Whether he’s helping to enable point-of-load power applications such as DC/DC converters or high voltage power applications such as AC/DC adapters, Joseph enjoys working on challenges with integrated solutions. He also mentors junior engineers at TI and tells them that to innovate they must look at how things have been done and think about how to do them better or differently. He emphasizes that innovation doesn’t always have to create a new product. A good engineer, or anyone working on a project, can do things they haven’t done before or solve a problem that hasn’t been solved before, and that’s innovation as well.

Believing that everyone has the opportunity to innovate into the work they’re doing, Joseph says, it’s important, as well as assigning projects in such a way that leaves the solution a little open-ended. If you dictate the direction an engineer needs to go, it can stifle creativity and ideas. 

He says the ever-growing competitive landscape in the semiconductor industry challenges traditional semiconductor developers to stay ahead in innovation, whether in process technology or system solutions. Future trends in power efficiency, high voltage, and high temperature operation present an opportunity for innovation in wide bandgap semiconductor technologies, and while there are hurdles to overcome in the manufacturability and cost of these technologies, Joseph believes their future will prove bright for innovation.