Room: 3001, Bldg: CEI, faculty of Engineering, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, N9B3P4

Abstract: Phase-change materials (PCMs) have emerged as a promising platform to modulate light in a nonvolatile manner—a reversible switching between their stable amorphous and crystalline states leads to an impressive refractive index contrast (∆n, ∆k ~1−3). The last decade has seen a growing interest in such a combination of properties for a variety of nonvolatile programmable devices, such as metasurfaces, tunable filters, phase/amplitude modulators, color pixels, thermal camouflage, photonic memories/computing, plasmonics, and more. Thus, PCMs have demonstrated outstanding versatility and integration in low-energy photonic applications. Integrated photonics, in particular, has benefited from the progress of PCMs such as Sb2Se3 and Ge2Sb2Te5 for ultra-compact phase and amplitude modulators, respectively, using all-optical and electro-thermal approaches. These low-energy devices allow small-form-factor quasi-passive silicon photonics, i.e. silicon photonics with zero-static power, yet with the ability to reconfigure actively—crucial properties in applications such as in-memory computing, optical synapses, zero-power photonic switches, trimming, and optical storage. This talk will discuss the fundamental principles and switching mechanisms of PCMs in integrated photonic platforms and the state-of-the-art achievements, current efforts, and open challenges.Bio: Carlos A. Ríos Ocampo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has led the Photonic Materials & Devices groups since 2021. Before joining UMD, Carlos was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT, received a DPhil (PhD) degree in 2017 from the University of Oxford (UK), an MSc degree in Optics and Photonics in 2013 from the KIT (Germany), and a BSc in Physics in 2010 from the University of Antioquia (Colombia). Carlos’s scientific interests focus on studying and developing new on-chip technologies driven by the synergy between nanomaterials and photonics.Local J-1035 Pavillon J. A. Bombardier, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Delivering thousands of amps to the next generation of high-speed digital designs is fast becoming the biggest design challenge for the next generation of custom multi-die packages, AI Chips, and cloud server applications. End-to-end power integrity digital twins with multiphase voltage regulators, PCB PDN with 100’s of capacitors, and dynamic loads are critical for mitigating expensive hardware failures when working with thousands of amps. This presentation will explore the model fidelity trade-offs and lessons learned from simulating the Picotest 2000 Amp Transient Load Stepper demo board with a 55-phase MPS horizontal power delivery topology and over 700 decoupling capacitors.Constructing and validating the PI digital twin will demonstrate various power integrity simulation tools. EM simulators for DC IR Drop, DC Electrothermal, and AC EM with Decap optimization. Traditional frequency domain analysis with target impedance combined with the Sandler Non-Invasive Stability Margin (NISM) for assessing phase margin helps mitigate resonances by designing for low Q flat impedance. Voltage regulator modeling brings up the challenges of dynamic control loops with small signal and non-linear large signal behavior. Final end-to-end digital twin simulations make use of frequency domain Harmonic Balance simulators to jump directly to steady-state transient power rail ripple for final pass/fail criteria.Speaker(s): Heidi Barnes, Bldg: HUB 350, 350 Legget Dr, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, K2K 0G7

Announcement: Workshop on Introduction to Industrial Robot ProgrammingThe IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES), Windsor Section, is pleased to host a hands-on workshop titled "Introduction to Industrial Robot Programming" at the University of Windsor’s Mechatronics Lab.Led by Dr. Saeed Mozaffari, this workshop will cover essential topics in industrial robotics, including hardware overview, task preparation, program creation, and real-world applications such as stacking and palletizing. Participants will gain valuable skills in robot programming and optimization.This event is part of IEEE Week, and we encourage students, professionals, and enthusiasts to join us.For additional information, please contact:- Chair: Armita Fatemimoghadam- Vice Chair: Hadi MohajeraniThis workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of programming industrial robots. Participants will gain an understanding of robot hardware, control systems, and key concepts such as tool center points (TCP) and task preparation. Through interactive sessions, attendees will learn how to create and optimize robot programs, control motion types, and interact with external devices like sensors and conveyors. The workshop will also cover program flow using variables, if-else logic, and subprograms, with real-world applications such as stacking and palletizing tasks.By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with the foundational skills needed to program and optimize industrial robots for various applications.Speaker(s): Dr. Saeed Mozaffari, Dr. Shahpour AlirezaeeAgenda: -Welcome and Introduction- Workshop goals and brief overview-Robot at a Glance- Hardware overview- Control box, teach pendant, and tool center point (TCP)-Preparing a Robot Task- Turning on/off end-effectors- Connecting sensors and conveyors-Creating a Program- Setting waypoints and motion types- External device interaction and controlling conveyors-Optimizing Performance- Speed, acceleration, and blend radius-Program Flow- Variables, if-else logic, and subprograms-Applications- Stacking and palletizing tasks-Q&A and Wrap-Up- Summary and final questionsRoom: Mechatronics Lab (CEI Building- Room 1177), Bldg: E.D. Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation (CEI), 2285 Wyandotte St W, , University of Windsor, Windsor, ON , Ontario, Canada, N9B 1K3

Overview:In the high-stakes world of large corporate IT, conducting a Request-for-Proposal (RFP) for an enterprise system is like orchestrating a symphony of diverse stakeholders, intricate technical requirements, and strategic business objectives. Join Winnie Lai-Fong as she shares the art and science behind executing a win-win RFP process that satisfies both internal stakeholders and potential vendors.Get answers to these questions:- Who do you invite to play - Set the stage for success by clarifying the project's “why” and curating a list of worthy contenders.- What does the RFP include - The content is woven from the threads of user needs, technical specifications, and operational demands, with stakeholder management as the vital element in the success of the entire endeavour.- What are the rules - Establish clear rules of engagement, including a robust evaluation framework that paves the way for a fair and transparent selection process.- What to watch out for - Be wary of various pitfalls involving the vendors and the internal organization.Come join this presentation and find out how you can help your organization to transform the daunting RFP process into a strategic opportunity to align technology with business goals.Program Format:This is an interactive workshop.Q&A:Come with questions from your RFP challenges, or just share your own experiences.Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/427995