Terahertz Test and Measurement: On Earth and Elsewhere

Room: Room 137, Bldg: McLennan Physical Labs, 255 Huron Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This talk will focus on the development of THz test and measurement techniques and methods based on the up- and down-conversion of microwave signals using the nonlinearity of the Schottky diode. Originally driven by niche scientific requirements, the technology was given a big push with the design, development, and construction of the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) receivers. The development of tunerless broadband frequency multipliers up to 1 THz was a key enabler of the ALMA receivers. The tools and techniques acquired in this development (both in design and manufacture) led to frequency multipliers and mixers covering full waveguide bands without the use of mechanical tuning. This in combination with higher-frequency power amplifiers enabled the full transmitter and receiver chains required to extend the signal generation, spectrum analysis, and vector network analysis up to 1 THz and beyond. As the sub-millimeter spectrum gains more complex applications, the next generation of test equipment requires more advanced capabilities—such as high signal purity, power control and leveling, and noise figure measurements. And coming full circle, the test equipment developments have enabled novel highly integrated sub-millimeter receivers for planetary and atmospheric sensing on new CubeSat and other microSat platforms. Speaker(s): Dr. Eric W. Bryerton, ***CANCELED*** Room: Room 137, Bldg: McLennan Physical Labs, 255 Huron Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

MakeUofT – Canada’s Largest Makeathon

Bldg: Myhal Center, 55 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 0C9

Join IEEE UofT at MakeUofT 2025 - the biggest annual make-athon in all of Canada! Find 2-4 friends and together, create something amazing and tangible using hardware and electronic components! This year, our three themes are sustainability, wearable technology, and video games! Have no hardware on hand? No problem - we have more than $5,000 worth of hardware equipment available for rent (including microcontrollers, sensors, motors, lights, cameras, and other electronic components)! Have no experience working with electronic components? No problem! We have experienced mentors available to help! Have your project be judged by our veteran judges from industry & academia, and potentially win a prize from our $2,500+ prize pool! Join 350+ hackers on February 15-16, 2025 at MakeUofT 2025! Bldg: Myhal Center, 55 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 0C9

Enhancement of Key Generation Rate in QKD systems using dual branch PNR detectors

Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/466855

Enhancement of Key Generation Rate in QKD systems using dual branch PNR detectors Abstract: A new architecture based on dual-branch photon-number-resolving (DB-PNR) detectors for the receiver in the hybrid quantum key distribution (QKD) is introduced. DB-PNR scheme empowers the receiver to detect both quadratures of the coherent state simultaneously. Our results show that using DB-PNR detectors, the key generation rate (KGR) is almost doubled as compared to homodyne detection which detects only one quadrature at a time. The mutual information is enhanced by around 0.85 bits/symbol using DB-PNR as compared to heterodyne detection. DB-PNR is also found to outperform the heterodyne detection against Eve’s individual and collective attacks. PNR-based detection schemes require less local oscillator (LO) power compared to homodyne/heterodyne detection schemes and thereby, the power efficiency of the receiver is enhanced. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Amélioration du taux de génération de clés dans les systèmes QKD à l'aide de détecteurs PNR à double branche Résumé : Une nouvelle architecture basée sur des détecteurs à double branche de résolution du nombre de photons (DB-PNR) pour le récepteur dans la distribution de clés quantiques hybride (QKD) est introduite. Le schéma DB-PNR permet au récepteur de détecter simultanément les deux quadratures de l'état cohérent. Nos résultats montrent qu'en utilisant des détecteurs DB-PNR, le taux de génération de clés (KGR) est presque doublé par rapport à la détection homodyne qui ne détecte qu'une seule quadrature à la fois. L'information mutuelle est améliorée d'environ 0,85 bits/symbole en utilisant DB-PNR par rapport à la détection hétérodyne. Il a également été constaté que DB-PNR surpasse la détection hétérodyne contre les attaques individuelles et collectives d'Eve. Les schémas de détection basés sur PNR nécessitent moins de puissance d'oscillateur local (LO) par rapport aux schémas de détection homodyne/hétérodyne et, par conséquent, l'efficacité énergétique du récepteur est améliorée. [] Amir Hossein Yazdanpour (PhD student at McMaster in Prof. Kumar’s team) About / A propos The High Throughput and Secure Networks (HTSN) Challenge program is hosting regular virtual seminar series to promote scientific information sharing, discussions, and interactions between researchers. https://nrc.canada.ca/en/research-development/research-collaboration/programs/high-throughput-secure-networks-challenge-program Le programme Réseaux Sécurisés à Haut Débit (RSHD) organise régulièrement des séries de séminaires virtuels pour promouvoir le partage d’informations scientifiques, les discussions et les interactions entre chercheurs. https://nrc.canada.ca/fr/recherche-developpement/recherche-collaboration/programmes/programme-defi-reseaux-securises-haut-debit Co-sponsored by: National Research Council, Canada. Optonique. Speaker(s): Amir Hossein Yazdanpour, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/466855

Networking Evening

Room: Fireside Gallery, Bldg: L Block, Progress Campus, 941 Progress Ave, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1G 3T8

Our IEEE Student Branch collaborated with the biggest College Club to host an engaging networking event aimed at fostering connections and promoting the benefits of IEEE membership. The event brought together students from various fields, creating a platform for idea exchange and potential collaborations. A key highlight will be the IEEE promotion presentation, where attendees will learn more about the organization, its resources, and the opportunities it offers for personal and professional growth. The Club will be providing snacks and refreshments. Co-sponsored by: CCSAI Agenda: 6:00 - 6:20 Welcome attendees and College Faculty 6:20 - 6:50 IEEE Presentation 6:50 - 7:10 Pizza Break 7:10 - 7:30 Interactive Games (Kahoot) 7:30 - 8:00 Networking + QnA Room: Fireside Gallery, Bldg: L Block, Progress Campus, 941 Progress Ave, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1G 3T8

Team Meeting

941 Progress Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Introductory meeting discussing the structure, roles, and responsibilities of the Centennial student branch. 941 Progress Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Wireless Security for the Internet of Things: Device Authentication and Key Generation

Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/469987

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a disruptive technology that has fundamentally transformed our everyday life, including many exciting applications such as smart cities, smart homes, connected healthcare, etc. This revolution will not be viable if we cannot provide a secure connection. The current communication networks are protected by conventional cryptography, which is based on complicated mathematical algorithms and/or protocols. However, the IoT consists of many low-cost devices with limited computational capacity and battery power, which cannot afford costly cryptography. Physical layer security (PLS) has demonstrated great potential in protecting IoT, because it can achieve security in a lightweight manner. This talk will give a comprehensive presentation to our recent research on PLS for IoT. In the first part, we will present an emerging device authentication technique based on radio frequency fingerprint identification (RFFI). There are minute, unique, and stable hardware impairments originating from the manufacturing process, which can be extracted as device fingerprints to authenticate the identity of IoT devices. We will elaborate on how deep learning is leveraged to enhance RFFI performance. In the second part, we will introduce key generation from wireless channels. The channel characteristics are unpredictable and dynamic, and their randomness can be exploited as the cryptographic keys to enable secure communications. Our research findings on experimental evaluation with practical wireless standards including WiFi and LoRa will be presented. Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/469987

IEEE Toronto Blockchain Meetup

Room: 806, International Business University, 80 Bloor St West, 8th floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2V1

Blockchain Meetups have been the hallmark of Toronto since the early days of Bitcoin, famously leading to the birth of Ethereum. The IEEE Toronto local group of the Blockchain Technical Community (BCTC) is proud to continue the tradition of engineering-focused gathering where the builders of new protocols and apps are sharing knowledge, developing standards, and collaborating on disruptive industry solutions.[] Co-sponsored by: International Business University (IBU) Speaker(s): Ehsan Shariati, Shahla Nikbakht Agenda: - - 6:30 pm - Door opening - 7 pm - Welcome and introductions - 7:10 pm - Talk #1: Going Deeper into DePIN (+ Q&As) - 7:40 pm - Talk #2: MotoLedger – Trust and Transparency in Vehicle Lifecycle (+ Q&As) - 8:10 pm - Networking Room: 806, International Business University, 80 Bloor St West, 8th floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2V1

Resume Roast Session for Undergraduates

Room: 212, Bldg: E, 1 Georgian Dr, Barrie, Ontario, Canada, L4M 3X9, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/462070

Are you ready to level up your resume and make it recruiter-proof? Join us for the Resume Roast Session, where we put your resumes under the spotlight and give you honest, constructive, and (sometimes) brutally helpful feedback to make sure you stand out in the job market! Speaker(s): Mohit, Room: 212, Bldg: E, 1 Georgian Dr, Barrie, Ontario, Canada, L4M 3X9, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/462070

Rohde & Schwarz Industry Night

Room: 229 B, Bldg: K, 1 Georgian Dr, Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Get ready for an exciting IEEE Industry Night, co-hosted by Rohde & Schwarz! We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Anis Ben Arfi, a leading expert in test and measurement technologies, for a dynamic and engaging presentation. Dr. Ben Arfi will dive into the fascinating world of oscilloscopes — one of the most powerful and essential tools in an engineer’s toolkit. From troubleshooting and analyzing circuits to design and validation, oscilloscopes are at the heart of modern engineering, and this session will show you exactly why. Whether you’re new to using oscilloscopes or eager to sharpen your skills, this is your chance to gain practical knowledge, boost your confidence, and learn how these tools are used in real-world industry settings. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from an industry leader, ask questions, and connect with fellow students and professionals! Co-sponsored by: Rohde & Schwarz Speaker(s): Anis Ben Arfi Room: 229 B, Bldg: K, 1 Georgian Dr, Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Visual AI Hackathon

Bldg: Toronto Metropolitan University, Rooms KHE 117, Kerr Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3

When and Where - March 22, 2025 | 8:00AM – 9:00PM - (https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/maps/pdf/campus_map.pdf), Rooms KHE 117, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 Registration https://voxel51.com/computer-vision-events/visual-ai-hackathon-march-22-2025/ Visual AI Hackathon at Toronto Metropolitan University Join us for an exciting hackathon where ML enthusiasts and college students alike will come together to tackle real-world challenges in the field. With prizes, food, refreshments, and swag, participants can expect an immersive experience filled with learning, networking, and the opportunity to showcase their skills. Whether you’re a beginner eager to explore foundational concepts or an intermediate looking to add flair to your projects, this event offers something for everyone. Attend workshops during the hackathon to learn some of the best practices in Computer Vision and ML. Judges, including industry experts, will evaluate submissions across various levels, with prizes awarded to the most innovative solutions. Don’t miss out on this chance to collaborate, learn, and contribute to the vibrant AI community. Come build projects, engage with fellow enthusiasts, and be part of the future of machine learning What you can expect - Tech Talks: Deep dive tech talks on Computer Vision and Data-Centric AI. - Hands-on Workshops: Learn how to build AI applications through code examples - Engaging Challenges: Tackle real-world problems with AI solutions. - Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow developers, builders, and industry experts. - Exciting Prizes: Demo your projects and compete for cash prizes. Join one of our three tracks - Level 0 – Beginner: For those who are just getting started on their ML Journey! - Level 1: – Intermediate: For those familiar with some Data Science or ML practices, but looking to level up! - Level 2 – Expert: For those who are the frontier of ML or Computer Vision today looking to make a positive impact! Speaker(s): Ali Faraji, Harpreet Sahota, Steve Pousty Bldg: Toronto Metropolitan University, Rooms KHE 117, Kerr Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3

An End-to-End Approach to the Challenges in Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) and Packaging

Room: MC603, 6th floor, Bldg: McConnell Engineering building, 3480 rue University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 0C3, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/472834

Abstract : AIM Photonics, a Department of Defense (DoD) Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII), offers end-to-end services in photonic integrated circuits (PICs), interposers, heterogeneous integration (HI), electronic photonic design automation (EPDA), and packaging. AIM Photonics leverages the 300 mm Albany NanoTech Complex and the Test Assembly and Packaging (TAP) facility in Rochester, NY, to provide these state-of-the-art capabilities. As a DoD MII, AIM Photonics’ mission is to advance the photonics and packaging industries to help improve the U.S. ecosystem and build a skilled workforce. This talk will focus on how AIM Photonics is accomplishing its mission. To help advance the ecosystem, AIM Photonics offers interposer technologies and the two fundamental PIC technologies: Base Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) and SiN MPW, which are optimized for sensors. In addition to the current offerings, AIM Photonics will soon offer a Quantum Flex (QFlex) MPW optimized for quantum applications. Because of the challenges in photonic packaging, packaging PIC chips into functional optoelectronic systems has not fully incorporated the advances made in electronic packaging. Addressing these challenges will require a coordinated development of PIC fabrication processes and packaging technologies. An end-to-end development cycle that includes the PIC and packaging is critical. This talk will discuss the AIM Photonics ecosystem and provide specific examples to illustrate co-processing and co-design. Another challenge that AIM Photonics is addressing is the development of a skilled workforce. This talk will share an overview of our education and workforce development programs, which aim to build a qualified workforce to support the U.S. ecosystem. Co-sponsored by: McGill Optica Student Chapter Speaker(s): David Harame Agenda: 12 - 1:30 pm: networking lunch, with students (on-site only) 1:30 – 3 pm: technical seminar presentation (hybrid) Room: MC603, 6th floor, Bldg: McConnell Engineering building, 3480 rue University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 0C3, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/472834

Distinguished Lecture Double Feature: Dr. Rabia Yazicigil and Dr. Alvin Loke

Room: SF2202, Bldg: Sandford Fleming Building, 10 King's College Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G4

SSCS Toronto is pleased to host two incredible speakers for a double feature distinguished lecture. The first speaker who will present from 3:00pm to 4:00pm is Dr. Rabia Yazicigil. Her talk is: Title: The Circuit Frontier: Innovating and Expanding ASIC Solutions for Enhanced Biosensing and Seamless Wireless Communication Abstract: This talk will introduce Cyber-Secure Biological Systems, leveraging living sensors constructed from engineered biological entities seamlessly integrated with solid-state circuits. This unique synergy harnesses the advantages of biology while incorporating the reliability and communication infrastructure of electronics, offering a unique solution to societal challenges in healthcare and environmental monitoring. In this talk, examples of Cyber-Secure Biological Systems, such as miniaturized ingestible bioelectronic capsules for gastrointestinal tract monitoring and hybrid microfluidic-bioelectronic systems for environmental monitoring, will be presented. Additionally, I will introduce a universal noise-centric data decoding approach using GRAND that facilitates ultra-low-energy wireless communications, a critical requirement for the success of these biological systems and numerous other applications. In this talk, I will delve into the intricacies of interdisciplinary approach for system design, spotlighting the potential of energy-efficient integrated circuits in the domains of biosensing and wireless communications. These collaborative research projects involve MIT BE/MechE, BU ECE/BME, and MIT RLE-Northeastern University. The second speaker who will present from 4:00pm to 5:00pm is Dr. Alvin Loke. His talk is: Title: The Road to Gate-All-Around CMOS Abstract: Despite the much debated end of Moore's Law, CMOS scaling still maintains economic relevance with 3nm finFET SoCs already in the marketplace for over a year and 2nm gate-all-around SoCs well into risk production. Modest feature size reduction and design/technology innovations co-optimized for primarily logic scaling continue to offer compelling node-to-node power, performance, area, and cost benefits. In this tutorial, we will start with a walk through memory lane, recounting a brief history of transistor evolution to motivate the migration from the planar MOSFET to the fully depleted FinFET. We will summarize the key process technology elements that have enabled the finFET CMOS nodes, highlighting the resulting device technology characteristics and challenges. This will set the context for motivating the introduction of the gate-all-around device architecture, namely nanoribbons or nanosheets, and unveiling the magic of how these devices are fabricated. Speaker(s): Rabia, Alvin Room: SF2202, Bldg: Sandford Fleming Building, 10 King's College Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G4