Subject Overview

An integrated study of analog, digital, and mixed-signal electronics, progressing from semiconductor principles to circuit design, verification, implementation, and contemporary electronic systems. The subject balances mathematical analysis, laboratory practice, computer-aided design, industry standards, reliability, ethics, and emerging technologies.

Learning Goal

Students will be able to analyze, design, simulate, build, test, and evaluate analog and digital electronic circuits; select components and architectures using performance, cost, reliability, safety, and sustainability criteria; use modern EDA tools and hardware platforms; and communicate engineering decisions professionally.

Syllabus

1. Electronic Circuit Foundations and Engineering Practice

Learning Objective: Apply voltage, current, power, energy, Kirchhoff’s laws, network theorems, impedance, frequency-domain concepts, loading, decibels, tolerance, uncertainty, and safe laboratory measurement using oscilloscopes, multimeters, function generators, and power supplies.

Category: foundation

2. Semiconductor Physics and Device Models

Learning Objective: Explain energy bands, intrinsic and doped semiconductors, carrier transport, PN junctions, temperature effects, fabrication fundamentals, data-sheet parameters, and ideal, piecewise-linear, small-signal, and large-signal device models.

Category: foundation

3. Diodes and Application Circuits

Learning Objective: Analyze and design rectifiers, filters, clippers, clampers, voltage multipliers, Zener regulators, LEDs, photodiodes, and protection circuits while accounting for ripple, efficiency, breakdown, switching behavior, and thermal limits.

Category: core

4. Bipolar Junction Transistors and Biasing

Learning Objective: Analyze BJT operation, characteristics, operating regions, DC load lines, bias stabilization, current mirrors, switching, small-signal models, gain, impedances, thermal effects, and practical bias-network design.

Category: core

5. Field-Effect Transistors and CMOS Devices

Learning Objective: Analyze JFET, MOSFET, and CMOS structures; derive bias and small-signal behavior; compare device technologies; and design transistor switches, current sources, and common-source, common-gate, and source-follower stages.

Category: core

6. Analog Amplifier Design and Frequency Response

Learning Objective: Design multistage, differential, and power amplifiers; evaluate voltage, current, and power gain, bandwidth, coupling, bypassing, distortion, noise, stability, efficiency, and frequency response using analytical and simulation methods.

Category: core

7. Operational Amplifiers and Feedback Systems

Learning Objective: Use ideal and nonideal op-amp models to design inverting, noninverting, summing, differential, instrumentation, integrator, differentiator, active-filter, comparator, and precision circuits; analyze negative feedback, stability, slew rate, offset, and common-mode limitations.

Category: core

8. Oscillators, Waveform Generation, and Power Electronics Interfaces

Learning Objective: Analyze sinusoidal and relaxation oscillators, timers, phase-locked loops, linear and switched-mode regulators, transistor power stages, gate drivers, and protection methods, emphasizing efficiency, thermal management, electromagnetic compatibility, and safe operation.

Category: application

9. Digital Foundations, Number Systems, and Logic Families

Learning Objective: Represent and manipulate binary, octal, hexadecimal, signed, fixed-point, and floating-point data; apply Boolean algebra and logic minimization; and compare TTL, CMOS, noise margins, fan-out, propagation delay, power, and interfacing requirements.

Category: foundation

10. Combinational Logic Circuit Design

Learning Objective: Specify, simplify, analyze, and implement combinational circuits including arithmetic units, comparators, encoders, decoders, multiplexers, demultiplexers, parity circuits, and programmable logic while detecting hazards and optimizing speed, area, and power.

Category: core

11. Sequential Logic and Finite-State Machines

Learning Objective: Design latches, flip-flops, registers, counters, timing circuits, synchronous and asynchronous sequential systems, and Moore and Mealy finite-state machines; evaluate setup, hold, clock skew, metastability, races, and timing constraints.

Category: core

12. Data Conversion, Memory, and Digital System Interfaces

Learning Objective: Explain ADC and DAC architectures, sampling, quantization, aliasing, resolution, accuracy, and signal conditioning; analyze semiconductor memories; and implement robust serial, parallel, clock-domain, and voltage-level interfaces.

Category: application

13. Hardware Description Languages, FPGA, and Digital Verification

Learning Objective: Model combinational and sequential systems using an HDL; create testbenches; perform simulation, synthesis, timing analysis, and FPGA implementation; and apply modular design, verification planning, version control, and reusable intellectual-property practices.

Category: application

14. Mixed-Signal Design, PCB Implementation, and Product Validation

Learning Objective: Integrate sensors, analog front ends, converters, digital controllers, and communication interfaces; apply grounding, decoupling, layout, signal-integrity, EMC, thermal, testability, calibration, fault diagnosis, and statistical tolerance principles from prototype to validated PCB.

Category: advanced

15. Professional Practice and Emerging Electronic Technologies

Learning Objective: Evaluate component selection, cost, supply-chain risk, reliability, maintainability, cybersecurity, functional safety, standards, lifecycle governance, e-waste, sustainability, and engineering ethics; assess low-power electronics, wide-bandgap devices, chiplets, flexible electronics, edge-AI accelerators, and AI-assisted EDA while retaining human accountability for design decisions.

Category: contemporary