Carl Arft
Senior Director of Systems Engineering, SiTime Corporation
M.S. Electrical Engineering, '00, Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, '04
Carl received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis. Dr. Carl Arft has over 20 years of experience in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) research and development. He is currently a Senior Director of Systems Engineering at SiTime Corporation, the world leader in MEMS-based timing devices. Before SiTime, he served as Faculty Fellow at UC Davis. Previously, he held technology development roles at several optical MEMS start-up companies, including C Speed Corporation and Newport Opticom.
We took a moment to chat with Nathaniel to learn more about what technology excites him, and also to reflect on his biggest influences when he was a UC Davis graduate student.
What research or technology are you most excited about right now, and why?
I’ve been fortunate to have a career focused on exciting research related to MEMS timing. We are currently pushing the boundaries on MEMS timing to create silicon-based clocks with atomic clock performance. Fifteen years ago, most people believed that MEMS could not replace quartz crystal technology, and definitely not atomic clock references. Through cross-functional R&D including MEMS, circuit design, and packaging technology, we have improved the stability of MEMS timing references by 100,000X over the last 15 years.
How did your time at UC Davis impact you and/or prepare you for your career?
My experience at UC Davis impacted me in a few ways. First, I feel that my real training in R&D came from my time at UCD. The resources and mentoring I was provided helped me to have a much deeper understanding of engineering. In particular, I have to thank Professors André Knoesen and Diego Yankelevich, who gave me the freedom to explore while providing excellent guidance. Second, my time at UCD gave me the confidence to take risks and solve challenging problems. It made me feel that I could find a solution to any technical challenge that came my way. Finally, the friends that I made at UCD became my colleagues whom I still work with 20 years later!
Did you have a favorite course or instructor at UC Davis?
The two courses that stand out in my mind are my first electromagnetics course taught by Dr. André Knoesen, and my first MEMS course taught by Professor Olav Solgaard. The electromagnetics course stands out for me because it inspired me to change my emphasis from control systems to electromagnetics & optics, once I learned that you could predict the behavior of light using math! The MEMS course was impactful because it was the first time I designed, simulated, built, and tested a MEMS device, and seeing my “micro-creation” moving for the first time was fascinating!
What advice would you give to young people who are currently seeking a degree in electrical and computer engineering?
Explore and take advantage of the resources available to you! If you are accepted to a program, don’t just go to class and turn in the homework. Talk to your professors and find opportunities to work in their lab and start working on projects, even if on a volunteer basis. The lessons you learn are invaluable, and the contacts you make will help you throughout your career!