Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025
Module ENGI46815: Advanced Electronics
Department: Engineering
ENGI46815: Advanced Electronics
| Type | Tied | Level | 4 | Credits | 15 | Availability | Available in 2024/2025 | Module Cap |
|---|
| Tied to | H1KE09 |
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Prerequisites
- <If other modules, please enter module code using 'Right Click, Insert module_code' or enter module title>
Corequisites
- As specified in programme regulations.
Excluded Combination of Modules
- As specified in programme regulations.
Aims
- This module is designed solely for students studying Department of Engineering degree programmes.
- To provide an overview and describe the characteristics of electronic devices at nanometre scale and their principles of operation.
- To explain the technical and economic constraints for the miniaturization and design of electronic devices and solutions.
- To introduce and familiarise students with application based device design and analysis.
- To provide the technical knowledge of VLSI/MEMs system to understand their functionality and applications.
Content
- Scaling laws and fundamental limits.
- Computation and energy consumption of electronic devices.
- Classical and quantum models for charge transport.
- Low dimensional materials: characteristics and applications.
- Designs for manufacturing and testing of advanced electronic devices e.g. VLSI, MEMs.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- A knowledge of benefits and limitations of electronic technologies currently used or being developed for computation.
- An understanding of the energy cost of computation with increasing speed and device density in electronic components.
- An understanding of charge transport mechanism at the nanoscale to design future applications.
- A knowledge of trends and developments in advanced electronics design and their underlying physics.
Subject-specific Skills:
- An awareness of current technology, analysis methods and industrial practises along with the ability to apply those methods in novel situations.
- An in-depth knowledge and understanding of specialised and advanced technical and professional skills, an ability to perform critical assessment and review and an ability to communicate the results of their own work effectively.
Key Skills:
- Capacity for independent self-learning within the bounds of professional practice.
- Critical assessment of technology challenges and problem solving skills of a design engineer.
- Specialised numerical skills appropriate to an engineer.
- Mathematics relevant to the application of advanced electronics concepts.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- The module content is delivered in lectures and is reinforced by self-learning sessions and formative problem sheets, equipping students with the required problem-solving capability.
- Students can make use of staff "office hours" to discuss any aspect of the module with teaching staff on a one-to-one basis. These are sign-up sessions available for one hour per week per lecture course.
- Students will be required to submit formative problem sheets throughout the academic year into the virtual learning environment to check their understanding as the course progresses.
- Students will be formed into study groups and will attend timetabled self-learning sessions (up to a maximum of two) during the Michalemas and Epiphany terms.
- A benchmark test will take place at the start of the academic year. This will be used to guage students understanding and direct them to further study as appropriate.
- A mock exam will take place in the Epiphany term. This will be used to provide students with an exam type experience in a formative setting and allow them to discuss their performance with a member of academic staff.
- Written timed examinations are appropriate because of the wide range of analytical, in-depth material covered in this module and allow students to demonstrate the ability to solve advanced problems independently.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark Test | 1 | Completed during Induction Week | 30 mins | 0.5 | |
| Lectures | 20 | Typically 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | |
| Revision Leacture | 1 | 1 hour | 1 | ||
| Tutorial Hours | As required | Weekly sign-up sessions | Up to 1 hour | 12 | |
| Self learning session | 2 | Throughout first two terms | 3 hours (includes 1 hour preparation to be completed before attending the session) | 6 | |
| Practice Exam | 1 | Epiphany Term | 30 mins | 0.5 | |
| Preparation & reading | 110 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 100% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written on-campus examination | 2 hours | 100% | Yes |
Formative Assessment:
Formative assessment is provided by means of formative problem sheets, benchmark test and mock examinations.
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University