Page 29 - The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design

How to Grow Strong, Healthy Engineers

traditional business management based on power. We engineers have to
ensure that artistic and practical training be given to our novices.
So, how does one train the engineering grad? I can only speak for my
own field, analog 1C design. I'll give some suggestions that will have
equivalents in other areas of engineering. The reader can create a pro-
gram for his or her own work.

1. The grad will initially be given applications engineering duty.
Applications is the company's technical link with the buying public, This
group answers phone calls of technical inquiries and helps customers
with specific problems with the circuits in the lab, when published or
designer information is unavailable. Phone duty is only half of applica-
tions; they develop applications circuits utilizing products and get the
write-ups published, typically through trade magazines such as EDN.
They produce application notes, which serve as practical and educational
reading for customers. A well-developed department will also create data
sheets, lifting the burden from the designers but also enforcing-a level of
quality and similarity in the company's literature. My first two years in
the industry were in this job. In one instance, I forced a redesign of a
circuit I was preparing the data sheet for because it simply did not func-
tion adequately for the end application. Of course, designers always think
their circuits are good enough. A truly seasoned applications engineer
can be involved in new product selection.
The point of this assignment is to teach future designers what to
design, what customers need (as opposed to what they want), how to
interact with the factory, and general market information. I wouldn't let
new grads speak to customers immediately; first they would make data
sheets for new products and be required to play with circuits in the lab to
become familiar with the product line. Making application notes would
be required, guided by senior applications engineers. I believe that devel-
oping good engineering writing skills is important for the designer.
After a couple of months, the engineer would start phone duty. I
think the first few calls should be handled with a senior apps engineer
listening, to coach the young engineer after the calls. It's important that
the engineer be optimally professional and helpful to the customer so as
to represent the company best. Most of us have called other companies
for help with some product problem, only to reach some useless clone.
This stint in applications would last full-time for six months, then be
continued another six months half-time, say mornings for us West Coast
folks.

2. Device modeling would be the next part-time assignment. In ana-
log 1C circuit design, it's very important to use accurate and extensive
model parameters for the circuit simulators. Not having good models has
caused extensive redesign exercises in our early days, and most designers
in the industry never have adequate models. As circuits get faster and
faster, this becomes even more critical. Larger companies have modeling

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