Electrical and Computer Engineering

Brigham Young University

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Chair: Brent E. Nelson
Graduate Coordinator: Michael Rice
459 CB
Provo, UT 84602-4099
(801) 378-4012
E-mail: grad@ee.byu.edu

THE PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Electrical engineering has its origins in the study and application of electrical phenomena. However, in recent years the field has gown to embrace a diverse range of problems in applied physics and mathematics. The department currently offers advanced study in four broad areas.

Computer engineering concentrates on the architecture and implementation of digital logic and computing systems.
Electromagnetics explores the theory, physical properties, and applications of electromagnetic radiation and includes emphases in optics, remote sensing, and numerical computation.
Microelectronics and VLSI focuses on the design and fabrication of micro-
electronic circuits for digital and analog applications, including device physics, modeling, processing, and fabrication.
Signals and systems studies fundamental and applied issues in information processing and includes emphases in communication theory, linear and nonlinear control systems, digital signal processing, and estimation theory.

Specific research activities in these broad areas are described on the department World Wide Web page at http://www.ee.byu.edu.

Two degrees are offered through the department: Electrical Engineering—
MS and Electrical Engineering—PhD.

Admission and Entry.

All degree programs have the same admission and entry requirements.

Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 15; winter, September 15.
Application requirements: complete BYU Application for Admission to Graduate Study forms and GRE general exam (for all applicants with BS degree from non-ABET-
accredited program).
Prerequisites: BS degree in electrical or computer engineering or allied discipline. Minimum 3.0 GPA for last 60 credit hours of course work.

Electrical Engineering—MS

The MS degree concentrates on establishing a sound theoretical foundation and on exposing students to advanced developments. The critical thinking and high level of mathematical and algorithmic facility required by the abstract nature of graduate courses allows the MS graduate to assume responsibility and supervision beyond that normally given a BS engineer. MS students study in one of the four broad areas while pursuing either the course work or thesis option. The breadth of the course work degree provides professional leadership necessary to remain current in this rapidly changing field. The focus of the thesis degree develops the research and design tools necessary to participate in the leading edge developments in the discipline. The MS degree typically takes from one to two years to complete.

Requirements for Degree (Course Work Option).

Credit hours: 33
Required courses:

Theoretical Foundation Courses (6 hours) devoted to theoretical foundations and appropriate formalisms of student's area of emphasis as specified in Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Handbook.

Emphasis Courses (27 hours) as specified by student's advisory committee.

Study list: submitted during first semester of graduate study.

Requirements for Degree
(Thesis Option)

Credit hours: 33.
Required courses:

Emphasis Courses (18 hours) as specified by student's advisory committee.

ECEn 699R: Thesis (9 hours).

Study list: submitted during first semester of graduate study.
Thesis.
Final oral examination consisting of public presentation of original research described in thesis.

Engineering Management—Minor

Offered to MS students in the College of Engineering and Technology, the engineering management minor provides a way to include some elements of modern management in a technical graduate program.

Requirements.

The minor requires 9 hours selected from the following courses: Mgt 501, 511, 541, 561, 562, 565, 580.
Students should carefully plan how they will meet the requirements of the minor since these courses are taught only once a year.

This minor should be declared as part of a student's graduate study list. Admittance approval to enroll in class will be derived from approved graduate study lists.

Electrical Engineering—PhD

The engineering PhD student collaborates with a faculty advisor on a topic that may have a lasting influence on theoretical understanding or on professional practice. Although courses on advanced topics in one of the four areas of emphasis are taken, the PhD is primarily a research experience that requires an ability to identify, investigate, formulate, and solve new problems of interest. The results of this exercise are reported in a dissertation and in the research literature. Careers for PhD graduates are characterized by the expectation to act with considerable independence and to assume major responsibilities. The PhD graduate is prepared for a wide range of career choices in industry, government agencies, and academia.

Requirements for Degree.

Credit hours (66): 48 hours of course work beyond the baccalaureate degree plus 18 hours of dissertation (ECEn 799R).
Required courses:

Theoretical Foundation Courses (12 hours) devoted to theoretical foundations and appropriate formalisms of student's area of emphasis as specified in Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Handbook.

Emphasis Courses (36 hours) as specified by student's advisory committee.

ECEn 799R: Dissertation (18 hours).

Study list: submitted during first year of graduate study.
Comprehensive examination: written and oral portions completed by end of second year.
Advancement to candidacy.
Dissertation prospectus.
Dissertation.
Final oral examination consisting of public presentation of original research described in dissertation.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The department provides as much financial assistance to graduate students as is available within departmental and university guidelines. More information may be obtained from the department. The following types of financial assistance are available to students who qualify:

Tuition Waivers. The department offers a limited number of full and partial tuition waivers on a competitive basis. All graduate students in good standing may apply for these waivers.

Teaching / Research Assistantships. A limited number of teaching/
research assistantships are awarded to full-time graduate students in good standing. These assistantships are renewable annual appointments that require the student to serve as a teaching assistant for two semesters and provide matching research funds in addition to tuition benefits. Students must commit to a research-oriented graduate program to qualify.

Research Assistantships. Full-time graduate students in good standing may be awarded research assistantships to assist faculty with externally funded research. Arrangements must be made with individual faculty members.

Fellowships. The department awards a limited number of research fellowships on a competitive basis to full-time graduate students in good standing.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The department maintains a variety of facilities to support the diverse research efforts of the graduate faculty. Facilities include:

Extensive PC and Unix workstation computer resources.
Digital signal processing laboratory that includes a variety of software tools, image display and digitizing equipment, and audio processing equipment.
Sound room to support research in audio signal processing.
Well-equipped clean-room to support research in semiconductor and electro-optic fabrication.
Microwave remote sensing
laboratory.
Electro-optics laboratory that includes lasers and fiber optic research equipment.
Antenna range.
Reconfigurable logic laboratory.
Telemetering laboratory to support research in digital communications and error control coding.
Control laboratory to support research in nonlinear control systems.

For a description of current research activities associated with each facility, see the department World Wide Web page at http://www.ee.byu.edu.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Class Schedule

510. (ECEn-Stat 545) Stochastic Processes. (3)

Prerequisite: Stat 421 or 520.

Review of elementary probability: expectation, characteristic functions, limit theorems. Introductory random processes: definitions and properties, covariance and spectral density, time average, stationarity, ergodicity, linear system relations, mean square estimation, Markov processes.

511. Introduction to Linear System Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 411.

Finite-dimensional linear systems. State variable realizations, canonical forms, controllability, observability, minimality. Time and frequency domain design of controllers and observers.

512. Active and Passive Filter Design. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 315.

Design and frequency response characteristics of active and passive filters with emphasis on applications to signal processing.

515. Data Acquisition Systems. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 313, 315.

Components and their characteristics required to convert physical variables to digital data. Relationship between digital data word bit size and component characteristics.

517. Digital Filters and Signal Processing. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 415, 510, or equivalent.

Digital filters and their application to signal processing.

518. Digital Signal Processing Laboratory 2. (1)

Prerequisite: ECEn 517 or concurrent registration.

Advanced laboratory experience in computer processing of digital signals and signals in discrete format.

519. Digital Image Processing. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 415, Stat 421, or equivalent.

Digital processing techniques for two-dimensional scene analysis, classification feature enhancement, contrast enhancement deblurring, data compression, etc.

520. Error-Control Codes. (3)

Prerequisite: senior or graduate standing.

Theory and implementation of error control techniques for digital communications, computer, and storage systems. Includes block, cyclic, and convolutional codes.

522R. Special Topics in Computer Systems. (1-3)

Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

523. Computer Network Queuing. (3)

Prerequisite: concurrent registration in ECEn 315; Stat 421.

Queuing concepts related to computer systems and networks, resource allocation, speed, service time. Applications of random variables and probability theory.

526. Local Computer Networks. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 327.

Local computer network coupling fundamentals.

528. Computer Systems Architecture. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 425.

Advanced topics in computer architecture and parallel processing.

529. Advanced Computer System Design Lab. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 425, 451, or equivalent.

Lab experience in design and analysis of advanced computer systems.

540. Detection and Estimation Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 510 or equivalent.

Basic concepts of detection and estimation theory, including sufficiency, completeness; Neyman Pearson and Bayes detectors; maximum likelihood, Bayes, minimum mean square, and linear estimation, Kalman filters.

542R. Special Topics in Electronics. (1-3)

Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

544. Digital Communication Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 444, 510.

Theory and design of optimal digital communication systems with noise, matched filters, correlation detectors, convolution codes, sequential coding/decoding schemes, block coding, and spread spectrum.

545. Information and Coding Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 315, Stat 421.

Mathematical development of information and coding theory applied to communication and other stochastic processes.

546. Optical Communication Components and Systems. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 460.

Fiber-optic communication system components and their operating and performance characteristics.

547. Satellite Communications Systems. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 444.

Satellite communication system design including satellite transponders, microwave components, earth station hardware, link budgets, and analog and digital modulation formats.

550. Device Electronics for Integrated Circuits. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 450.

Semiconductor device analysis and simulation. Analog integrated circuit design.

551. VLSI Systems Design. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 451.

Design of structured circuit systems for very large-scale integrated semiconductor chips. Architecture of digital VLSI systems.

553. VLSI Process Technology. (3)

Prerequisite: senior or graduate standing in engineering or physical sciences.

Physical and chemical process steps used in fabricating very large-scale integrated circuits on monolithic silicon crystal.

555. VLSI Testing. (1)

Prerequisite: ECEn 451.

Testing of ICs designed previous semester in ECEn 451. Topics in VLSI-testable circuit designs.

560. Intermediate Electromagnetic Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 460. Recommended: Math 323.

Application of electromagnetic theory to nonlinear and anisotropic materials and devices. Current mathematical techniques in field theory.

561. High-Frequency Communication Circuits. (4)

Prerequisite: ECEn 443, 460.

Circuits and RF techniques used in communication systems.

563. Antenna Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 460.

Radiation, terminal, and distributed properties of antenna structures. Effects of lossy and ionized media on antenna performance. Noise temperature.

564. Radar Systems Performance. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 444, 460.

Performance and evaluation of various radar systems. Range equation, signal detection, ambiguity function, system configurations, and components.

568. Microwave Remote Sensing. (3)

Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Emphasis on space-borne remote sensing of earth's atmosphere, land, and oceans. Primary methods and applications for both active (radar) and passive (radiometry).

593R. Special Topics in Electrical Engineering. (3)

Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Topics vary. Recent developments in electrical engineering.

598R. Special Problems. (3)

Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

611. Optimal Control. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 511.

Optimization theory for controller design: finite and infinite horizon regulators, linear quadratic regulator design, terminal and path constraints, introduction to H-infinity theory.

612. System Identification. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 510, 511.

Parametric identification; identifiability theory, autoregressive/moving average models; nonparametric identification of linear and nonlinear systems using higher-order statistics and Voltera and Wiener models; state space methods.

617. Advanced Digital Signal Processing. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 517; ECEn 510 or Stat 545.

Advanced topics in digital signal processing, including multirate DSP. Array processing and beam forming, model-based spectral estimation, advanced optimal filtering techniques, current research review.

619. Advanced Image Processing. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 510, 519.

Advanced topics in digital image processing, including reconstruction from projections, topics from computer vision, biomedical imaging, acoustic imaging, and current research review.

644. Pattern Recognition. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 315; Stat 421.

Decision surfaces and Bayesian theory applied to multidimensional pattern analysis and recognition with and without training data.

646. Optimal Estimation Theory. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 510, 544.

Optimal filtering techniques, including Wiener and Kalman filtering. Estimating signal parameters in noise.

661. Advanced Electromagnetic Fields. (3)

Prerequisite: ECEn 560.

Physical interpretation of electromagnetic fields. Mathematical methods of solving boundary value and other field problems.

699R. Master's Thesis. (1-9)

Prerequisite: graduate standing and major professor's consent.

794R. Selected Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering. (1-3)

797R. Research for Doctoral Students. (1-9)

799R. Doctoral Dissertation. (1-9)

FACULTY

ARCHIBALD, JAMES K., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Washington, 1987. Computer Architecture; Parallel Processing.

ARNOLD, DAVID V., Assistant Professor. PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992. Electromagnetic Wave Theory.

BEARD, RANDAL, Assistant Professor. PhD, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1995. Nonlinear System Theory; Control Theory.

BEARNSON, LEROY WOOD, Associate Professor. PhD, Auburn University, 1970. Computer Communication; Error Correction; Networking.

CHABRIES, DOUGLAS M., Professor. PhD, Brown University, 1970. Digital Signal Processing; Adaptive Filtering; Image and Sonar Processing.

CHRISTIANSEN, RICHARD, Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1976. Digital Signal Processing.

COMER, DAVID JOHN, Professor. PhD, Washington State University, 1966. Electronics; Circuit Theory.

COMER, DONALD T., Professor. PhD, University of Santa Clara, 1968. Mixed Signal VLSI.

FROST, RICHARD L., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1979. Digital Signal Processing; Information Theory; Image Processing; Neural Networks.

HUTCHINGS, BRAD L., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1992. Reconfigurable Logic; FPGA's VLSI Design.

JEFFS, BRIAN D., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1989. Digital Signal Processing; Digital Image Processing; Biomedical Imaging.

JENSEN, MICHAEL, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, 1994. Numerical Methods in Electromagnetics; Antenna Theory.

LONG, DAVID G., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1989. Microwave Remote Sensing; Estimation Theory; Radar.

NELSON, BRENT E., Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1984. VLSI Design; Computer Systems Design.

RICE, MICHAEL, Assistant Professor. PhD, Georgia Institute of Technol-
ogy, 1991. Digital Communication Theory; Error-Control Coding; Satellite Communications.

SALMON, LINTON G., Associate Professor. PhD, Cornell University, 1983. Integrated Circuit Processing; Modeling; High-Speed Packaging.

SELFRIDGE, RICHARD H., Associate Professor. PhD, University of California, Davis, 1984. Fiber and Integrated Optics; Electromagnetics; Lasers.

STIRLING, WYNN C., Professor. PhD, Stanford University, 1983. Linear System Theory; Estimation and Detection Theory; Control Theory.

SWINDLEHURST, ARNOLD LEE, Associate Professor. PhD, Stanford University, 1991. Estimation Theory; Signal Processing; Controls.

WILDE, DORAN, Associate Professor. PhD, Oregon State University, 1995. Regular Array Architectures; Computation.

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