Our team

Specialists:

Gerhard

Member of Technical Staff for ADC/DAC design

Gerhard holds MSc degree in electrical engineering and is one of the worldwide leading analog and system-level designers, researchers and innovators in the area of chip design (ADC/DAC design) with > 27 years of design experience, starting his career with Infineon analog group. It is proven by several publications and his call into the IEEE ISSCC program committee for data converters (2011-2017). This committee consists of several peer data converter experts and it chooses the best papers to be presented at the annual international solid-state circuit conference in San Francisco. He has an excellent reputation in the data converter chip business as well as in research. Gerhard's wireless ADC products and research outcomes are to date, the best-in-the-class. He was the project and design manager for the worldwide first Bandpass Sigma Delta ADC product development for BTS wireless receiver at National Semiconductor. Since 2010 he has been the technical lead within the research and development department for receiver ADCs for smartphones at Intel Mobile Communications and since 2015 he is doing consulting in Europe and in the USA for wireless companies, beside of his technical leader role in Continium's Design team. He has been the crystallization point for the new start-up Continium Technologies.

Richard

ADC/DAC analog IC designer

After his A-level (Matura) on gymnasium for mathematic talents in Pressburg (est. 1626) he studied electrical engineering at TU Ilmenau. Already during his diploma thesis in 1995 he designed his first ADC for UV sensor dosimeter. 1996, upon his Dipl-Ing./MSc graduation Richard started his post-graduate research study in the field of analog neuromorphic auditory VLSI systems and implemented a different CMOS version of spiking neurons. In 1999 he joined the semi-industrial research institute IMMS Erfurt as ADC group leader and analog designer. During his 5 years leadership he established the ADC group from zero level to a skilled design group with successfully completed industrial contracts (Siemens, GEMAC/AMAC) and research project by first time right silicon ADCs. After defending his PhD thesis externally in 2004, he joined Heidenhain motion control as analog IC designer for rotary encoders. In 2009 he returned to data converter IC industry when joining National Semiconductor design center for CTSD (continuous time Sigma Delta) ADC for wireless base stations. Since 2011 he is entrepreneur and has been successfully working as an analog and mixed signal ASIC design consultant in Munich, building up a skilled ASIC design team from scretch, and finally founding Continium Technologies in Germany and Slovakia.

Reinhard

ADC/DAC system architect and Mixed-Signal designer

Reinhard studied Electrical Engineering at TU Chemnitz and started 1974 working at Funkwerk Erfurt as system engineer for process control in the VLSI foundry. Since 1977 he changed to CAD design group working on in-house system level and logic simulators for CPU-clones of U880, i286 and Micro-VAX. In 1999 he joined the Institute IMMS and Richard’s ADC group where he was responsible for system level design of switched-capacitor (SC) ADC and their behavioral simulation using SpectreHDL / VerilogA beside of his everyday digital HDL design. During his 14 years at IMMS he developed different 12-15b cyclic and pipeline ADCs in different technologies (CMOS and SOI) for industrial customers as well as research projects. Since 2013 he started his design consulting business and joined Continium Technologies as initial member of the design team. In Continium’s team Reinhard is leading scripting programmer (data base conversion, netlist post-processing, ADC’s spectral FFT analysis, parasitic extraction data optimization, CAD-add-ons) as well as technical lead digital designer (IIR & FIR filter; DWA/DEM mismatch shaper for DACs). Reinhard has broad experience with hardware description languages (Verilog / VHDL), analog behavioral modeling (VerilogA/VHDL-AMS), MATLAB system level design, fundamental digital and analog CAD design flow of Cadence, Mentor/Tanner, Synopsys.

Norbert

Physical mask designer (Layout lead)

Norbert holds degree in electrical engineering (TU Munich) and has about 35 years of international, hands-on experience in the Semiconductor industry and possess expert knowledge of physical design for analog/mixed signal ICs. He is a self starter, budget and resource conscious, self motivating, used to working independently and to deadlines with minimum of supervision but maximum of customer liaison. He has in-depth understanding of backend EDA tool flow (Cadence Virtuoso XL, QRC, Mentor Graphics Calibre/Dracula, Tanner L-edit basics, some Synopsys tools) and design methodologies covering technology portfolio of low-voltage CMOS (down to 20nm) as well as high voltage bipolar, 60V HV-CMOS, 120V BCD, 200V SOI and up to several hundred Volts in single power transistor technologies. In his design consulting career he worked as layout team lead (managing up to 20 men) with several leading edge companies like ST-Micro, Siemens/Infineon, Texas Instruments, Intel, Bosch/Sensortec, Dialog, Rohde&Schwarz and supported several product families of hearing aids and audio processors over a whole decade. His design experience covers automotive applications (full custom layout circuits like LDO, Boost Converter, airbag controlling applications, LIN, CAN, door module power, Hall sensor, LOW/HIGH-side switches, HALF-/FULL bridge systems, Coreless Transformer applications), microcontroller and processors, hearing aids, full custom layout of EEPROM periphery as well as technology transfers. He worked together with Continium team members on several project as physical mask design lead, especially the 20b current-steering DAC.

Andy

RF design expert

Andy got an MSc. degree in electrical engineering from STU Bratislava in 1996. Upon finishing his study he spent 6 years on post-graduate research study (DAAD, DFG grants) at the TU Ilmenau at the Dept. of Theoretical Electrotechnics and Dept. of Electronic Technology. During his study he specialized on RF-measurements of electro-magnetic fields and EMC design of microcontroller applications (STU Bratislava). He specialized later on EMC layout design of PCB boards and ceramic Multi Chip Modules (TU Ilmenau). His research area included characterization of potential distribution on conducting sheets in circuits layouts and RF-characterization and simulation of solid/gridded power/ground structures in Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics modules up to 18GHz. After finishing his study in Ilmenau, he worked in Bratislava as EMC certification engineer of 200MBit/s HomePlug Networking devices (Corinex), test engineer of integrated voltage regulators (OnSemi) and as electrical design engineer on development of 4kV power supplies for electron beam welding machines (PZVAR a.s.). He joined Continium design team in 2023.

Daniel

FPGA application and digital design engineer

Daniel is a professional hardware-software designer and system architect with 25 years of experience in FPGA/CPLD and microprocessor /microcontroller (µP/µC) based designs and embedded software. He holds MSc degree in microelectronics from STU Bratislava and completed a postgraduate research study at University of Bournemouth, UK in the field of neural network implementation in digital ASIC and FPGA. He started his professional career at Celoxica Ltd. UK as digital hardware engineer and then leading whole company hardware group. Currently he is consulting IoT companies like Wildfoundry Ltd. UK, Dataplicity Ltd. UK, and managing device manufacturing for Machineforest Ltd. UK. Daniel also provides consulting services for Intilop, USA. His core skills are in the field of FPGA/CPLD/microprocessor system design, electronic PCB design, embedded software design, real time operating systems, verification, synthesis, optimization and testing. He has a broad knowledge of many µC/µP platforms like ARM STM32L/F, Atmel AVR, Microchip PIC, Xilinx MicroBlaze, Altera NIOS, TI MSP430, Intel x86, Toshiba MeP, 8051. He is fluent in many CPUs assembler language, C programming, Tcl/Tk and shell scripting, hardeware desription languages Verilog and VHDL.

Danijel

Analog design engineer

Danijel holds MSc degree in microelectronics from STU Bratislava,specialization Microelectronics - Design of ICs. During the studies he started to work in Onsemiconductor and worked for the company more than twenty years. Throughout his career, he worked as developer of chips in automotive and multi market industry (LDO, DC-DC, PMIC). He has experience in bipolar, BiCMOS and CMOS technologies down to 65nm node. He has in-depth understanding of back end EDA tool flow (Cadence Virtuoso XL, Mentor Graphics Calibre) as well as simulation tools and simulators (Pspice, Hspice, Eldo, Spectre). He has experience in leading the small development team as well as coaching and tutoring young talents. Danijel joined Continium Technologies development team in 2024.

Stefan

Analog design engineer

Stefan graduated at STU Bratislava in 2003 (MSc in radioelectronics). He has been working for more than 17 years in the semiconductor industry joining STMicroelectronics and ON Semiconductor in the past. His design expertise relates to power management circuitry in BiCMOS, CMOS and BCD technologies for consumer and automotive market. He has an in-depth understanding of the IC design flow, from schematic capture including behavioral VerilogA modeling, through simulation/verification and layout/post layout verification to validation. Stefan joined Continium team in early 2024.

Tomas

Digital design engineer

Tomas is a skilled hardware and software engineer. He pursued his master degree from Computer Science at the Comenius university in Bratislava. He has experience in Verilog, C/C++, scripting. He has worked in the area simulation, modelling, machine learning.

Juraj

Digital design engineer

Juraj holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Electronics and Photonics, from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU), earned in 2024. During his graduate studies, he gained two years of industry experience at the onsemi Development Center in Bratislava, where he interned in digital design and verification. At Continium Technologies, Juraj embraced a new challenge by expanding his expertise into the realm of physical design.

Robert

Project Manager

Róbert earned his doctorate in Public Policy at the Institute of Public Policy at Comenius University in 2024, with a focus on politico-expert relations during the COVID-19 crisis. As the head of International Relations and Development at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University, he was responsible for fostering strategic international partnerships. Throughout his academic career, Róbert contributed to several international cooperation projects, supporting capacity building and facilitating knowledge exchange across the faculty’s various programs and initiatives. He now focuses on managing current projects as well as preparing European grant proposals at Continium Technologies, where he applies his expertise in strategic planning and project management to support research and development efforts.

Barbora

Project Manager

Barbora comes from a biotech startup MultiplexDX where she managed project for the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic during the COVID-19 crisis. Her expertise includes coordinating teams, managing timelines, and delivering complex projects within dynamic, fast-paced environments. In MultiplexDX, she was specifically responsible for social media, communication, supporting sales and fundraising team as well as implementation of ongoing EU projects. Prior to that, she spent last years working on one of the biggest startup competition in the CEE region. She managed to bring on board a Managing Partner of Y-Combinator, Michael Siebel. During her studies, she did exchange programs in Barcelona and Turkey. In the final year, she spent her internship at the Slovak Liaison Office for R&D in Brussels during historically the first Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Olaf

RF application and test engineer

Olaf studied at the TU Chemnitz and Berlin and graduated as engineer. He started his professional career at Siemens. For Siemens first GSM mobile phone P1 he developed 1991 the receiver frontend Rx, later he developed the car RF booster to increase the transceiver power from 2W to 20W and was later responsible for the whole RF transceiver in Siemens mobile phones. Since 2003 he worked as RF test engineer at CSEE Neuchatel and in 2008 he moved back to Munich to work for Infineon Wireline Division (2010 Lantiq) as test engineer on Verigy V93000 test equipment. Since 2014 he works as RF/EMC design consultant and test engineer for different customers in the field of WLAN, DECT application boards and V93000 test boards. His excellent contribution to Continium’s team lies in the combination of RF application and V93000 test experience, including spectral FFT automatic test of ADCs and DACs.

Juraj

Analog ASIC design engineer

After his A-level (Matura) at the mathematical gymnasium he started his electrical engineering studies at the STU Bratislava, specialization Microelectronics (Lasers/Optoelectronics). Juraj finished his studies in 1991 with Thesis prepared at the TU in Ilmenau in Germany and started his professional career as Hardware Design Engineer and later as Automation Engineer in 1992. In 2001 he joined the IMMS institute in Erfurt, Germany as analog design engineer and worked as project leading engineer for optical PDICs for DVD/BluRay in various BiCMOS technologies of XFAB. Optoelectronic ICs for various specifications of optical pickups mainly from Japanese companies were designed in cooperation with company Melexis, which was responsible for project management and distribution of these ICs on the market for various companies, e.g. Toshiba. Juraj also worked as Design Engineer in the ADC working group of IMMS, where he designed SC. Juraj possesses broad experience of analog circuit design and chip design flows in Cadence (simulation, layout, verification). Since 2011 Juraj worked as PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programmer and commissioning engineer for automation technology especially on projects for big automotive companies as Volkswagen, AUDI, MAN, Continental and others. Juraj joined Continium design team in 2020.

Rado

Layout expert

He holds MSc degree in electrical engineering from TU Kosice in 2004 and he is layout methodology and design expert with more than 16 years experience in high competitive companies (STmicro, ST-Ericsson, Huawei, Infineon and Dialog). He is leading physical designer of various products in wide range of technologies from 350nm down to 28nm CMOS, experienced in power management units as well as in finger touch screen controller and ADCs. Since 2017 he started his freelance design consultancy and joined Continium team in 2021.

Frank

Project manager

Frank completed his studies in electrical engineering University of Applied Science Mittweida, and started his professional career as hardware and automation engineer in 1988. In 1999 he joined the semi-industrial institute IMMS Erfurt as physical mask design engineer for ADC and OEIC, where he cooperated with Richard and Reinhard. Between 2005-2015 he worked at AMS Graz, Austria as IC-test project manager.

Alex

Senior Project Manager and Agile Coach

Alex holds an MSc degree in computer science and engineering and has >17 years of experience in leading and directing projects as a project manager. His focus is on semiconductor industry projects from IC development, validation, and test to IC production ramp at OSATs worldwide. Furthermore, he led projects for die packaging and AEC-Q100 automotive qualification. He also worked as a project manager for backend equipment manufacturer which extended his industry knowledge above and beyond IC development itself. He worked for national and international semiconductor brands in US, Europe and Asia. Besides this hands-on experience in the semiconductor industry, he has distinguished project management methodology skills. Since more than a decade he holds the Project Management Professional and DA Senior Scrum Master certification from the Project Management Institute in the US. His project management DNA is based on an agnostic coaching approach using agile, classic and hybrid methods and frameworks (SCRUM, SAFe®). His people skills are mature and based on his education and practice as a systemic coach. He is proficient in communicating with all hierarchy levels from C-levels to team members. Alex works together with the Continium Technologies team and as an independent consultant.

Executive Board:

Guarantee Of The Project Success

Dr. Richard Ižák

Founder & CTO

“One from many proofs of innovation competence is the fact, that the very first commercially available CTSD analog-to-digital converter ever was designed and developed by our team and launched in 2008.”

Jozef Bujnovský

Managing Director

“We know that functional infrastructure is a prerequisite for a green and digital future.”

Peter Hospodár

Busineess Development

“Our team members, who have been cooperating for years, demonstrate market proven experience which is about to be used for another world-leading innovative High-performance Single-Chip Solution.”