Graduate Courses

Maxwell's equations and the wave equation. Uniform plane waves in a lossy medium. Wave polarization. Reflection and transmission of electromagnetic waves at planar boundaries. Normal incidence. Antireflection coatings and radomes. Oblique incidence. Brewster angle. Total internal reflection. Theory of parallel-plate waveguides. Rectangular and circular waveguides. Dielectric slab waveguides

Analog and digital communication systems with emphasis on modulation, demodulation, encoding, decoding, and synchronization techniques used in wireless systems. MATLAB is used to simulate communication systems and to process real RF signals. The course includes a project to explore a wireless system in detail.

Modeling and control of continuous-time control systems. Topics include feedback, transfer functions, responses in the time and frequency domains, stability, and compensation. Applications include manufacturing and robotics. A research paper on a relevant topic of interest is required.

Evolution and trend of SoC (System on Chip) based single board computers. Introduction to Linux and real time operating systems (RTOS). WiFi, Bluetooth and Zigbee wireless communications protocols, software stacks, and applications. Embedded wireless system designs using WiFi, Bluetooth and Zigbee technologies. Embedded system security design.  Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) design considerations. Advanced IoT and IIoT design topics.

Electromagnetic and electromechanical devices including transformers and motors. Advanced principles, models, and applications, including applications to power systems, manufacturing processes, robotics, and consumer products.

Introduction to the modeling, design, and operation of modern power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. Topics include complex power, three-phase systems, compensation, and power flow. A research paper on a relevant topic of interest is required.

Advanced study of renewable energy systems including photovoltaic, wind, geothermal systems, biofuels, and tidal energy. Study of renewable energy credits, sustainability definitions, life cycle assessment, and exergy assessment techniques.

Introduction to microcontrollers. PIC18 microcontroller instruction set architecture and assembly language programming. Timers and interrupt handling. Parallel input/output device interfacing. Serial communications using UART, Inter-IC (I2C) bus. Analog-to-digital converter interface. A PIC18F452 8-bit microcontroller-based embedded system consisting of keypad, LCD display, and RS232 serial port is implemented though laboratory assignments.

Introduction to ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design flow. Synthesis of combinational and sequential circuits. Synthesis of hardware description language constructs. Post-synthesis design tasks. FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) architectures. Design prototyping with FPGAs. Advanced topics on ASIC prototyping strategies.

Verilog-based design process. Hierarchical modeling methodology. Basic Verilog language structures for modeling digital hardware functions. Modules and ports. Gate level modeling. Dataflow modeling. Behavioral modeling. Tasks and functions. Useful modeling techniques in digital system design. Component timing and delay modeling. Logic synthesis with Verilog HDL. Advanced topics on high-level synthesis and system verification.

Processor control unit design techniques. Pipelined datapath and control unit design. Cache memory and cache coherency design techniques. Memory management using virtual memory. Case studies of contemporary high-performance computer architectures. Advanced topics on parallel computer architectures.

Digital CMOS VLSI chip design using Tanner's L-EDIT layout software, and PSPICE. Topics include CMOS gate logic design simulation and layout, speed and power considerations, and CMOS VLSI chip design using Standard Cells. A modest-sized CMOS integrated circuit design project through layout, simulation, and verification is required. A term paper on future trends in digital CMOS VLSI technology is required.

Computer vision system components and lighting techniques. Binary image processing: image filtering, histogram equalization, thresholding, edge detection. Image analysis and representation: region segmentation and low level image description. Camera model and stereo vision. Advanced topics on 3D vision systems and applications.

Analysis and design of advanced MOS analog electronic circuits. Advanced MOS semiconductor device models, active loaded amplifiers, operational amplifiers, feedback compensation, and switched-capacitor filters. PSPICE circuit simulation tool. Students design a custom CMOS OpAmp using hand calculations and PSPICE simulations. Students write a term paper on future trends in analog MOS technology. Introduction to photovoltaics, thermoelectronics, and nanoelectronics.

Hardware and software used in real-time digital signal processing (DSP) systems. Analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, DSP chip architecture, and special software techniques such as frame-based processing, circular buffering, digital filters, and the Fast Fourier Transform. Implementation of real-time DSP systems using C language on a DSP board. The course includes a project to explore a DSP system in detail.

Credit arranged.

Credit arranged.

Credit arranged.

Faculty-directed student research. Before enrolling, a student must consult with a faculty member to define the project. May be repeated for credit.

Credit arranged.