Special Topics
BME 595B. BIOMATERIALS IN THE DESIGN OF MEDICAL DEVICES
Biomaterials are an integral part of medical devices, implants, controlled drug delivery systems, and tissue engineered constructs. Extensive research efforts have been expended on understanding how biologic systems interact with biomaterials. Meanwhile, controversy has revolved around biomaterials and their availability as a result of the backlash to the huge liability resulting from controversies related to material and processing shortcomings of medical devices. This course specifically addresses the unique role of biomaterials in medical device design and the use of emerging biomaterials technology in medical devices. The need to understand design requirements of medical devices based on safety and efficacy will be addressed. Unexpected device failure can occur if testing fails to account for synergistic interactions from chronic loading, aqueous environments, and biologic interactions. Testing methodologies are readily available to assess accelerated effects of loading in physiologic-like environments. This combined with subchronic effects of animal implants is a potential tool in assessing durability. It is difficult to predict the chronic effects of the total biologic environment. The ultimate determination of safety comes not only from following the details of regulations, but with an understanding of potential failure modes and designs that lowers the risk of these failures. This course will evaluate biomaterials and their properties as related to the design and reliability of medical devices.
ECE 529B. ANALOG CIRCUITS AND INTUITION
The ability to see the simplicity in a complex design problem is a skill that is not usually taught in engineering classes. Some engineers, when faced with design problems, immediately fill up pages and pages of calculations, or do complex circuit simulations or finite-element analyses. One problem with this approach is that if you get an answer, you don't know if it is correct unless you have an intuitive "feel" for what the answer should be. The application of some simple rules-of-thumb and design techniques is a possible first step to developing intuition into the behavior of complex electrical systems. This course outlines some ways of thinking about analog circuits and systems that are intended will help to develop intuition and guide design. The lectures are a mixture of instructional sessions covering new background material, and design case studies. (Prerequisites: Undergraduate background in device physics, microelectronics, control systems, electromagnetism)
ECE 539N SP TOP: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL ELECTROMAGNETICS AND HIGH-FREQUENCY CIRCUIT MODELING
The course describes high-frequency/RF modeling methods such as Method-of- Moments (MoM), Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method (FDTD), and the Finite Element Method (FEM). Application examples include antenna modeling and RF circuit modeling. We also consider traditional matrix solvers in application to nodal techniques (SPICE). The to-date software packages (Agilent Momentum, CST Microwave Studio, and Ansoft HFSS) are reviewed. The course is intended for graduate and senior-level undergraduate students. This course is also intended to support the existing graduate curriculum in the Department including the RF/Microwave class, by providing with the necessary software tools.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of electromagnetic theory (ECE 2112, ECE 3113), and differential and integral calculus.
ECE 539S. MOBILE DATA NETWORKING
This course presents the principles of wireless data communications by introducing the state-of-theart network architectures, standards and products, and explaining the key factors in evolution of this industry. Overview of wireless networks. Architecture of existing mobile date networks: ARDIS, Mobitex, TETHRA, Merticom, CDPD and GPRS. Wireless LAN technologies: 802.11, HIPERLAN and wireless ATM. Effects of mobility on different ISO layers. Physical layer options. MAC layer in mobile environments. Issues in mobile computing. Mobile IP, IP-v6, and DHCP. Mobility gateway technologies: MASE and eNetwork. Intertech roaming and handover for wireless data networks. (Prerequisite: Familiarity with communication networks [ECE 506 or similar] is desirable.)
ECE 579X. Advanced Digital Design, Verification and Test Using Hardware Description Languages
This course covers advanced digital design, synthesis, verification and test using Hardware Description Languages (HDLs). This class will cover important features of Verilog, VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) and System Verilog, as applicable to the digital design or verification engineer. The design and structure of HDL code for effective circuit synthesis will be explored. The design process and verification process for FPGAs and ASICs will be thoroughly reviewed. Key concepts in functional design verification for ASICs; FPGAs will be explored: test bench design, design of bus functional models, design of bus monitors, automatic self checking tests, assertion checking, directed, random; pseudo random test stimulus, code coverage, finite state machine coverage, test plan creation, formal verification, equivalency checking, regression testing, software revision control; build management. Other topics include the following: high speed digital design, interface to DDR devices, embedded processors (hardware, software, test implications), HDL design techniques for effective logic synthesis, chip partitioning, ASIC and FPGA top down design structure, pipelining, resource/speed trade offs, high speed DSP structures, high speed cache design, resources sharing and design of arbiters. Additional topics to be covered include the following: Design for Test (DFT), Memory Built in Self Test, Logic Built in Self Test, scan chain design, shadow scan design, JTAG, observability bus design, test vector generation; fault coverage. Students will be required to complete a course project, which emphasizes the concepts covered in the class. Class examples will include VHDL, Verilog and System Verilog. Students will complete project assignments in either VHDL or Verilog. Prerequisites: ECE 574.
PH 597A SP TOP: ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) are instruments that allow three-dimensional imaging of surfaces with nanometer resolution and are important enabling tools for nanoscience and technology. The student who successfully completes this course will understand the functional principles of AFMs, be able to run one, and interpret the data that are collected. Recommended background: an undergraduate degree in science or engineering.
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