Microelectronics

About the course

In Microelectronics students gain fundamental and advanced knowledge in the fields of transistor behaviour, circuits and technological fabrication processes. The students learn how integrated circuits are assembled and passive components can be integrated on a microchip. The students learn how transistor-based building blocks can be combined to realize complex circuits. Using the example of an operational amplifier circuit, students learn how it works and how it can be designed, optimized and fabricated technologically. Transistor and operational amplifier benchmarks are presented and will be measured, analyzed and evaluated in the laboratory. The lecture qualifies the students to develop and design integrated and discrete circuits for a wide variety of applications.

Curriculum

 Content ("K" Knowledge; "U" Understanding; "AP" Applying; "AN" Analyzing; "E" Evaluation):
1. Fundamental transistor parameters and behaviour (K, U)
      a. Input-/Output-/Transfer Characteristics
      b. Introduction to BJT, MESFET, HEMT
      c. h-Parameter
      d. S-Parameter
2. Transistor Building-Blocks (K, U)
      a. Current-/Voltage Sources (circuits and applications)
      b. Current Mirror (circuits and applications)
3. Darlington and Cascode Amplifier Circuits (K, U)
4. Differential Amplifiers (K, U)
      a. Common-Mode Rejection Ratio, Bandwidth, Gain-bandwidth product
      b. Input-/Output Resistance/Capacitance, Voltage-/Current Gain…) (K, U)
      c. Emitter-coupled Differential Amplifier
      d. Base-coupled Differential Amplifier
5. Power Amplifiers (K, U)
6. Operational Amplifier (K, U)
      a. Circuit (K, U, AP, AN)
      b. Technology and Fabrication (K, U, AN)
      c. Applications (K, U, AP)
7. Methods
      ("K" Knowledge; "U" Understanding; "AP" Applying; "AN" Analyzing; "E" Evaluation):
      a. Measuring, Analyzing, and Extracting of Transistor- and Circuit
      b. Key Figures of Merit (FOM) (AP, AN)
      c. Developing, Building and Characterizing Operational Amplifier Circuits (AP, AN)
8. Evaluation
      ("K" Knowledge; "U" Understanding; "AP" Applying; "AN" Analyzing; "E" Evaluation):
      a. Detailed Analysis of Different Transistor Types and Technologies (AN, E)
      b. Analyzing, Extracting and Calculating Characteristic FOM of Operational Amplifiers
      c. Operational-Amplifier-based Circuits (AN, E)
      d. Optimizing Transistors and Circuits with respect to a specific parameter (AN, E)
      e. State-of-the-Art Transistor Technologies (U, AN, E)

Credit hours

The course is taught through 2 hour lecture and 2 hour practical session every week. The students will undergo a work load of 180 hrs with 60h hr of teaching and 120 hr of self-study and preparation. The assessment will be through a written examination at the end of the semester.