Postgraduate Courses

This course is about fundamentals in optics and photonics. The “Optics” part includes ray optics, electromagnetic optics, plasmonics, coherence and polarization of light, etc. The “Photonics” part includes the science behind light generation (e.g. laser), manipulation (e.g. based on nonlinear optics) and photodetection (e.g. PN junction diodes).

This course guides the students through the fundamentals of analog integrated circuits design in CMOS technologies. Knowledge in analog design is essential for further research and study in the IC design tracks. This course will cover the operation of MOSFETs, basic concepts of analog circuits design, the implementation of basic analog circuits from MOSFETs, and the realization of more complex CMOS circuits using basic analog building blocks.

The course will discuss the application of automated reasoning techniques in the verification of software and hardware components in electronic systems. This course will cover basic knowledge of logic, satisfiability solvers, model checking and their applications. This course also includes topics on circuit testing, for example, automatic test pattern generation and design for testing.

This course introduces the foundations of modern VLSI electronic design automation (EDA), with a focus on optimization and algorithm foundations for VLSI physical design problems. We will introduce partitioning, floor planning, placement, routing, manufacturability optimization, and mask optimization. We will see a set of concrete applications of various conventional optimization techniques in VLSI design, e.g., graph theory, convex programming, numerical optimization, etc.

This course introduces the basic concepts of embedded system design. It covers the modeling and specification, hardware/software co-design, architectures, real-time operating systems, compression, compilation, and design space exploration. It will also cover other topics, such as security, verification, and validation. The goal of this course is to help students develop a comprehensive understanding of the technologies behind the embedded systems design.

The course covers special topics for graduate studies in different areas. The topics will be updated frequently to reflect latest interests and research development. May be graded by letter, P/F or PP for different offerings.

An independent study on selected topics carried out under the supervision of a faculty member.

Master's thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.

Original and independent doctoral thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.