# Keith Lofstrom

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American electrical engineer

**Keith Lofstrom** (born 1953 in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland%2C_Oregon))[1] is an American [electrical engineer](/source/Electrical_engineer). He has a BSEE and MSEE from [University of California, Berkeley](/source/University_of_California%2C_Berkeley).[2] He is more widely known in the [space advocacy](/source/Space_advocacy) community for a ground-based space launcher design, the [Launch Loop](/source/Launch_loop),[3][4][5] for which he has been credited by name in several works of science fiction.[6][7][8][9] [Frederik Pohl](/source/Frederik_Pohl), who used the idea in several of his stories, once wrote that, of all the [non-rocket spacelaunch](/source/Non-rocket_spacelaunch) concepts, he liked the Lofstrom Loop "best of all."[10]

As an electrical engineer, Lofstrom specializes in [mixed-signal integrated circuit](/source/Mixed-signal_integrated_circuit) design. A paper he wrote on [boundary scan](/source/Boundary_scan) methods was one of two to receive an Honorable Mention at the 1997 [IEEE](/source/IEEE) International Test Conference.[11] One of his 9 patents is for a way to read an individual digital ID for [integrated circuits](/source/Integrated_circuits) that arises from random atomic variations inherent in the [semiconductor device fabrication](/source/Semiconductor_device_fabrication) process.[12][13][14]

One of his more recent efforts in speculative space systems is [Server Sky](http://server-sky.com/ServerSky), a very large [satellite constellation](/source/Satellite_constellation) in Earth orbit using [thin-film solar cells](/source/Thin-film_solar_cells) to power [data center](/source/Data_center) computers integrated into the same [wafers](/source/Wafer_(electronics)) as the PV cells.[15]

He is signed up for [cryopreservation](/source/Cryopreservation) with the [Alcor Life Extension Foundation](/source/Alcor_Life_Extension_Foundation), since 1992.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Alcor_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Alcor_1-1) Chana Phaedra (2012). ["Alcor Member Profile: Keith Lofstrom"](https://www.alcor.org/library/alcor-member-profiles/keith-lofstrom/). Cryonics. Retrieved May 17, 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Lofstrom, Keith (1975). [*Sinusoidal supply Josephson logic*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2WQMGwAACAAJ&q=sinusoidal.supply.josephson.logic) (Master's thesis). U.C. Berkeley.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lofstrom, Keith H. (8–10 July 1985). ["The launch loop -- a low cost Earth-to-high orbit launch system - Paper 85-1368"](http://launchloop.com/LaunchLoop?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=launchloop.pdf) (PDF). Monterey, CA: 21st AIAA, SAE, ASME, and ASEE, Joint Propulsion Conference. {{[cite journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_journal)}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#missing_periodical))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Radley, Charles (September 14, 2009). "Local inventor says launch loop would greatly reduce cost of space travel". *Gadgets and Tech: Portland Science Examiner*. San Francisco: [Examiner.com](/source/Examiner.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Alexander Bolonkin](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD,_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87) [in Russian] (2006). "8". In Badescu, Viorel; Cathcart, Richard Brook; Schuiling, Roelof D. (eds.). *Space Towers*. *Macro-engineering: a challenge for the future*. [Springer](/source/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media). pp. 146–7. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-4020-3739-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-4020-3739-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Pohl, Frederik](/source/Frederik_Pohl) (1983). "Gateway III — Beyond the Gate (Part 1 of 3)". *[Amazing Science-Fiction](/source/Amazing_Science-Fiction)*. **57**. Ultimate Pub. Co: 80.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Pohl, Frederik](/source/Frederik_Pohl) (1983). *[Heechee Rendezvous](/source/Heechee_Rendezvous)*. Vol. 3. [Ballantine Books](/source/Ballantine_Books). p. 91. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-345-30062-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-345-30062-9). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |work= ignored ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#periodical_ignored))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Clarke, Arthur C.](/source/Arthur_C._Clarke); [Pohl, Frederik](/source/Frederik_Pohl) (February 2009). *[The Last Theorem](/source/The_Last_Theorem)*. London: [HarperVoyager](/source/HarperCollins). p. 55. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-00-729002-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-00-729002-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Forward, Robert L.](/source/Robert_L._Forward) (1985). *[Starquake](/source/Starquake_(novel))*. London: [Ballantine](/source/Ballantine_Books). p. [v](https://archive.org/details/dragonsegg00robe/page/). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-345-28349-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-345-28349-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Interview with Frederik Pohl"](https://books.google.com/books?id=UG0sAQAAIAAJ&q=best.of.all). *[Amazing Science-Fiction](/source/Amazing_Science-Fiction)*. **69** (590). Ultimate Pub. Co: 98. 1995.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** *IEEE International Test Conference Proceedings*. 1997. p. 8. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7803-4210-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7803-4210-0). [\[1\]](https://books.google.com/books?id=z0JGAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Early+Capture+for+Boundary+Scan+Timing+Measurements.%22)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [US 6161213](https://worldwide.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US6161213), Lofstrom, Keith, "System for providing an integrated circuit with a unique identification", published Dec 12, 2000, issued Dec 12, 2000

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["A unique, repeatable, individual digital ID"](http://www.siidtech.com/index.html). Nov 30, 2007. Retrieved 2011-07-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Lofstrom, K.; Daasch, W.; Taylor, D. ["IC Identification Circuit using Device Mismatch"](http://www.siidtech.com/isscc2K.pdf) (PDF). *2000 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers*. **43**. IEEE Cat. No. OOCH37056. Retrieved 2011-07-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Lofstrom, Keith (Winter 2010). ["Server Sky - Data Centers in Orbit"](http://spacejournal.ohio.edu/issue16/lofstrom.html). *Online Journal of Space Communication* (16).

## External links

- [Personal website](http://www.keithl.com/)

- [KLIC](http://www.kl-ic.com/index.html) - IC design consultancy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Keith Lofstrom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Lofstrom) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Lofstrom?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.