Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module ENGI4547: Advanced Electronics 4

Department: Engineering

ENGI4547: Advanced Electronics 4

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 10 Availability Available in 2024/2025 Module Cap None. Location Durham
Tied to H100

Prerequisites

  • ENGI3331

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 problem sheets, equipping students with the required problem solving capability.
  • Students are able to make use of staff 'Tutorial Hours' to discuss any aspect of the module with teaching staff on a one-to-one basis. These are sign up sessions available for up to one hour per week per lecture course.
  • 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
Lectures 20 Typically 2 per week 1 Hour 20
Tutorial Hours As required Weekly sign-up sessions Up to 1Hour 10
Preparation and Reading 70
Total 100

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Examination 2 hours 100% No

Formative Assessment:

N/A


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