Academic Appointments

Honors & Awards

  • Co-recipient of the Best Student Paper Award, Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS) (2015)
  • NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2015)
  • Co-recipient of the Best Paper Award, IEEE VLSI Circuits Symposium (2014)
  • Faculty Research Award, Google (2014)
  • Young Faculty Award (YFA), DARPA (2014)
  • Best Paper Award, IEEE International Conference in Ultra-Wideband (2013)
  • Hellman Faculty Scholar, Hellman Family Faculty Fund; Stanford University (2013)
  • School of Engineering Terman Fellow, Stanford University (2012)
  • Best Paper Award (2nd Place), IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium (2011)
  • Jack Kilby Outstanding Student Paper Award, IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (2010)
  • Best Paper Award (2nd Place), IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium (2008)

Professional Education

  • BSc, Sharif University of Technology, Electrical Engineering (2005)
  • MSc, UC Berkeley, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (2007)
  • PhD, UC Berkeley, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (2011)

Contact

Links

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Our work covers circuit/system design in three general areas of 1) mm-Wave and THz, 2) Biomedical, and 3) Ultra-Low Power Electronic sensors.

In the high-frequency domain we design systems that handle information flow. On one end this focuses on the development of sensors and devices that enable next-generation interfaces (e.g., radar system design for human-computer interfaces). On the other end we work one next-generation extremely high-throughput wireless and wireline “pipelines” that facilitate information flow on the network.

On the biomedical front we explore system design for emerging and hybrid medical imaging modalities, apply advanced electrical/electromagnetic interface solutions to bio-sensing applications, and investigate new technologies for wireless implants.

In the sensors area we focus on architectural solutions that enable radically-miniaturized sensors. Other topics include power delivery, energy storage, ultra-low power circuit design, asymmetric communication systems, and antenna interfaces.

Example topics include:

1) High-Frequency Circuits and Systems:
- Terahertz generation/detection and high-frequency systems.
- Wideband systems.
- Phased-array systems and architectures. Array imagers.
- Low-power electronics for sensor applications.
- High-throughput communication systems.
- Optoelectronics.

2) Bio-Medical Applications:
- Microwave/millimeter-wave imaging.
- Physics of medical imaging. Multi-modality imaging techniques.
- Biomedical sensors and actuators.

3) Sensors and Electromagnetic Interfaces:
- Integrated antennas. Co-design of antennas and electronics. Antentronics.
- Remote sensing, power delivery and RFIDs.
- Medical Implants

2015-16 Courses

Stanford Advisees

All Publications

  • Fully packaged millimetre-wave dielectric waveguide with multimodal excitation ELECTRONICS LETTERS Dolatsha, N., Saiz, N., Arbabian, A. 2015; 51 (17): 1339-1340

    View details for DOI 10.1049/el.2015.2306

    View details for Web of Science ID 000359725300021

  • A mm-Sized Implantable Medical Device (IMD) With Ultrasonic Power Transfer and a Hybrid Bi-Directional Data Link IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS Charthad, J., Weber, M. J., Chang, T. C., Arbabian, A. 2015; 50 (8): 1741-1753

    View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2015.2427336

    View details for Web of Science ID 000358618500002

  • A Power-Harvesting Pad-Less Millimeter-Sized Radio IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS Tabesh, M., Dolatsha, N., Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A. M. 2015; 50 (4): 962-977

    View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2014.2384034

    View details for Web of Science ID 000352156000013

  • Non-contact thermoacoustic detection of embedded targets using airborne-capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS Nan, H., Boyle, K. C., Apte, N., Aliroteh, M. S., Bhuyan, A., Nikoozadeh, A., Khuri-Yakub, B. T., Arbabian, A. 2015; 106 (8)

    View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4909508

    View details for Web of Science ID 000350546600091

  • Stepped-frequency continuous-wave microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS Nan, H., Arbabian, A. 2014; 104 (22)

    View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4879841

    View details for Web of Science ID 000337161700093

  • Frequency-modulated magneto-acoustic detection and imaging ELECTRONICS LETTERS Aliroteh, M. S., Scott, G., Arbabian, A. 2014; 50 (11): 790-791

    View details for DOI 10.1049/el.2014.0997

    View details for Web of Science ID 000337911200006

  • mm-Wave Silicon: Smarter, Faster, and Cheaper Communication and Imaging. Frequency References, Power Management for SoC, and Smart Wireless Interfaces Niknejad, Ali, M., Arbabian, A., Callender, S., Chen, J., Chien, J., Kang, S. Springer International Publishing. 2014: 281-295
  • A power-harvesting pad-less mm-sized 24/60GHz passive radio with on-chip antennas IEEE VLSI Circuits Symposium Tabesh, M. 2014

    View details for DOI 10.1109/VLSIC.2014.6858380

  • Segmentation and Artifact Removal in Microwave-Induced Thermoacoustic Imaging 2014 36TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC) Nan, H., Chou, T., Arbabian, A. 2014: 4747-4750

    Abstract

    Microwave-induced thermoacoustic (TA) imaging combines the soft-tissue dielectric contrast of microwave excitation with the resolution of ultrasound for the goal of a safe, high resolution, and possibly portable imaging technique. However, the hybrid nature of this method introduces new image-reconstruction challenges in enabling sufficient accuracy and segmentation. In this paper, we propose a segmentation technique based on the polarity characteristic of TA signals. A wavelet analysis based method is proposed to identify reflection artifacts as well. The time-frequency feature of the signal is used to assist differentiating artifacts. Ex vivo verification with experimental data is also provided.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000350044704184

    View details for PubMedID 25571053

  • A 135GHz SiGe Transmitter With A Dielectric Rod Antenna-In-Package For High EIRP/Channel Arrays 2014 IEEE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONFERENCE (CICC) Saiz, N., Dolatsha, N., Arbabian, A. 2014

    View details for Web of Science ID 000349122300144

  • A mm-Sized Implantable Device with Ultrasonic Energy Transfer and RF Data Uplink for High-Power Applications 2014 IEEE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONFERENCE (CICC) Charthad, J., Weber, M. J., Chang, T. C., Saadat, M., Arbabian, A. 2014

    View details for Web of Science ID 000349122300093

  • A 94 GHz mm-Wave-to-Baseband Pulsed-Radar Transceiver with Applications in Imaging and Gesture Recognition IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS Arbabian, A., Callender, S., Kang, S., Rangwala, M., Niknejad, A. M. 2013; 48 (4): 1055-1071

    View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2013.2239004

    View details for Web of Science ID 000316810500017

  • Analysis and Design of a Multi-mode Dielectric Waveguide Interconnect with Planar Excitation Dolatsha, N., Arbabian, A. 2013
  • Dielectric Waveguide with Planar Multi-Mode Excitation for High Data-Rate Chip-to-Chip Interconnects Dolatsha, N., Arbabian, A. 2013
  • A Three-Stage Cascaded Distributed Amplifier with GBW Exceeding 1.5THz IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC) Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A. 2012: 211-214
  • A 94GHz mm-wave to baseband pulsed-radar for imaging and gesture recognition. In VLSI Circuits (VLSIC) Arbabian, A., Kang, S., Callender, S., Chien, J., Afshar, B., Niknejad, A. 2012: 56-57
  • Time-Domain Ultra-Wideband Synthetic Imager (TUSI) in Silicon 2011 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC) Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A. M. 2011: 505-511

    Abstract

    This paper introduces a silicon-based imaging array for remote measurements of complex permittivity of tissue. Using a coherent pulsed measurement approach, this time-frequency resolved technique recovers the three dimensional mapping of electrical properties of the subject in the microwave/millimeter-wave frequency spectrum. Some of the major challenges in the design of the system are described. Initial measurement results from the prototype high-resolution transmitter fabricated in a 0.13 μm SiGe process are described. The transmitter achieves pulse widths suitable for millimeter-level accuracy imaging.

    View details for Web of Science ID 000298810000122

    View details for PubMedID 22254359

  • A 90GHz Pulsed-Transmitter with Near-Field/Far-Field Energy Cancellation using a Dual-Loop Antenna Arbabian, A., Kang, S., Callender, S., Afshar, B., Chien, J., Niknejad, A. 2011
  • 60GHz Low-Loss Compact Phase Shifters Using A Lumped Element Hybrid CICC Tabesh, M., Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A. 2011
  • A 90 GHz Hybrid Switching Pulsed-Transmitter for Medical Imaging IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS Arbabian, A., Callender, S., Kang, S., Afshar, B., Chien, J., Niknejad, A. M. 2010; 45 (12): 2667-2681

    View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2010.2077150

    View details for Web of Science ID 000285052300016

  • A 90GHz Carrier 30GHz Bandwidth Hybrid Switching Transmitter with Integrated Antenna ISSCC 2010 Digest of Teach. Arbabian, et. al., A. 2010: 420-421
  • Design of a CMOS Tapered Cascaded Multistage Distributed Amplifier IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A., M. 2009; 57 (4): 938-947
  • A 90nm CMOS Low-Power 60GH Transceiver with Integrated Baseband Circuitry ISSCC 2010 Digest of Tech. Papers Marcu, C., Chowdhury, D., Thakkar, C., Kong, L., Tabesh, M., Park, J., Arbabian, A. 2009: 314-315
  • A 90nm CMOS Low-Power 60GHz Transceiver with Integrated Baseband Circuitry IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits Marcu, C., Chowdhury, D., Thakkar, C., Park, J., Kong, L., Tabesh, M., Arbabian, A. 2009; 44 (12): 3434-3447
  • A Broadband Distributed Amplifier with Internal Feedback Providing 660GHz GBW in 90nm CMOS ISSCC 2008 Digest of Tech. Papers Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A., M. 2008: 196-197
  • A Tapered Cascaded Multi-Stage Distributed Amplifier with 370GHz GBW in 90nm CMOS Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A., M. 2008
  • A 60-GHz 90- nm CMOS Cascode Amplifier with Interstage Matching Heydari, B., Reynaert, P., Adabi, E., Bohsali, M., Afshar, B., Arbabian, A. 2007
  • Internal Unilaterization Technique for CMOS mm-Wave Amplifiers Heydari, B., Adabi, E., Bohsali, M., Afshar, B., Arbabian, A., Niknejad, A., M. 2007
  • The Optimizations of PRF Staggering in a MTI Radar Arbabian, A., Bastani, M., H., Tabesh, M. 2005
  • Rural Telecommunications in Iran: A Hybrid Solution Tabesh, M., Arbabian, A., Javaheri, H., Jalali, A. 2005