the agreement for 3 more years and is looking to expand its involvement from the GaAs focus of the last 3 years to include GaN.

Many emerging applications ranging from 5G mobile networks to low Earth orbit satellite constellations will require new design paradigms to meet their technical needs and cost constraints.

Analog Devices has seen that this partnership can train the next generation of microwave and millimetre-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) designers to meet the demand.

“Macquarie University has a history of world class MMIC design and modelling expertise,” says Analog Devices’ Senior Director of Engineering, John Cowles. “Bringing these technical skills closer to real product development is critical towards accelerating the introduction of next generation technologies into emerging high frequency applications. The merging of design innovation with world class manufacturing is what makes this partnership so exciting.”

Macquarie University were pioneers in wireless computing 20 years ago and have maintained their specialist expertise in that space. Now they are partnering with industry to develop the next generation of engineers to address the explosion in applications for microwave and millimetre-wave frequencies.

This lab continues to innovate to address the mismatch between existing educational pathways and industry needs, by reversing the tradition of sending students out to industry. Instead industry is being invited into the university, to solve engineering problems in real-time and drive the deep questions underpinning them to the science behind these solutions.

“Half a dozen engineers with industry experience are embedded within MADLAB, and provide mentoring to dozens of students across the entire degree spectrum,” says Michael.

“And Macquarie University researchers will be providing cutting-edge computer-aided design, modelling and measurement technology to continually push the circuit design capability forward.”

“Australia in general, and Macquarie University in particular, is one of the few places in the world where there is a relatively high degree of expertise in MMIC design,” explains Macquarie’s Professor of Electronics Simon Mahon.

“Universities and employers haven’t been interested in this skillset in the last 20 years, preferring to work on radio frequency system-on-chips (SoCs) which, while sharing some challenges with MMICs, are significantly different in the skillset they require.”

But due to Macquarie’s history in helping CSIRO commercialise WiFi; and their expertise in semiconductor measurement, modelling and circuit design they have an invaluable combination that exists nowhere else.

“It’s a trinity of expertise,” says Simon. “Good circuit design for millimetre-wave is a rare skill, and we have the world experts in the mathematics and measurement of these sorts of transistors in  Professor Tony Parker and Dr. Sourabh Khandelwal.”

“We’ve found ourselves in a highly advantageous position to be able to meet the needs of companies like Analog Devices.”

MADLAB is part of the broader High Performance Integrated Circuits group within the School of Engineering.  MADLAB has allowed HPIC to scale up in terms of research breadth and capacity.  It has allowed HPIC to grow additional research from other partners and also undertake foundational teaching in electronics, to create a self-sustaining critical mass of university-industry engineering activity.