Maxim campuses around the globe got an infusion of youthful energy this summer through the company's internship program. Nearly 90 university students joined various business units across the company, working on an array of meaningful projects that often directly benefited the company’s customers.
At Maxim's San Jose headquarters on August 10, 36 interns showcased their key projects during the Summer 2017 Intern Symposium. There were projects for new hire onboarding, supply chain management, recruiting, and an array of engineering efforts.
Let's take a look at some of the projects that kept Maxim interns busy and productive.
Simulating Circuit Behavior
Reza Ameli, who has a year left at San Jose State University, developed a computer model to simulate circuit behavior. Addressing an issue that a customer raised on an evaluation kit, Ameli used the model to pinpoint the problem. "Mathematical modeling is way above what we’ve done in school," he noted. This summer marks the fourth time Ameli has interned at Maxim, where he says he loves the culture and friendliness of his colleagues. He encourages other students embarking on internships to challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zones, be creative, and seek help when needed. "They’re not afraid of spending time and resources to train you. With the experience and what we learn here, we’ll be steps ahead of other college students," he said.
Reza Ameli showcases his circuit simulation project.
Screening for Defective Dies
Cecilia Yuen, a Cal Poly electrical engineering student set to graduate in 2018, showcased her "Power Train Reliability for Avalanche Robustness" project. The aim of her effort was to find the most robust dies in a wafer and to screen for defects. Her work will help decrease test time of power MOSFETs. For Yuen, one of the many valuable parts of her internship has been opportunities to meet and talk informally with executive staff and her peers. Her advice to other students? "Always ask questions, never be shy asking for help," she said.
Cecilia Yuen talks about wafer screening.
Supporting Sales with Technical Content
University of Utah student Annaliese Parker, also planning to graduate next year, spent the summer developing technical content for the company’s Core Products Business Unit. Among her many projects, she wrote tutorials and managed a collection of end application block diagrams that show engineers how specific parts can be used. Parker noted that she didn’t expect to be relied upon so heavily for some of her projects, but she appreciated being able to truly own her work.
Annaliese Parker highlights her technical content work.
Saving Test Time with a Generalized Testbench
Mark Yeung, a senior at MIT, designed a PCB with a reconfigurable circuit, modular blocks of software, and a USB interface that can help reduce test time for power converters. Typically, testing a particular power converter calls for a unique and expensive PCB. His design is being built and will initially be used in Maxim’s Core Products Business Unit. Based on his internship experience, Yeung would advise other interns to be up front about what they’d like to learn, as the opportunities to do so are there.
Mark Yeung explains the generalized testbench he created.
Streamlining Evaluation of Audio ICs
UC Berkeley sophomore Avinash Jois created a digital version of a reference design that enables evaluation of portable Bluetooth speaker components. The previous version had 24 op-amps, so a digital upgrade makes the design much more space efficient and customizable. Jois worked on the schematic and layout of the design, building it all from the ground up. "I felt like I could go to anybody to ask questions," Jois said, impressed by the opportunities he had this summer.
Avinash Jois showcases his circuit simulation project.
To learn more about Maxim career opportunities, including internships, visit the Careers webpage.
