Keith Lofstrom
Keith Lofstrom is an electrical engineer. He has a BSEE and MSEE from University of California, Berkeley.[1] He is more widely known in the space advocacy community for a ground-based space launcher design, the Launch Loop,[2][3][4] for which he has been credited by name in several works of science fiction.[5][6][7][8] Frederick Pohl, who used the idea in several of his stories, once wrote that, of all the non-rocket spacelaunch concepts, he liked the Lofstrom Loop "best of all."[9]
As an electrical engineer, Lofstrom specializes in mixed-signal integrated circuit design. A paper he wrote on boundary scan methods was one of two to receive an Honorable Mention at the 1997 IEEE International Test Conference.[10] One of his 9 patents is for a way to read an individual digital ID for integrated circuits that arises from random atomic variations inherent in the semiconductor device fabrication process.[11][12][13]
One of his more recent efforts in speculative space systems is Server Sky, a very large satellite constellation in Earth orbit using thin-film solar cells to power data center computers integrated into the same wafers as the PV cells.[14]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Lofstrom, Keith (1975), "Sinusoidal supply Josephson logic", U.C. Berkeley masters thesis, http://books.google.com/books?id=2WQMGwAACAAJ&dq=sinusoidal.supply.josephson.logic&hl=en&ei=YtYsTqKBGe_4mAWFi_25Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA
- ^ Lofstrom, Keith H. (8-10 July 1985) (PDF). The launch loop -- a low cost Earth-to-high orbit launch system - Paper 85-1368. Monterey, CA: 21st AIAA, SAE, ASME, and ASEE, Joint Propulsion Conference. http://launchloop.com/LaunchLoop?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=launchloop.pdf.
- ^ Radley, Charles (September 14, 2009). "Local inventor says launch loop would greatly reduce cost of space travel". Gadgets and Tech: Portland Science Examiner (San Francisco: Examiner.com).
- ^ Bolonkin, Alexander A. (2006). "Space Towers". In Badescu, Viorel; Cathcart, Richard Brook; Schuiling, Roelof D.. Macro-engineering: a challenge for the future. Springer. pp. 146–7. ISBN 1402037392.
- ^ Pohl, Frederick (1983). "Gateway III — Beyond the Gate (Part 1 of 3)". Amazing Science-Fiction (Ultimate Pub. Co) 57: 80.
- ^ Pohl, Frederick (1983). Heechee Rendezvous. 3. Ballantine Books. p. 91. ISBN 0345300629.
- ^ Clarke, Arthur C.; Pohl, Frederick (February 2009). The Last Theorem. London: HarperVoyager. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-00-729002-4.
- ^ Forward, Robert L. (1985). Starquake. London: Ballantine. p. v. ISBN 9780345283498.
- ^ "Interview with Frederick Pohl". Amazing Science-Fiction (Ultimate Pub. Co) 69 (590): 98. 1995. http://books.google.com/books?ei=Dw8tTr6NO66imQXUhP25Dw&ct=result&id=UG0sAQAAIAAJ&dq=lofstrom+loop&q=best.of.all#search_anchor.
- ^ IEEE International Test Conference Proceedings. 1997. p. 8. ISBN 0780342100. [1]
- ^ US 6161213, Lofstrom, Keith, "System for providing an integrated circuit with a unique identification", published Dec 12, 2000, issued Dec 12, 2000
- ^ "A unique, repeatable, individual digital ID". Nov 30, 2007. http://www.siidtech.com/index.html. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ Lofstrom, K.; Daasch, W.; Taylor, D.. "IC Identification Circuit using Device Mismatch". 2000 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers 43. IEEE Cat. No. OOCH37056. http://www.siidtech.com/isscc2K.pdf. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ Lofstrom, Keith (Winter 2010). "Server Sky - Data Centers in Orbit". Online Journal of Space Communication (16). http://spacejournal.ohio.edu/issue16/lofstrom.html.
[edit] External links
- Personal website
- KLIC - IC design consultancy
- Server Sky - proposed solar-powered satellite-based computing substrate
- Space Elevator Stage 1: Through the Stratosphere, John Chapman, Keith Lofstrom. Space Elevator Conference 2011, Redmond, WA August 14-16. [Use Page Up and Page Down keys to navigate.]
