Dr. Chih-Hung (James) Chen – Faculty of Engineering
Chih Hung Chen

Dr. Chih-Hung (James) Chen

Expertise

High-frequency characterization of nano-scale semiconductor transistors, thermal noise characterization and modeling of MOSFETs ultra low-power, low-noise analog ICs for telecommunications, analog and RF ICs for wireless transceivers

Research Clusters

  • Professor

    Electrical & Computer Engineering

Overview

Thermal noise gradually becomes a critical issue when the device size reduces to the nano-meter regimes and the power supply of electronic circuits is less than 1 volt. The objective of my research is to build a research program on noise-related issues in semiconductor transistors, to develop techniques to push the sensitivity of noise measurements to new levels, and to use engineering noise expertise to design novel low-noise circuits for sensing, communication, and medical applications. My research work focuses on five noise-related areas, including (1) noise instrumentation, (2) device characterization, (3) noise modeling and low-noise technology, (4) innovated low-noise circuits, and (5) sensor and medical instruments.

Did you know?

In 2015, Dr. Chen was elected as a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International Conference on Noise and Fluctuations, one of the most prominent conferences started in 1968 for research advances in “theoretical and experimental aspects of (electrical) fluctuations across a wide spectrum of scientific and technological fields.”

In 2022, Dr. Chen was invited to serve as an editor of the Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications.

Dr. Chen’s research work was utilized by many industrial companies such as Conexant Systems Inc., CA; Focus Microwaves, QC, Canada; RF Micro Devices (RFMD) Inc., CA; Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, CA; Siliconlinx Inc., CA; Sony Corporation, Japan; Transilica Inc., CA; and United Microelectronic Corporation (UMC), Taiwan.

Chih-Hung Chen (S’95–M’03–SM’08) was born in Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C. in 1968. He received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from National Central University, Chungli, Taiwan, R.O.C., in 1991, the M.S. degree in applied science engineering from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, in 1997, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, in 2002, respectively. In 2002, he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, as an Assistant Professor right after his Ph.D. study, and he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. He has published about 100 peer-reviewed articles and 19 technical reports. His research interests include the modeling, reliability, and thermal noise characterization of nanoscale transistors and the design of low-noise analog integrated circuits for imaging and sensing systems for medical and environmental applications.

  • B.Sc. (National Central University, Taiwan)
  • M.A.Sc. (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
  • Ph.D. (McMaster University, Canada)

Senior Member,  Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Member,  Professional Engineers of Ontario (P.Eng.)

Recent

Journal

J1. B. Yang, C.-H. Chen, and S. Graham, “Technical Note: System Uncertainty on Four- and Eight-Channel Parallel RF Transmission for Safe MRI of Deep Brain Stimulation,” 12 pages, accepted in Medical Physics, Jun. 2023.

J2. N. Valizade Shahmirzadi, V. Tyagi, J. Nguyen, R. Kazemivala, N. K. Nikolova, and C.-H. Chen, “Planar Array of UWB Active Slot Antennas for Microwave Imaging of the Breast,” Accepted in the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Dec. 2022.

J3. B. Yang, C.-H. Chen, and S. Graham, “RF Heating Dependence of Head Model Positioning using 4-channel Parallel Transmission MRI and a Deep Brain Stimulation Construct,” IEEE Letters on Electromagnetic Compatibility Practice and Applications, vol. 4, issue 3, pp. 83-87, Jun. 2022.

J4. Invited Paper, C.-H. Chen, “Thermal Noise Measurement and Characterization for Modern Semiconductor Devices,” Special Issue of IEEE Instrument & Measurement Magazine, vol. 24, issue 2, pp. 60–71, Apr. 2021.

J5. B. Yang, F. Tam, B. Davidson, P.-S. Wei, C. Hamani, N. Lipsman, C.-H. Chen, and S. Graham, “Technical Note: An Anthropomorphic Phantom with Implanted Neurostimulator for Investigation of MRI Safety,” Medical Physics, vol. 47, issue 8, pp. 3745–3751, Aug. 2020.

J6. O. Marinov, M. J. Deen, J. A. Jiménez-Tejada, and C.-H. Chen, “Variable-Range Hopping Charge Transport in Organic Thin-Film Transistors,” Physics Reports, vol. 844, pp. 1–105, Feb. 2020.

J7. S. Majumder, L. Chen, O. Marinov, C.-H. Chen, T. Mondal, and M. J. Deen, “Noncontact Wearable Wireless ECG System for Long-Term Monitoring,” IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering, vol. 11, pp. 306–321, May 2018. 

J8. X. Chen, C.-H. Chen, and R. Lee, “Fast Evaluation of Channel Noise in Nano-Scale MOSFETs for Mixed-Signal Applications,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 65, issue 4, pp. 1502–1509, Apr. 2018.

J9. P. Mandal, K. Tank, T. Mondal, C.-H. Chen, and M. J. Deen, “Predictive Walking-Age Health Analyzer,” IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, vol. 22, issue 2, pp. 363–374, Mar. 2018.

J10. Y. Qin, A. U. Alam, S. Pan, M. R. Howlader, R. Ghosh, N.-X. Hu, H. Jin, S. Dong, C.-H. Chen, and M. J. Deen, “Integrated Water Quality Monitoring System with pH, Free Chlorine, and Temperature Sensors,” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 255, part 1, pp. 781–790, Feb. 2018.

Conference

C1. N. Valizade Shahmirzadi, J. Nguyen, R. Kazemivala1, N. K. Nikolova, C.-H. Chen, “Electronically Scanned Active Sensor Array for the Imaging of Compressed Breast,” 17th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2023), Florence, Italy, pp. 1–4 (26 – 31 Mar. 2023).

C2. X. Chen, H. Elgabra, C.-H. Chen, J. Baugh, and L. Wei, “Estimation of MOSFET Channel Noise and Noise Performance of CMOS LNAs at Cryogenic Temperatures,” 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), Daegu, Korea, pp. 1-5, (23 – 25 May 2021).

C3. V. Tyagi, N. K. Nikolova, F. Foroutan, C.-H. Chen, and C. Baard, “UWB Planar Bias-switched Imaging Array for Breast-Cancer Screening,” 15th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2021), Dusseldorf, Germany, pp. 1–5 (22 – 26 Mar. 2021).

C4. A. U. Alam, S. Majumder, C.-H. Chen, O. Marinov, and M. J. Deen, “Low Frequency Noise in Electrochemical Sensors for Water Quality Monitoring,” 25th International Conference on Noise and Fluctuations (ICNF 2019), Neuchâtel, Switzerland, pp. 1–6 (18 – 21 Jun. 2019). 

C5. Invited Paper, C.-H. Chen, X. Chen, and P. Do, “Recent Advancement in High-Frequency Noise Characterization for Nano-scale FETs,” 14th International Conference on Solid-State and Integrated-Circuit Technology (ICSICT 2018), Qingdao, China, pp. 1–4 (31 Oct. – 3 Nov. 2018).

C6. C.-H. Chen, B. Yang, P.-H. Chu, G. Brown, and S. Das, “System Aware DUT Design for Optimum On-Wafer Noise Measurement,” 31st IEEE International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures (ICMTS 18), Austin, TX, pp. 206–209 (19 – 22 Mar. 2018).