EECS 140 - Linear Circuit Design - Robert Brodersen - Fall 2004 NTU NEEI 6331
This course covers the fundamentals of the analysis and design of analog integrated circuits and is geared towards those with limited backgrounds in analog ICs. The course provides a thorough introduction to this material. It begins by reviewing transistor device models, progresses to single and two stage amplifiers, and moves on to multi-stage amplifiers. A variety of techniques for implementing current sources, and temperature and supply independent bias sources are covered, and the tradeoffs between them. A large portion of the class then covers feedback theory and application, and frequency response of linear analog circuits. Both MOS and bipolar circuits are covered throughout the course. By the end of this course, the student should have a firm grasp of fundamental analysis and design techniques required for proper design and implementation of analog ICs. For those students with limited background in analog ICs, this class provides an excellent coverage of the fundamentals that are required for more advanced courses, such as EE240 and EE242.

EECS141 - Introduction to Digital Integrated Circuits - Jan Rabaey - Spring 2004 NTU NEEI 6341
This course provides an introduction to digital integrated circuits; both bipolar and MOS realizations are described. Examples of inverters, gates, and entire systems are considered with focus on performance parameters such as propagation delay and noise margins. Static and dynamic logic families are introduced and compared. Both bipolar and MOS realizations of multivibrators are studied. Comparisons are made about technologies with strong attention being given to TTL in bipolar and CMOS and MOS technologies. Approaches to semiconductor memory are described and compared.

EECS 142 - Integrated Circuits for Communications - Ali Niknehad - Fall 2005 NTU NEEI 6361
Analysis and design of electronic circuits for communication systems, with an emphasis on integrated circuits for wireless communication systems. Analysis of distortion in amplifiers with application to radio reciever design. Power amplifier design with application to wireless radio transmitters. Class A, Class B, and Class C power amplifiers. Radio-frequency mixers, oscillators, phase locked loops, modulators, and demodulators.

EECS 242 -Advanced Integrated Circuits for Communications Ali Niknehad Spring 2007 NTU NEEI 6362
Analysis, evaluation and design of present day integrated circuits for communications application, particularly those for which nonlinear response must be included. MOS, bipolar and BICMOS circuits, audio and video power amplifiers, optimum performance of near-sinusoidal oscillators and frequency-translation circuits. Phase-locked loop ICs, analog multipliers and voltage controlled oscillators; advanced components for telecommunication circuits. Use of new CAD tools and systems.

EECS 245 - Introduction to MEMS - Kris Pister - Spring 2005 NTU NEEM 6441
The course will begin with a summary of integrated circuit fabrication technologies leading into an overview of the technologies available to shape electromechanical elements on a submillimeter scale. Physics of MEMS devices will be covered at a level necessary to design and analyze new devices and systems. Several commercially available MEMS processes will be discussed in detail, and students will design final projects in these processes. Topical Areas Include: Basic fabrication techniques: lithography, thin film deposition, chemical and plasma etching, anisotropic silicon etching. Device physics: beam theory, electrostatic actuation, capacitive and piezoresistive sensing, thermal sensors and actuators. Standard processes: 2 layer polysilicon, CMOS, LIGA, Electronic interfacing, mechanical and electrical noise, fundamental limits CAD tools: layout, process simulation, PDE and ODE solvers, synthesis.

EECS 247 - Analysis and Design of VLSI-Analog-Digital Interface Integrated Circuits
Bernhard Boser - New version available Spring 2008 Fall 2002 NTU NEEI 6351
This course covers many aspects of the design of integrated analog and analog-digital interface electronics in CMOS and BiCMOS technology at the block and system level. Specific topics include continuous-time and sampled data filters; oversampled A/D converters; and Nyquist rate A/D- and D/A- converters. Problem-specific CAd tools such as MATLAB (filter design), Switcap (SC filter analysis), Midas (oversampled A/D converter simulator), and HSPICE will be used extensively. It covers the specification, design, and test of analog-to-digital and digital-analog converters. Both system and circuit level issues are addressed and several sample converter implementations will be analyzed in detail. Extensive use is made of system and circuit level simulations in in-class computer demonstrations and the homework.

EE 290Q - Special Topics: Organization and Management of Ad-hoc Sensor and Actuator Networks
Jan Rabaey and Adam Wolisz- Spring 2006 NTU NEEC 8591

Wireless sensor and actuator networks are rapidly gaining major traction in a wide range of application areas. To be successful in the commercial arena however, a number of important criteria have to be met. First, it is essential that the individual transceiver nodes are tiny, easily integratable into the environment, and have negligible cost. Most importantly, the nodes must be self-contained in terms of energy via a one-time battery charge or a replenishable supply of energy scavenged from the environment. Realizing these very low power levels requires a vertical system-level design approach, engaging all levels of the design abstraction (from aggressive new circuit approaches over innovative networking and distributed computing techniques). Unfortunately, getting to the cost, size and power numbers needed for a truly ubiquitous deployment, comes with a penalty in reliability. Rather than falling back on traditional reliability enhancing techniques that compromise the energy-efficiency and cost of the individual nodes, a more effective solution is to rely on the unique nature of these networks, that is the ubiquitous availability of nodes. Doing so requires crisp and clearly defined abstraction layers. Another challenge that is often overlooked is the ease of deployment, configuration and management of the network. Again, it can argued to well defined abstraction layers go a long way in making this possible.

In this seminar series, we will traverse the wireless sensor and actuator paradigm in a bottom-up fashion. Starting from implementation constraints and properties of the wireless medium, we will explore the trade-off's at the all layers of the abstraction hierarchy up to the application layer. Metrics such as energy efficiency, robustness and ease of deployment will carry prominently throughout the semester. Real-life case studies will be used extensively.