Steve Cripps

Biography

Prof. Steve C. Cripps

Born: Liverpool, England; 1950

 Education:

 1961-67   Liverpool Institute High School

1968-71   Cambridge University (JesusCollege); B.A. (Honours, 1st Class) 1971

 M.A. (Cambridge University, 1973)

 1971-74 Cambridge University (Engineering Dept.) ; Ph.D. 1975 

(Thesis Title "Trappatt  Oscillators and Applications")

 Professional Affiliation:

 Fellow, I.E.E.E. (Life Fellow 2015)

  Chairman, I.E.E.E Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT) Society, Santa

ClaraValley  Chapter. (1993-4)

 Member, UK ADCOM IEEE MTT/LEOS Chapter

 Member, IEEE MTT Technical Co-ordination Committee (TCC)

 Member, IEEE MTT Technical Program Committee

 Member, IEEE MTT Publications Committee

 Vice Chair (past) , IEEE MTT TCC Section 5 (High Power Amplifiers)

 (Note: MTT-TPC committee reviews and selects papers for the International Microwave Symposium, and the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. MTT-TCC sets policies and priorities for research activities and publications in the microwave and RF field).

 Awards:

 2008 recipient of the prestigious IEEE-MTT Microwave Applications Award, for “Contributions to the theory and design of broadband microwave power amplifiers”.

 2016 recipient of IEEE-MTT Microwave prize for best paper in MTT Transactions (2014-15).

 2018 recipient of IEEE MTT Itoh Award for most influential paper in Microwave and Wirless Components Letters (2017-18).

 Work Experience:

 2010-present   Distinguished Research Professor, Cardiff University

 1990 (April)- Formed Hywave Associates, an RF and Microwave Consulting Company. Clients to date include:

 Freescale, RF Semiconductor Division (Tempe, Az., USA)

Zinwave (Cambrudge, UK, radio over fiber amplifiers)

Lucent-Alcatel (Swindon, UK, High Power PAs)

BesserAssociates  (Technical Training Courses)

CEI Europe (Technical Training Courses)

 Litton Applied Technology Division (ECM Microwave Component and Subsystems)

Wavetek Microwave (Microwave Instruments)

Matcom (GaAsFET Applications Engineering)

 Palm Technology (Fiber Optical Communications)

 Akon (Broadband Detector Log Amplifiers (DLVAs)

 New Focus (Optical Instrumentation)

 Pacific Monolithics (GaAs MMICs and subsystems)

 ADX Microsys (Wireless Communications Systems)

 Microwave Technology  (Microwave devices and subsystems)

Spectrian  (Cellular Base Station Power Amps)

TriquintSemiconductor  (GaAs MMIC Power Amplifiers)

Nokia Telecommunications  (MCPA Linearisation)

Filtronic (Shipley, UK, High Power PAs and linearization)

 NXP Semiconductors (Nijmegen, Netherlands, High power RF semiconductors)

Scintera (Santa Clara, USA, PA linearization RFICs)

 1985-1990 - Celeritek, San Jose (Founder, Engineering Manager).

 Managed all design Engineering activities in the Company including planning, recruitment, quotations, documentation system, CAD and Engineering Lab facilities. Also worked as individual engineering contributor in several major product areas:

      * Broadband MIC power amplifiers

      * Low noise amplifiers

      * Ultra wideband amplifiers (2-20 GHz)

      * Millimeter wave amplifiers (18-40 Ghz)

      * Miniaturized MIC packaging

      * Advanced thin film technology

      * MMIC products (amplifiers, switches, attenuators)

1984-85 - Narda West, (Loral Corp.),San Jose

Manager, Active Component Engineering.Headed the Engineering Group for microwave amplifier product line (13 Engineers, Technicians).

     New product areas developed during this period included RF logarithmic amplifiers and digitally programmable AGC amplifiers over 2 to 18 GHz frequency bands. Successful procedures and test methods were implemented for shipping production quantities of frequency memory loop amplifiers (FML).

1979-84 Watkins Johnson (Palo Alto, and Windsor, England)

     Head, Power Amplifiers (1982-84). Headed a group responsible for the design and production of medium power solid state amplifiers.Personally responsible for the design of the industry's first 2-8 GHz 1 Watt solid state amplifier. To achieve this, a new theoretical approach to the design and modelling of high power GaAsFETs was developed and published (see publications, 1983). This technique is still widely used today.

     Prior to transferring to the Solid State Division in 1981, was a Group Leader at the England facility of Watkins Johnson. Developed a range of active and passive components in the UHF and microwave range to complement an antenna distribution product line.

1974-79 - Plessey Research Ltd.,Towcester, England.

Group Leader, GaAsFET hybrid applications group (1977-79). Headed a group (6 Engineers) developing a range of products using internally manufactured GaAs FET devices. These included low noise amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators.

Patents:

"A MicrostripBalun Having Improved Bandwidth"

(Issued April 1988)

"Multiple FET Devices Having Direct Coupled Stages for Improved Microwave Operation"  (Issued June 1991)

"Method and Means for the Measurement of Active Device Channel Temperature in Microwave Hybrids and MMICs"

(Issued July 1991)

"A Microwave Detector Having Improved Linearity" (Issued 1993)

“High Efficiency RF Power Amplifier” (Issued July 1994)

“A reconfigurable Microwave Amplifier” (sponsored by Selex, pending)

Publications

Contracts

Supervised Students

Supervision

Past projects