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11.6.6 DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (ECE)
Chair:
Professor Yang Ki-Hong, Office: 332A Houser Hall
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers
programs leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy
degrees. The department has focused on three main research areas:
devices and materials; electromechanical systems; and embedded
systems. These efforts are supported by multiples research
laboratories within the department. In addition to department
research laboratories, students have access to facilities in the
Center for Materials for Information Technology. For computing
purposes, students may use numerous PC and workstation networks
supported by the department and the College of Engineering.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for graduate work in electrical and computer engineering
must apply for admission to the Graduate School. Each applicant must
submit a statement of purpose. Regular admission may be granted to
an applicant who has an electrical engineering degree from an
ABET-accredited program and an overall GPA above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Electrical engineering graduates from non-ABET accredited programs
can be awarded regular admission if they have overall GPAs of 3.0 on
a 4.0 scale and an acceptable general test score on the Graduate
Record Examination. Conditional admission may be granted to
applicants who do not meet these requirements, such as those who
have degrees in related fields or GPAs below 3.0. International
students must have minimum TOEFL scores of 585 for the MS degree
program and 620 for the PhD program.
Additional information is in the
Admission Criteria
section of this catalog.
Degree Requirements:
Master of Science
The
department offers MS degrees with a thesis (Plan I) and a nonthesis
(Plan II) option.
Plan I requires 30 credit hours with at least 24 at the graduate
level (i.e., at the 500 or 600 level). These credit hours must
include at least 12 hours in a concentration
area within electrical and computer
engineering; 3 hours in mathematics, general engineering studies, or
the sciences (physics, chemistry, or biology); 9 hours in an
approved elective area; and 6 hours of thesis research. Majoring in
some areas of specialization may require specific courses in that
area. The student must pass a final comprehensive examination, which
typically is a presentation and defense of the thesis.
Plan II requires 30 credit hours with at least 24 at the graduate
level (i.e., at the 500 or 600 level). These credit hours must
include at least 15 hours in a concentration area within electrical
and computer engineering; 3 hours in mathematics, general
engineering studies, or the sciences (physics, chemistry, or
biology); and 12 hours in an approved elective area. A graduate
supervisory committee approved manuscript authored or co-authored by
the candidate, and submitted to a refereed journal or conference
shall constitute the University
of Alabama Graduate School "culminating" or "capstone" experience
requirement for an MS Plan II degree in Electrical and Computer
Engineering. In addition, the student must satisfy all the Graduate
School
Degree Requirements.
Doctor of Philosophy
In
the electrical and computer engineering department, the PhD degree
requires a minimum of 48 credit hours of coursework. This must
include 27 credit hours of closely related coursework in the major
area. In addition, each student's program must include 15 hours in a
minor field of electrical and computer engineering or other approved
area; 6 hours in mathematics, general engineering studies, or
science (physics, chemistry, or biology); and 24 hours of
dissertation research.
Early in the program each student meets with an advisor to complete
a Plan of Study. The
PhD Plan of Study
is available at the Graduate School website. All doctoral students
must have a completed Plan of Study approved by the Graduate School
no later than the semester during which the student will complete 30
semester hours of UA and/or transfer credit for the doctoral
degree.
All
candidates must pass a qualifying examination and a final
examination. The final examination is generally is a presentation
and defense of the dissertation. A department-approved
Admission to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree
is submitted to the Graduate School as soon as possible after
passing the qualifying examination.
See
the online Graduate Catalog (Sec.
4.11.3)
and the College of Engineering (Sec
11.3 MS
and
Sec. 11.4 PhD)
for details on plan of study, admission to candidacy, and all other
degree requirements.
Course Descriptions
Master's degree students may earn graduate credit
for
a maximum of 6 semester hours of
400-level course credit but only if a form for
Approval of 400-Level Course Work for Master's Credit is approved by the
department and Graduate School prior to the semester in which the 400-level coursework will be taken.
ECE 504 Sensor
Networks. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 383.
Basic architecture and applications of wireless sensor networks (WSN).
Hardware components of WSN, WSN operating systems, transport layer,
routing layer, MAC layer, and data link layer of WSN.
ECE 506
Computer Communications and Networks. Three hours.
Prerequisites: CS 357, ECE
383, or consent of instructor.
Introduction to computer communications and networks. Topics include
physical topologies, various protocols, the OSI and TCP/IP Reference
Models, error detection and correction, routing algorithms,
congestion control, example networks, and network applications.
ECE 508
Communications. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 370 and
MATH 355 or consent of instructor.
Analog and digital communication systems, random signals, sampling,
filtering, analog-to-digital encoding, advanced digital modulation/demodulation, source
encoding/decoding, channel encoding/decoding, multiplexing, system performance
analysis.
ECE 509
Communications Laboratory. One hour.
Prerequisites: ECE 370 and
MATH 355 or consent of instructor.
Corequisites: ECE 508.
Modeling and design of communication systems. Familiarization with
specialized communications equipment and techniques. Proper use of
laboratory instruments.
ECE 530 Solid State
Devices. Three
hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 330.
Solid-state physics for semiconductor devices, PN junction, metal
semiconductor junction, JFET/MESFET, MOSFET, BJT, and non-ideal
behaviors of solid-state devices. Organic thin-film devices,
including organic solar cells, thin-film transistors, light-emitting
diodes, and their application for flexible displays.
ECE 532 VLSI Design.
Three
hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 332 or consent of instructor.
Digital design issues in the context of VLSI systems. Introduction
to CMOS digital design methodology, layout techniques, behavioral
models, circuit simulation and testing of complex systems.
ECE 534
Mixed-Signal Circuits. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 332 or consent of instructor.
Design and testing issues in the context of mixed-signal embedded
systems. Introduction to CMOS mixed-signal design methodology,
layout techniques, analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog
converters, circuit simulation, and testing and packaging of complex
mixed-signal systems.
ECE 535
Microsystems Packaging. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 332 or consent of instructor.
Microsystems packaging issues in the context of variety of packaging
technologies in system-on-package, system-in-package,
package-on-package, system-on-chip, and wafer-level packaging.
ECE 538
Integrated Circuit Fabrication Principles. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 333, MTE 271, or consent of instructor.
Study of the processing tools used in semiconductor device
fabrication. Topics include semiconductor fundamentals,
semiconductor device fabrication processes, interconnections and
contacts, integrated circuit packaging, and chip yield. Oral
presentation and advance analytical work required.
ECE 539 Thin
Film Technology. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 225 or PH 253 or
consent of instructor.
Crystal structure and defects, film nucleation and growth models,
growth of polycrystalline and epitaxial films, vacuum science
technology, physical and chemical vapor deposition, solution based
methods, thin film characterization techniques.
ECE 540
Electromagnetic Waves. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 340 or consent of
instructor.
Mathematics and physics of the radiation, propagation, and
scattering of electromagnetic waves. Boundary value problems
involving finite and infinite structures, waveguides, antennas, and
media.
ECE 545
Antennas. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 340 or PH 332.
Transmission and reception of power and information in free space;
antennas as interface elements; impedance and radiation
characteristics of modern antennas.
ECE 551 Power
Electronics. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 332 and
ECE 350.
Detailed study on the theory and operation of power electronic
converters and systems.
Overview of enabling power semiconductor switching
devices. Introduction to feedback control of converters. Machine
drives fundamentals.
ECE 552 Power
Electronics Laboratory. One hour.
Prerequisites: ECE 332 and
ECE 350. Corequisites: ECE 551.
Laboratory experience in three-phase power systems
and electric machinery. Laboratory experience on the theory and
operation of power electronic converters, systems, and machine
drives.
ECE 553 Power
Systems. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 350.
Basic power-system concepts and per-unit quantities; transmission
line, transformer, and rotating machine modeling; power flow;
symmetrical component of power systems; faulted power system
analysis.
ECE 554 Power
Systems Laboratory. One hour.
Prerequisites: ECE 350. Corequisites: ECE 553.
Test and analysis of power systems and machine devices and the
design of systems using devices.
ECE 555
Electromechanical
Systems. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 225 and MATH 238.
Static and dynamic modeling, analysis, and simulation of mechanical,
electrical, hydraulic, and mixed systems. MATLAB and SIMULINK model
development and simulation.
ECE 561
Quantum Well Electronics and Devices. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 330 or PH 253 or
consent of instructor.
Energy levels and wave functions of semiconductor microstructures;
envelope function approximation; quantum wells; superlattices;
excitons; optical and electrical properties; selection rules;
quantum confined Stark effect; Wannier-Stark localization;
field-effect transistors, tunneling devices, quantum well lasers,
electro-optic modulators, quantum-well intersubband photodetectors.
ECE 562
Semiconductor Optoelectronics. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
PH 253 or consent of
instructor.
Elemental and compound semiconductors; fundamentals of semiconductor
physical properties; solid state physics; optical recombination and
absorption; light emitting diodes; quantum well lasers; quantum dots
lasers; blue lasers; semiconductor modulators; photodetectors;
semiconductor solar cell; semiconductor nanostructure devices.
ECE 563
Magnetic Materials and Devices. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 340 or consent of
instructor.
Diamagnetism and paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism,
ferrimagnetism, magnetic anisotropy, domains and the magnetization
process, fine particles and thin films, magnetization dynamics.
ECE 566
Fundamentals of Nanotechnology. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 330 or PH 253.
Nanofabrication with electron-beam lithography, focused-ion beam
lithothgraphy, and nanoimprint; microscopies for nanostructures,
including SEM, EDX, TEM, AFM, STM; nano-scale devices based on
nanostructured materials (carbon nanotubes and metal-oxide
nanomaterials).
ECE 575
Stochastic Processes. Three hours. Same as GES 575.
Prerequisites:
GES 500.
Engineering applications of probability theory. Problems on
sequences of random variables, convergence, stochastic processes,
stationarity, ergodicity, correlation function, spectral densities,
linear systems with random inputs, design of filters and predictors,
and Markov processes.
ECE 579
Digital Control Systems. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 370, ECE 475, and either GES 451 or MATH 237.
Frequency and time domain methods in discrete time control systems;
sampling of continuous-time signals, stability, transform design
techniques, state variable analysis, and design techniques.
ECE 580 Digital Systems Design. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 383.
Corequisites: ECE 581.
Digital systems design with hardware description languages,
programmable implementation technologies, electronic design
automation design flows, design considerations and constraints,
design for test, system on a chip designs, IP cores, reconfigurable
computing, digital system design examples and applications.
ECE 581 Digital Systems Design Laboratory.
One hour.
Prerequisites: ECE 383.
Corequisites: ECE 580.
Logic design and simulation via hardware description
languages, use of electronic design automation tools, and CPU
design.
ECE 582
Computer Vision and Digital Image Processing. Three hours.
Prerequisites: MATH 355 and ECE 285, or consent of instructor.
Introduction to computer vision and digital image processing with an
emphasis on image representation, transforms, filtering,
compression, boundary detection, and pattern matching.
ECE 584
Advanced Computer Architecture. Three hours. Same
as CS 567.
Prerequisites: ECE 383.
Computer architectures, computer design, memory systems design,
parallel processing concepts, supercomputers, networks, and
multiprocessing systems.
ECE 585
Programmable Logic Controllers. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 383 or
consent of instructor.
Programmable Logic Controllers, fundamentals of ladder logic
programming and PLC systems, advanced PLC operation and related
topics including networking, control applications, and human-machine
interface design.
ECE 586
Embedded Systems. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 383
Corequisites: ECE 587
Integration of microprocessors into digital systems. Includes
hardware interfacing, bus protocols and peripheral systems, embedded
and real-time operating systems, real-time constraints, networking
and distributed process control.
ECE 587 Embedded Systems Laboratory. One hour.
Prerequisites: ECE 383
Corequisites: ECE 586
Design and implementation experience with microcontrollers,
interfacing, digital control systems, bus protocols and peripheral
systems, real-time constraints, embedded and real-time operating
systems, distribution process control.
ECE 593
Special Topics (Area). Variable credit.
Advanced topics of a specialized nature.
ECE 598 Research Not Related to Thesis. One to six hours.
ECE 599 Master's Thesis Research. One to twelve hours.
ECE 604
Advanced Sensor Networks. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 404 or
ECE
504.
Advanced topics in wireless sensor networks including time
synchronization, sensor localization, network security, and sensor
data mining.
ECE 637 Fundamentals of Solid State
Engineering. (Same as MTE 684) Three hours.
Prerequisite: PH 253 or by
permission of the instructor.
Fundamentals of solid state physics
and quantum mechanics are covered to explain the physical principles
underlying the design and operation of semiconductor devices.
The second part covers applications to semiconductor microdevices
and nanodevices such as diodes, transistors, lasers, and
photodetectors incorporating quantum structures.
ECE 638
Advances in Integrated Circuit Processing. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 438 or
ECE
538.
Semiconductor Roadmap; wafer cleaning; thin film deposition
processes, advanced lithographic techniques; wet/dry etching; deep
reactive ion etching; chemical mechanical planarization; ultra thin
oxides; low k dielectrics; high k materials; interconnect
metallization; and self assembly.
ECE 652
Operation and Control of Power Systems.
Three hours.
State estimation in power systems; automatic
generation control; load forecasting; economic dispatch; power pools
and interchange evaluation; energy production costing; voltage
collapse.
ECE 661
Advanced Quantum Electronics. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PH 253 or
consent of instructor.
Advanced quantum mechanics; operators and Hilbert space; Lagrangian
and Hamiltonian; quantization of harmonic oscillators and
electromagnetic fields; perturbation theory; interaction of light
and matter; quantum treatment of stimulated emission, spontaneous
emission, and absorption, laser rate equations; semiconductor laser
theory.
ECE 662
Advanced Nanoscience. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PH 253 or
consent of instructor.
Advanced quantum physics; basics of nanotechnology; molecular and
nanoelectronics; fundamentals in nanophotonics; interaction of light
and matter; nanostructure characterization; Bionanotechnology.
ECE 663 Spin
Electronics. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 463 or
ECE
563 or consent of instructor.
Electron spin. Giant magnetoresistance theory. Spin-tunneling
phenomena in magnetic tunneling junctions. Spin structure to spin
electronics. Image of magnetization configuration. Magnetic
materials for spin electronics devices. Spin transport to design of
magnetic nanodevices.
ECE 664
Ferroelectric/Multiferroic Devices. Three hours.
Prerequisites: ECE 439 or
ECE
539 or consent of instructor.
Ferroelectricity, pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity; devices
based on these properties, high permittivity and tunable dielectrics
for broadband wireless communications, ferroelectric memory,
pyroelectric IR sensors and piezoelectric devices for MEMS;
multiferroic materials and their impact on future technologies.
ECE 674
Nonlinear Control Systems. Three hours. Same as AEM 578.
Prerequisites: ECE 475.
Classical and modern methods for the analysis and design of
nonlinear automatic control systems. State variables, phase plane,
describing functions, relay control, and optimal and adaptive
control systems are covered.
ECE 680 System-on-Chip Design. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 580 and ECE 581, or consent of instructor.
Basic issues in System-on-Chip (SOC) design, SOC hardware
structures, SOC design methodologies, system-level design of complex
SOCs, configurable processors, advanced topics in SOC design.
ECE 686 Real-Time Systems. Three hours.
Prerequisites:
ECE 586 and ECE 587, or consent of instructor.
Introduction to real-time systems, hard
vs. soft real-time, multi-tasking, real-time scheduling including
rate monotonic, deadline monotonic, and several list-based and
priority scheduling algorithms.
ECE 693
Special Topics (Area). One to five hours.
Advanced topics of a specialized nature.
ECE 698 Research Not Related to Dissertation. One to six hours.
ECE 699
Doctoral Dissertation Research. Three to twelve hours. |