Electronics, Microwave, VLSI, & Nanotechnology

The Electronics, Microwave, VLSI, and Nanotechnology focus area concentrates on a wide array of research projects. Research in VLSI circuits and computer-aided design based on research demand targeted to a variety of nanotechnologies (CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe, GaAs), VLSI testing and design-for-testability, fault tolerance, digital integrated circuit and hardware design, analog integrated circuits for signal processing (high performance A/D and D/A converters, PLLs, RF circuits), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based systems, and low-power integrated circuits for mixed-signal IC and System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

Research in power electronics is concentrated in high-frequency power conversion, pulse-width-modulated dc-dc power converters, resonant converters, modeling of switching circuits, current-mode control, voltage-mode control, electronic ballasts, radio transmitters for wireless communications, high-frequency magnetic components, power management, semiconductor power devices, super capacitors, sensors, and superconductivity.

Research in the microwave area is also being conducted in computational electromangetics, including fast and accurate EM modeling algorithms for analysis and design of microwave and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), electronic packages, planar antennas for wireless communications, and evanescent microwave microscopy. Current research efforts include RF/mixed signal-VLSI design and testing, and design and development of power electronic devices and circuits structural uncertainty quantification.

Focus Area Chair: Dr. Marty Emmert, Department of Electrical Engineering