Leader of the Electronics Circuits and Systems Research Group (ECAS) of the Electronics Engineering Department at the UAB since 2003. The Group has been recognized as consolidated by the Generalitat of Catalunya (SGR2005-00157, SGR2009-1375, SGR2014-1074 and SGR2017-1499). The research goals are related with the development of new integrated systems based on CMOS VLSI analog circuitry and the integration of micro and nano electromechanical (MEMS/NEMS) resonators including ultrasound transducers based on piezoelectrical materials for low power-demanded high performance sensors as well as RF signal processing devices.  During these years, the group has made pioneering and relevant contributions to the areas of MEMS/NEMS and its integration in standard CMOS, for which it has become internationally recognized.   Main scientific achievements: a) Novel and relevant contributions on the modelization of electrical breakdown of silicon dioxide thin films and its statistical behavior. b) Pioneering research in the study of the oxidation of silicon by SPM techniques with high impact on the development of nanolithography techniques. c) Pioneering research on the integration of MEMS and NEMS electrostaric resonators in standard CMOS technologies using special lithographic techniques as well as standard CMOS processes. From this technological integration approach, we have been capable to obtain very high performance sensors as well as integrated systems for signal processing. This work on M/NEMS integrated in CMOS has been granted with 3 front cover pages of high impact journals: Nanotechnology, Applied Phys Letters and SMALL, one invited review article, or one invited Views & News in Nature Electronics, 2018. d) Pioneering research on the integration of ultrasound transducers based on piezoelectrical material (PMUTs) over CMOS, demonstrating enhanced performance of the new PMUT-on-CMOS contributing to the generation of a new technological approach, with relevant recent scientific contributions in Microsystems and Nanoengineering 2022 or a paper chosen as month’s Editor’s pick from IEEE-EDL july 2022. Overall co-author of 125 articles in international refereed journals and over 250 contributions in the international main conferences  conferences in the area of MEMS&CMOS, international conferences that have a very high rejection ratio and high impact level: IEEE MEMS, Transducers, Eurosensors, ISCAS, ESSDERC, IUS..  

Principal Investigator (PI) @UAB site for the H2020 Research project: NFFA-Europe: Nanoscale Foundries and Fine Analysis for Europe (H2020-654360). PI of European research projects:  (IST-1999-14053 Nanomass and IST-2001-33068 NANOMASS II); IP for 10 national 3-4 year research projects and several other financed projects in competitive calls at national and autonomic calls. Participation in more than 10 financed projects including research and industrial at national and European level. IP for 4 successive contracts with the company Silterra-Malaysia, now in close collaboration for the development of the new PMUT-on-CMOS platform.

High involvement in PhD training in the area of Electronics and Nanotechnology (10 PhD students, 1 as a co-tutelle with Supelec).   High involvement as supervisor for short stage visits for foreign master students. Organizer of two Summer Schools (in fine analysis and nanotechnology), july 2016 and july 2018.

Other merits: Award of the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, for Research Excellence in the area of Technology in 2009, (Premi a l’Excel.lència Investigadora, UAB)  -Member of the International Steering Committee of IEEE MEMS since 2018 and member of the Technical Scientific Committee in several international conferences as Transducers’19; IEDM, MEMS’17-18-19-20; General Co-chair for the IEEE MEMS’23 to be held in January 14th-19th in Munich.  -Associate Editor (AE) for the IEEE Journal of Microelectomechanical Systems (JMEMS) and the IEEE Electronic Device Letters. Invited Views & News, 2018 in Nature Electronics,  N Barniol. Mechanical relays for digital circuits. 1 (12), 616, Editor for a special issue in CMOSMEMS (Sensors’2019).   -Evaluator for research projects (regional, national and European (CE, France, Belgium) calls). Referee for several journals: IEEE-JMEMS, EDL, Sensors, Sensors and Actuators, Scientific Reports, Nanoscale.  -Academic positions: Master coordinator (2008-2012); Vicedirector of Academic Affairs (2001-2004), Academic Secretary (1998-2001); bachelor studies coordinator (1992-1998).