The number of high-quality scientific papers is generally considered to be positively correlated with an institution's research strength. As the highest-level conference in the field of integrated circuit design recognized by the global academic and industrial communities, the annual conference papers of the ISSCC (IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference) are an important window for observation. Every year, the number of papers accepted by various countries and regions, as well as major semiconductor companies around the world, the topics, and the technological development trends they reflect become hot topics in the industry.
From 2016 to 2019, mainland China had a total of 17 papers selected, showing a continuous growth trend. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that one institution contributed papers for four consecutive years: the R&D center in mainland China of Analog Devices (ADI), a leading global high-performance analog semiconductor technology company. A total of 9 papers from mainland China were selected for ISSCC 2019, including 2 from ADI, and 1 from the Fudan University ADI University Program.
Analog Devices (ADI) is the only IC company to have multiple papers selected, a truly remarkable achievement for a regional R&D center. I had the opportunity to speak with four of the lead engineers and their teams over the past three years, hoping to gain insight into the unassuming engineering and R&D team behind this string of accolades and uncover the driving force behind their continuous appearances at this prestigious global conference in the integrated circuit industry.
The list of accepted papers for ISSCC2019 includes two papers from Analog Devices (ADI) and one paper from the ADI University Program at Fudan University.
"I am not fighting alone"—this is an "innovation team" that transcends all possibilities.
Zhao Tianting, Director of Automation and Energy Technology at Analog Devices (ADI), reveals the "secret" in the photo below. "These two gentlemen are both graduates of MIT and are our founders. Ray Stata, the company's founding partner and chairman of the board, strongly encourages employee innovation and actively promotes an entrepreneurial culture. It is precisely because of his own continuous persistence and innovation that ADI has achieved what it is today," Zhao Tianting points out. For his peers in the Chinese electronics industry, the face of this wise elder is no stranger. A pioneer and founder of global semiconductor technology, he recently shared his insightful views on innovation and entrepreneurship in China, stating, "We need to recruit the best people, but don't stand in their way. Don't be afraid of failure; support them and give them the courage to innovate." His words left a deep impression.
The two founders of ADI, both graduates of MIT (the photo behind them is a group photo of them working together when they were young).
As a leading global high-performance analog technology company, Analog Devices (ADI)'s innovation capabilities are undeniable, but ADI's China R&D team has always been a low-profile, behind-the-scenes hero. The fact that five papers from this multinational analog giant have been selected for ISSCC for four consecutive years has unexpectedly brought the technological innovation aura of this local Chinese R&D team into the spotlight.
Wang Hanqing was one of the first five paper acceptors. His capacitive-gain amplifier (CGA) project achieved high performance with a noise density of 19 nV/√Hz and low power consumption of 75 μA, earning high praise from the ISSCC 2017 paper review panel. With the typical calm and humble style of an engineer, he spoke remarkably casually about writing his ISSCC paper. "Behind every project is a team working together; I just spent more time on this project," Wang Hanqing humbly stated. "This project involved contributions from our Beijing R&D center and many colleagues worldwide. In fact, our other colleagues in our three R&D centers across China participate in many excellent projects every year, and I was fortunate enough to have my project paper selected for publication by ISSCC."
The three R&D centers mentioned by Wang Hanqing refer to the Beijing R&D Center established by ADI in 2000, and the Shanghai and Hangzhou R&D Centers established later. The R&D team of more than 200 people has become an important part of ADI's global R&D strength layout.
"The company headquarters has provided tremendous support to our R&D center in China. Our R&D center has independently initiated and led the development of many high-performance products." Qu Guangyang, an analog R&D engineer at ADI, was deeply moved by the fact that his paper on electrochemical gas detection was selected for ISSCC2018. "For example, we developed ADI's first isolated power supply, the industry's smallest isolated DC-DC converter, and a widely used high-performance mixed-signal processor." Qu Guangyang spoke with great pride about the team's achievements, listing them off with great familiarity.
ADI's three major R&D centers in China are deeply rooted in the local market and have achieved remarkable research results.
At ADI, not only do R&D teams have project leadership authority, but each individual R&D engineer also enjoys a high degree of autonomy. "The company encourages employees to have their own independent thinking and gives them ample time for self-learning, accumulation, and summarization," says Qin Wenhui, an ADI analog circuit design engineer and the only "post-90s" paper selected for ISSCC 2019 in China. He Jie, an ADI power supply design engineering manager and co-author of a university collaborative project selected for ISSCC 2019, shares this sentiment. Faced with many excellent offers, he was "tempted" by the excellent innovative culture of ADI, as recommended by many classmates and teachers who had worked with ADI for a long time.
"It is this culture of innovation that has enabled ADI's China Development Center to continuously innovate and achieve remarkable success," said Zhao Tianting. "These achievements include obtaining 59 patents, with another 57 patents pending. For the past three years, we have submitted more than 20 patents annually. The China R&D Center has led the development of 74 products and won ADI's 'Outstanding Product Award' six times!"
ADI's continuous innovation capabilities have made it a recognized leader in high-performance analog technology.
This is a platform for talent development, creating a driving force for corporate innovation.
“When recruiting, I was surprised to find that many talented engineers were very similar to me back then. They wanted autonomy and wanted to do things their own way. Therefore, our model is to recruit very talented people and then not stand in their way. This is also our business philosophy.” This is Ray Stata’s talent philosophy, which he has repeatedly emphasized both inside and outside the company, and it has in fact become the company’s talent management principle. It is this principle that has kept ADI’s employee turnover rate significantly low in the industry, and the R&D and innovation capabilities of its outstanding teams are widely recognized in the industry.
Kudos to AD's innovative corporate culture of "surpassing all possibilities" (from left: Chen Baoxing, He Jie, Qin Wenhui, Zhao Tianting)
During conversations with several Analog Devices (ADI) paper award recipients and team leaders, it was unexpectedly discovered that six of the company's top technical talents, including ADI Fellows Chen Baoxing and Zhao Tianting, joined ADI directly from university. Chen Baoxing has been with ADI for over 21 years, while Zhao Tianting and Qu Guangyang have both been with the company for over ten. It is understood that more than half of the colleagues at ADI's China R&D Center joined directly from university recruitment, gradually accumulating experience under the guidance of experienced colleagues on small projects, and quickly growing into key personnel involved in project development.
“I haven’t worked for any other company in the past 21 years because I feel very passionate here. There is always innovation and new challenges.” Chen Baoxing pointed out in the exchange, “ADI attaches great importance to talent development. The company provides various conditions for the growth of new employees and invests a lot of money and resources in talent development. It’s hard not to make progress in this environment.”
Everyone entering the workforce inevitably goes through a "rookie" phase, and even outstanding graduates sometimes feel lost and overwhelmed. However, university graduates who join Analog Devices (ADI) are relatively fortunate. According to reports, in addition to the mentorship system for new employees, ADI's R&D teams offer three main advantages: frequent internal exchange meetings within global R&D teams, where everyone is happy to share their perspectives and experiences; a wealth of top-tier technical experts at ADI, including IEEE Fellows and ADI Fellows, whom you can consult at company meetings; and a wide range of projects covering almost every aspect of high-performance simulation technology, providing engineers with ample opportunities for development and learning. "Within ADI, you can always ask, 'I want to do this, what support do I need?' The company culture is one of equal exchange, and good ideas are encouraged," said Qin Wenhui.
To further promote the growth and innovation capabilities of young engineers, ADI has launched "The Global Early Employee Challenge (GEEC)" within the company in the past two years. The challenge aims to help young engineers (with less than 5 years of work experience) quickly improve their business skills through positive competition with their global peers. The winning team's solutions may even be incorporated into formal product development projects.
The ADI China team posed for a group photo after the competition; their faces beamed with the satisfaction of the experience and the joy of teamwork.
The 2018 GEEC competition brought together 581 young employees from 25 regions across Analog Devices (ADI) worldwide, including 57 members from three locations in China's R&D team who participated in the global challenge. Qin Wenhui, a participant in the latest GEEC competition, is a direct beneficiary: "This project gives our young engineers the opportunity to directly participate in the entire process, including product definition and market research. These are invaluable experiences, and throughout the process, we have experienced colleagues to guide us. ADI is truly investing heavily in cultivating new talent through this project!"
As a judge and mentor for the 2019 GEEC competition, Zhao Tianting clearly understands the value of the GEEC competition: "The GEEC-related guidance aims to make everyone understand that while product realization is essential, the product's application market, commercial value, and competitive advantages truly determine the direction of product development. The ability to provide more value to customers is the most important criterion for judging a product's success. This differs from the 'technology first' concept held by young engineers who have recently graduated from school." Team member Yu Juan particularly appreciates this: "Especially in terms of business thinking and the social significance of projects, this year's clear evaluation indicators for project proposals provided invaluable training for us young engineers. It can be said that GEEC opened a new world for us, giving us the opportunity to learn and understand knowledge that is usually difficult to access, and broadening our future career paths."
"Ahead of What's Possible" is ADI's vision for innovation, and innovation is ADI's core competency.
Attract the best talent and let them do great things.
Stepping out of the ADI Beijing R&D Center, the slogan "Ahead of What's Possible," seamlessly integrated with the logo on the reception wall, perfectly encapsulates ADI's innovation philosophy. "Ahead of What's Possible" represents ADI's vision for innovation, and innovation is ADI's core competitive advantage. This reminds me of Ray Stata's recent speech during his trip to China: Business success requires more than just great ideas; it also requires creating a positive work environment that attracts top talent, inspires them to pursue great things, encourages innovation, allows them to fully realize their potential, and strives for excellence in everything they do. It requires fostering a fearless attitude towards failure, trusting and respecting them, and encouraging openness and collaboration so everyone can work together towards common goals. He believes these are prerequisites for great innovation, but these conditions don't happen automatically; you must cultivate them intentionally. You need to create an environment that enhances employee satisfaction. Only when employees are satisfied can you achieve high customer and shareholder satisfaction.
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