Eric R. Fossum

 

 

 

Expertise:

 

·         Image sensor R&D (CCD, CMOS).  Primary inventor of CMOS active-pixel image sensor and camera-on-a-chip technology.

·         University education - teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels and student development.  Successful at grants and funding.

·         Executive management of high-tech startup companies from inception to acquisition.  CEO of 2 start-up companies.

·         Government funded R&D leadership and management.  NASA/JPL and SBIR program management.

·         Patent expert consultation. Holds over 125 US patents and consultation on half dozen other patent infringement cases.

 

Education:

 

     1984    Ph.D.   Engineering and Applied Science (EE)      Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

     1980    M.S.    Engineering and Applied Science (AP)      Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

     1979    B.S.     Physics and Engineering                            Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

 

Primary Employment:

    

2010-            Research Professor, Thayer School of Engineering  (eff. 7/1/2010)

                       Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

2008-            Consultant

                       Samsung Electronics, Semiconductor R&D Center, South Korea

2005-2007    Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

                       Siimpel Corporation, Arcadia & Pasadena, California

2003-2005    Consultant

                       Various organizations, see below.

2002-2003    Senior Micron Fellow

                       Micron Imaging, Micron Technology Inc., Pasadena, California

2001             Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

                       Photobit Technology Corporation, Pasadena, California

2000             Chief Technology Officer and Chairman of the Board

                       Photobit Corporation, Pasadena, California

1996-2000    Chief Scientist / Technology Division Director and Chairman of the Board

                       Photobit Corporation, Pasadena, California

1990-1996    Technical Assistant Section Manager

                       for Image Sensor and Focal Plane Technology

                       Observational Systems Division

                       Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

1989-1990    Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering,

                       Columbia University, New York, New York

1984-1989    Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering,

                       Columbia University, New York, New York

1983             Acting Instructor

                       Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

198l-1983     Member of the Technical Staff

                       (Summers) Hughes Aircraft Company Missile Systems Group, Canoga Park, California

1979-1984    Graduate Research Assistant

                       Department of Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

1978-1979    Systems Analyst/Programmer

                       (Summers)  American Management Systems, Rosslyn, Virginia

1977-1979    Systems Analyst/Programmer

                       (Part time)  Trinity College, Admissions & Financial Aid Department, Hartford, Connecticut

1973-1977    Systems Analyst/Programmer

                       (Part time)  Calpurnia Associates, Avon, Connecticut

 

Other Concurrent Appointments:

    

2010-            Founder and Chief Executive Officer

                       Fovius Corporation

2007-            President

                       ImageSensors Incorporated – A California Non-Profit, Public Benefit Corporation

2006-            Founding Member

                       Active Pixel Associates LLC

2005-2008    Board of Advisors

                       Canesta Corporation, San Jose, CA

2004-            Consultant (Business, Technical, and Patent-Related)

                       Jones Day (04), McDermott, Will & Emery (07), Canesta(04, 07), SiWave (04), Forza Silicon (07), Samsung Semiconductor (08-), Weil, Gotshal & Manges (09-10),

                       Wilson-Cook Medical (09)   

2001-            General Partner

                       Winnibit LP                           

2001-2007    Adjunct (Full) Professor

                       Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

2001-2001    Director

                       Photobit Corporation and Photobit Technology Corporation

1995-2000    Director and Chairman of the Board

                       Photobit Corporation

1996-1999    Adjunct (Full) Professor

                       Department of Electrical Engineering University of California, Los Angeles California

1994-1996    Senior Research Scientist

                       Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

1990-1994    Adjunct (Associate) Professor

                       Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York

1989-1990    Distinguished Visiting Scientist

                       Jet Propulsion Laboratory

1985-1996    Consultant

                       IBM Research (85-90), Kulite Semiconductor (87-88),  JPL (88-90), Lockheed (89), GE (89), Honeywell (90), NATO/AGARD-NDRE (91),Synaptics (91), Photobit (95-96)

 

Awards and Fellowships:

    

2010             Inventor of the Year, New York Intellectual Property Law Association (link)

2009             IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award (link)

2004             Royal Photographic Society Progress Medal and Honorary Fellowship (link)

2004             Trinity College Alumni Achievement Award (link)

2003             Photographic Society of America Progress Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Photography (link)

1999             NASA/DoD Space Technology Hall of Fame (link)

1998             Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

1997             Trinity College Century of Engineering Citation for Scientific and Technical Innovation

1996             NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal

1996             NASA Group Achievement Award

1995,2002    NASA Space Act Monetary Award

1992             JPL Lew Allen Award for Excellence

1989             Columbia-NCR Stakeholder Partnership Innovation Award

1988-1990    Analog Devices Career Development Award

1986-1990    National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award

1984-1985    IBM Faculty Development Award

1984             Yale University Henry Prentiss Becton Prize for Excellence in Engineering and Applied Science

1983             Hughes Aircraft Company Division Invention Award

1981-1984    Howard Hughes Graduate Fellowship

1980-1981    IBM Graduate Fellowship

1979-1980    Yale University Fellowship

1979             Trinity College Honors in Physics; President's Fellow in Physics; Senior Physics Prize

1970             Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow

 

Memberships:

 

     Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE, Fellow)

 

Professional Activities:

 

     Founder and Organizing Committee

 

2009             International Image Sensor Workshop, Bergen, Norway

2007             International Image Sensor Workshop (& Local Arrangements Chair), Ogunquit, Maine USA

2005             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors, Karuizawa, Japan

2003             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors, Bavaria, Germany

2001             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors (Chair), Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

1999             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors, Karuizawa, Japan

1997             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors, Brugge, Belgium

1996             SPIE Aerospace Sensing/Infrared Imaging - IR Readout Electronics III (Chair), Orlando, Florida, USA

1995             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors (Chair) Dana Point, California, USA

1994             SPIE Aerospace Sensing/Infrared Imaging - IR Readout Electronics II (Chair), Orlando, Florida, USA

1993             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors (Co-Chair), Waterloo, Canada

1992             SPIE Aerospace Sensing/Infrared Imaging - IR Readout Electronics (Chair), Orlando, Florida, USA

1991             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices (Co-Chair), Waterloo, Canada

1990             IEEE Workshop on Advanced Solid-State Image Sensors (Chair), Harriman, New York, USA

1986             IEEE Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices (Chair), Harriman, New York, USA

 

     Co-Chairman

 

1991             SPIE Infrared Sensors: Detectors, Electronics and Signal Processing

1990             SPIE/SPSE Symposium on Electronic Imaging

 

     Editor

 

2009             Guest Editor-in-Chief, Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices on Solid-State Image Sensors, November 2009

2003             Guest Editor-in-Chief, Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices on Solid-State Image Sensors, January 2003

1997-1999    Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems

1997             Guest Editor Special Issue of IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits on the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (Images Sensors and Displays), December 1997

1997             Guest Editor-in-Chief Special Issue of IEEE Transaction on Electron Devices on Solid-State Image Sensors, October 1997

 

     Program Committees

 

1998             8th European Symposium on Semiconductor Detectors

1997-1998    IEEE International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC)

1996             IEEE/ISSCC Workshop on CMOS Imaging Technology

1994             International CMOS Camera Workshop

1992             NASA/SDIO Innovative Long-wavelength  Infrared Detector Workshop

1991-1993    IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM)

                     Detectors, Sensors and Displays Subcommittee ('93 Chair)

1987-1989    IEEE Semiconductor Interface Specialist's Conference (SISC)

 

     Organizer and Instructor

 

1991             NATO/AGARD/NDRE Short Course on Advanced Image Sensors

1988             Columbia University MSL Short Course on Charge-Coupled Devices

1986             IBM-TV Device Microfabrication (a full semester course)

 

     Panels

 

2007             IEEE Senior Member Selection Panel

1997             IEEE ISSCC Evening Discussion Session (Moderator)

1996             DARPA/ETO Wearables in 2005 Workshop

1996             NASA Origins Technology Workshop     

1996             IEEE ISSCC Evening Panel Discussion, Photons-to-Bits

1995             Optoelectronics Industry Dev. Assoc. - Image Sensors Workshop (Chair)

1994             National Science Foundation  - Optical Science and Engineering Workshop

1994             SPIE Smart Focal Plane Array Workshop

1992             NASA Microtechnologies and Appl. to Space Systems Workshop

1991             NASA Planetary Instruments Workshop (Panel Co-chair)

1991             IEEE Device Research Symposium - Charge Storage Devices

1991             NASA AstroTech 21 Workshop (Panel Chair)

1990             National Academy of Sciences - NSF Graduate Fellowships Selection

 

     Technical Groups

 

1991-1995    NASA OSAT Sensor Working Group (Code X)

1991-1992    AIAA Sensor Systems Technical Committee

1990-1994    SPIE Electronic Imaging Working Group

 

Ph.D. Dissertation Research Supervision:

 

S.S. Todorov, Interactions of Low-Energy Oxygen Ions with Silicon Surfaces (Columbia 1987)

R.E. Colbeth,GaAs Charge-Coupled Device Circuits for High Speed Signal Processing(Columbia 1989)

R.W. Ade,Optical Interconnection by Vertical Coupling of Single-Mode Fibers to Semiconductors (Columbia 1990).

E-S. Eid, Charge-Coupled Device Focal-Plane Processors (Columbia 1990)

J-I. Song, Resistive-Gate AlGaAs/GaAs Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Charge-Coupled Devices (Columbia 1990).

S.E. Kemeny, CCD Focal-Plane Image Reorganization Processors (Columbia 1991)

D.V. Rossi, InGaAs Resistive Gate Charge-Coupled Devices (Columbia 1992)

B. Pain, Low Noise CMOS Circuits for On-Chip Signal Processing in Focal-Plane Arrays (Columbia 1993)

S. Mendis, CMOS Active Pixel Image Sensors and On-Chip Signal Processing (Columbia 1994)

Z. Zhou, On-Focal Plane Signal Processing for CMOS Active Pixel Sensors (UCLA 1997)

M. Wang, High Dynamic Range CMOS Active Pixel Sensors (USC 2001)

     A. K.-B. Cho, Micropower, Microsized CMOS Camera-on-a-Chip (USC 2001).

     S. Ay, Design Issues and Performance of Large Format Scientific CMOS Image Sensors, (USC 2004).

 

Courses Taught:

 

Semiconductor Devices and Lab (Junior-level and Graduate Level)

Principles of Device Microfabrication and Lab (Senior/Graduate Level)

Quantum Mechanics for Engineers (Senior Level)

Electromagnetics (Senior Level)

MOS Devices (Graduate Level)

Imaging Devices (Graduate Level)

 

Publications and Inventions:

 

Total publications (not incl. patents):                 >240

  Please see publications list for full details.

  H-index (E.R. Fossum):                                      36

 

U.S. Patents granted:                                        >125

  Please see patents list for full details.

 

Volunteer Activities:

 

2008                        Director/Secretary, Home Owner’s Association Board of Directors

2007-                      President, ImageSensors, Inc.

2002-2004              Trinity College Board of Fellows

1999-2005              American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) Coach and Referee

1998-                      Trinity College Engineering Advisory Council (Chair 2000-2002)

1997-                      Talcott Mountain Science Center Science Advisory Council

1995-1998              Boston Museum of  Science, Science-by-Mail Volunteer Scientist

1991-1995              Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mentoring Program

1988-1990              Columbia University Minority Double Discovery Center Board