Microelectromagnetic Device Group


For further information contact Professor Dean Neikirk at
neikirk@uts.cc.utexas.edu

Course Syllabus

EE 397K Electromagnetics in Packaging (or: "How do you evaluate parasitics?");

Unique Number 14695, Spring, 1996; M-W 2:00-3:30, ENS 532

Instructor: Dean P. Neikirk, office ENS 635, phone 471-4669; MERB 1.606F, 471-8549

e-mail: neikirk@uts.cc.utexas.edu

Office Hours: M-W 3:30-4:30; T-Th 10-11

Prerequisites: EE 325; EE 325K, EE 339, and EE 363M won't hurt, but are not required

Objectives:

The "intrinsic" speed/frequency performance of electronic circuits and ICs has increased dramatically in the last ten years. For instance, today you can buy for approximately $100 a MMIC (monolithic millimeter / microwave integrated circuit) amp with 10 dB of gain and about 1 dB noise figure which operates at 94 GHz; ten years ago such performance at even 5 GHz probably cost at least ten times more. Similarly, some state-of-the-art microprocessors operate at clock rates of over 100 MHz, with digital edge transition times well under 1 nsec. But can these improvements continue unabated? Even if intrinsic performance continues to improve, will extrinsic effects limit system performance? What connection (pardon the pun) is there between how the "components" are packaged and system performance? What electromagnetic effects must we understand and model to design high speed/frequency systems?

This course will have several objectives that I consider (broadly) to be "package" related:

i) Internal to the IC level, we will the study "extrinsic" effects which often produce more severe limits than the "intrinsic" device physics.

a. impact of finite conductivity of metal interconnects

b. contact resistance to semiconductors and at interfaces (maybe)

c. propagation delay, mainly RC

i) At the level just above the IC (included here is the IC package itself) we will again look at "parasitics" that affect performance:

a. "lumped" element and transmission line models for packages and PWBs/PCBs

b. causality and propagation delays, mainly RLC.

Overall, we will place a significant emphasis on inductive and resistive effects, and techniques for the construction of equivalent circuit networks for interconnects and packages.

Class Projects: You must complete a class project, which will count for 30% of your grade. The project will consist of the identification of a critical, package-related roadblock in high speed/frequency circuits, and the detailed, critical examination of relevant literature. You will then prepare a written discussion of your findings, as well as presenting a DETAILED, BUT UNDERSTANDABLE, oral talk to the class. You will be expected to explain your findings in language we can all understand; I will not accept "conventional" explanations which consist primarily of fancy jargon. Expect to spend at least one hour with me prior to your class presentation, with a return visit to clarify any problems (and I guarantee I will find something to object to) identified in your presentation. Presentations will begin April 3. Your class presentation will be fifteen minutes long, with five minutes for questions, given after practicing your presentation with me. When we finish, we should have a "greatest hits" list of classic papers and a thorough appreciation of their content.

Text Book: C. R. Paul, Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992.

Useful references:

H. W. Johnson and M. Graham, High-Speed Digital Design: a Handbook of Black Magic. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PTR Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1993.

D. P. Seraphim, R. C. Lasky, and C.-Y. Li, Ed., Principles of Electronic Packaging. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1989.

L. T. Pillage, R. A. Rohrer, and C. Visweswariah, Electronic Circuit and System Simulation Methods. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995.

Other possibly related books:

Microwave Semiconductor Devices, by Sigfrid Yngvesson, Kluwer Academic Publishers (1991); Physics of Semiconductor Devices editor S. M. Sze; Microwave Engineering, by D. Pozar, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (1990); Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics by S. Ramo, J. R. Whinnery, and T. Van Duzer.

Grades

Your grades will be based upon performance on homework, exams (some in take-home format), and the class project. Homework will be assigned approximately weekly; credit for late homework will be reduced at a rate of 10% per class the work is late.

The weighting for different areas is:

Homework 15%

Mid term exam 25%

Class project 30%

Final [May 11, 7-10pm] 30%

100%

The worst-case grades will be based on:

A 100-90% of total points available

B 80-89%

C 70-79%

D 55-70%

F 0-55%

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN PROVIDES UPON REQUEST APPROPRIATE ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENTS FOR QUALIFIED STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENTS AT 471-6259, 471-4241 TDD OR THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DIRECTOR OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT 471-4382.

LAST DAY TO DROP: 4TH DAY OF CLASSES (Jan. 19); BETWEEN THEN AND Feb. 12 MUST GO TO DEAN'S OFFICE; AFTER Feb. 12 THERE MAY BE AN ACADEMIC PENALTY

Course Evaluation: University and optional in-house survey during last week of class.

Policy on CHEATING:

You are expected to do your own work at ALL times. I expect you will often discuss assignments, but you MUST do your own ORIGINAL written work. Any evidence of cheating or plagiarism* will be treated as grounds for FAILURE in the class.

The following is extracted from the document "On Being A Scientist: Responsible Conduct In Research" by the COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, ENG, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING, INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS, Washington, D.C. 1995.

Copyright (c) 1994 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced solely for educational purposes without the written permission of the National Academy of Sciences. Internet Access: This report is available on the National Academy of Sciences' Internet host. It may be accessed via World Wide Web at http://www.nas.edu, via Gopher at gopher.nas.edu, or via FTP at ftp.nas.edu.

*"A CASE OF PLAGIARISM

"May is a second-year graduate student preparing the written portion of her qualifying exam. She incorporates whole sentences and paragraphs verbatim from several published papers. She does not use quotation marks, but the sources are suggested by statements like '(see . . . for more details).' The faculty on the qualifying exam committee note inconsistencies in the writing styles of different paragraphs of the text and check the sources, uncovering May's plagiarism.

"After discussion with the faculty, May's plagiarism is brought to the attention of the dean of the graduate school, whose responsibility it is to review such incidents. The graduate school regulations state that 'plagiarism, that is, the failure in a dissertation, essay, or other written exercise to acknowledge ideas, research or language taken from others' is specifically prohibited. The dean expels May from the program with the stipulation that she can reapply for the next academic year." [ URL: http://www.nas.edu/nap/online/obas/contents/misconduct.html#Plagiarism ]

"A broad spectrum of misconduct falls into the category of plagiarism, ranging from obvious theft to uncredited paraphrasing that some might not consider dishonest at all. In a lifetime of reading, theorizing, and experimenting, a person's work will inevitably incorporate and overlap with that of others. However, occasional overlap is one thing; systematic use of the techniques, data, words, or ideas of others without appropriate acknowledgment is another." [ URL: http://www.nas.edu/nap/online/obas/contents/appendix.html#Plagiarism ]