Dr. Claudio Talarico, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is collaborating with Google and the University of Arizona to optimize the design of a transimpedance amplifier that will improve the way fiber optic networks transmit and receive signals.
Low-noise, low-power, high-speed transimpedance amplifiers are one of the key building blocks of the optical communication infrastructure that enable more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, such as cell phones, automobiles with wireless network connections, and field devices used by first responders. Dr. Talarico’s research focuses on increasing the amount of data that can be processed by the receiving device.
Dr. Talarico mentored Hani Lashgari (’15), a computer engineering student who worked on the project through the academic year.
“This was an extraordinary experience, especially for an undergraduate student, and it gave me deeper insight into my field of study,” said Lashgari, who hopes to continue this research in graduate school. He appreciates the guidance he received from Dr. Talarico: “I learned how to enhance amplifiers to meet the desired specifications, and how to remove bottlenecks to make them more efficient.”