Microelectronics is one of the key research areas of the University of Macau (UM), where research achievements have already reached international standards over the years. Dr. Sin Sai Weng, a PhD in Microelectronics newly born in UM, for example, was highly acknowledged and praised by internationally prominent scholars in the area for his thesis titled “Generalized Low-Voltage Circuit Design Techniques for Very High-Speed Time-Interleaved Pipelined ADC”. Dr. Sin passed his thesis defense with the highest classification “Very Good with Honour and Distinction”.

One of the examiners Prof. Bang-Sup Song from the University of California, San Diego, USA, indicated that he was amazed to see such substantial analog IC design projects being carried out in Macao. He exalted Dr. Sin’s research achievements to be comparable to the PhD students’ academic attainments in any first-class universities around the world.

Another examiner Prof. Akira Matsuzawa from Tokyo Institute of Technology was also very impressed by the University’s research development in the area. He strongly encouraged UM to maintain such high quality PhD research, enabling Macao to play an important role in the mixed-signal and analog IC design research in the Asia Pacific region.

Dr. Sin Sai Weng was born in Macao, and received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from UM. He has published three papers in the journals of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and presented 20 papers at international conferences, three of which were awarded Student Paper Contest Awards in Japan and Macao. During his PhD studies, Dr. Sin successfully invented the first Mixed-Signal (Analog and Digital) Integrated Circuit (IC) chip of the University in 180nm CMOS process. With this valuable experience, he participated in the supervision of another two IC design projects in the more advanced 90nm CMOS process, and received outstanding progress.

Dr. Sin’s thesis defense was chaired by Rector of UM Prof. Iu Vai Pan. Besides his supervisor Prof. Rui Martins, Vice Rector of UM and IEEE Fellow, and his co-supervisor Prof. Ben U Seng Pan from Chipidea Microelectronics, IEEE Senior Member, the examination committee included four prominent scholars in the area: Prof. Akira Matsuzawa, IEEE Fellow and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan; Prof. Bang-Sup Song, IEEE Fellow and Charles Lee Powell Chair Professor in Wireless Communication from University of California-San Diego, USA; Prof. Franco Maloberti, IEEE Fellow and Professor of Microelectronics and Head of the Micro Integrated Systems Group, University of Pavia, Italy; and Prof. Han Yingduo, IEEE Senior Member, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Visiting Professor at UM from Tsinghua University.

Caption: UM PhD Dr. Sin Sai Weng (4th from left) and the examination committee