Faculty
Optimum Power Electronics:
The research of this group is the investigation of transistors and other electronic devices that reduce overall system power consumption. This has included the investigation of high-k metal gates and tri-gate devices for advanced logic processes. This has also included the investigation of conventional MOSFET architectures with alternative channel materials. Currently the primary investigation is the pursuit of GaN Metal Oxide Semiconductor structures for high-frequency systems and frequency as well as power applications. This investigation includes investigation of advanced electrical measurement and analysis techniques. Fabrication techniques for GaN based and other wide band gap devices are explored. Emphasis on understanding surface chemistry to enable device production is explored. Additional projects are being pursued concerning low phase noise electro-optical devices.
Research Opportunities for REU experience:
1.) Interested Student will explore etching profiles and chemistries for GaN MOSFET manufacturing. Student will also have be asked set up simulations to study the effects of defects in GaN material.
2.) A second project could involve the S-parameter measurement and modeling of GaN nitride or other high speed device for use in opto-electronic applications.
The research of this group is the investigation of transistors and other electronic devices that reduce overall system power consumption. This has included the investigation of high-k metal gates and tri-gate devices for advanced logic processes. This has also included the investigation of conventional MOSFET architectures with alternative channel materials. Currently the primary investigation is the pursuit of GaN Metal Oxide Semiconductor structures for high-frequency systems and frequency as well as power applications. This investigation includes investigation of advanced electrical measurement and analysis techniques. Fabrication techniques for GaN based and other wide band gap devices are explored. Emphasis on understanding surface chemistry to enable device production is explored. Additional projects are being pursued concerning low phase noise electro-optical devices.
Research Opportunities for REU experience:
1.) Interested Student will explore etching profiles and chemistries for GaN MOSFET manufacturing. Student will also have be asked set up simulations to study the effects of defects in GaN material.
2.) A second project could involve the S-parameter measurement and modeling of GaN nitride or other high speed device for use in opto-electronic applications.
Dr. Bhattacharya’s research focuses on these areas:
* Integration of renewable and distributed energy resources (DER) in electric power grid – such as solar PV arrays, wind, wave. To provide new power conversion systems and their controls for connecting DER to power grid.
* Control methods for power electronic converters, and development of a DSP based controller platform with redundancy requirements.
* Application and control of power electronics ac-dc and dc-ac converters to utility transmission and distribution grids. This includes development of single- and three-phase “solid-state transformer” system, and DC distribution system architecture for satellite power system, and shipboard power system.
* Strategies for clean and reliable utility interface of "polluting" loads in electric distribution systems – control, design and development of “Active Power Filters” for harmonic compensation of non-linear loads
* Integration of renewable and distributed energy resources (DER) in electric power grid – such as solar PV arrays, wind, wave. To provide new power conversion systems and their controls for connecting DER to power grid.
* Control methods for power electronic converters, and development of a DSP based controller platform with redundancy requirements.
* Application and control of power electronics ac-dc and dc-ac converters to utility transmission and distribution grids. This includes development of single- and three-phase “solid-state transformer” system, and DC distribution system architecture for satellite power system, and shipboard power system.
* Strategies for clean and reliable utility interface of "polluting" loads in electric distribution systems – control, design and development of “Active Power Filters” for harmonic compensation of non-linear loads
Dr. Byrd works in the area of parallel computer architecture and systems, including multi-core processors, special-purpose processors (such as the Cell processor), and large-scale multiprocessor systems. Research in this area usually involves building simulators to evaluate the performance of systems on interesting applications.
Dr. Byrd also investigates topics in security for web-based and distributed systems. He is a contributer to the open-source Higgins project, which is a framework for users to manage identity information shared with others. Higgins implements and extends the information card metaphor used in Microsoft's CardSpace, eliminating the need for many passwords and registration forms.
Dr. Byrd also investigates topics in security for web-based and distributed systems. He is a contributer to the open-source Higgins project, which is a framework for users to manage identity information shared with others. Higgins implements and extends the information card metaphor used in Microsoft's CardSpace, eliminating the need for many passwords and registration forms.
Prior to joining NCSU he spent two years with the functional-polymers group at Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands) as a post-doctoral fellow. His PhD research at Brown University on organic electro-optical materials and their use in photonics and flat-panel displays has been recognized by the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS) with the Glenn H. Brown Award (2004) and by the Optical Society of America with the OSA/New Focus Student Award (2002) at the CLEO/QELS Conference. He continues to pursue interdisciplinary research topics in Liquid Crystals and Light-Emitting Polymer Photonics, Optofluidics, and Nanolithography.
Dr. Franzon's research focuses on the implementation of digital circuits and systems.
ASIC design for autonomous operation: Autonomous systems such as robots and self-driving cars require massive amounts of computing to perform their tasks. In this research, the student will investigate ways to accelerate these tasks using ASICs and FPGAs.
ASIC design for autonomous operation: Autonomous systems such as robots and self-driving cars require massive amounts of computing to perform their tasks. In this research, the student will investigate ways to accelerate these tasks using ASICs and FPGAs.
Dr. Gard's research focuses on two main areas: innovative integrated circuit solutions for wireless communications and analysis of nonlinear effects on performance and design of wireless transceiver components and systems.
Wireless Integrated Circuits Research: Developing optimal RF ASIC solutions for communication systems through innovative, low cost, and low power circuit and architectural chip designs using contemporary and advanced integrated technologies.
Nonlinear Analysis and Modeling: Provide insightful and practical assessment tools and techniques for evaluating nonlinear phenomena through development of behavioral models of nonlinear circuits and applying statistical and signal processing techniques to investigate the impact of distortion on power spectrum, spectral regrowth, autocorrelation, and SNR.
Wireless Integrated Circuits Research: Developing optimal RF ASIC solutions for communication systems through innovative, low cost, and low power circuit and architectural chip designs using contemporary and advanced integrated technologies.
Nonlinear Analysis and Modeling: Provide insightful and practical assessment tools and techniques for evaluating nonlinear phenomena through development of behavioral models of nonlinear circuits and applying statistical and signal processing techniques to investigate the impact of distortion on power spectrum, spectral regrowth, autocorrelation, and SNR.
The project will deal with the commissioning of a new class of mobile robot. This new mobile robot is the 3rd generation of autonomous mobile robot designed and fabricated in the CRIM. The new hardware and software architecture will allow for the efficient generation of evolutionary algorithms to control autonomous robots undertaking complex tasks. The student will be involved in running experiments to test these new robots.
Dr. Hughes's research interests include digital communications and signal processing, information theory and coding, and optimal wireless transceiver design. Current research projects focus on the design of new modulation and coding techniques for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, which exploit the presence of multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver to improve the capacity and coverage of wireless systems, as as well novel compact antenna arrays for wireless communications.
Gianluca Lazzi has been a visiting researcher at the ENEA (Italian National Board for New Technologies, Energy, and Environment) (1994), visiting researcher at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" (1994-1995), and Research Associate and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Utah (1995-1998). He has been at NCSU since 1999, and he is presently an Associate Professor.
Dr.Lazzi is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is recipient of the 2003 ALCOA Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, a 2003 Outstanding Teacher Award and Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award, a 2001 NSF CAREER Award, a 2001 Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering grant for Young Investigators, a 1996 International Union of Radio Science (URSI) "Young Scientist Award," and the 1996 "Curtis Carl Johnson Memorial Award" for the best student paper presented at the eighteenth annual technical meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS). He is author or co-author of more than 100 international journal articles or conference presentations on FDTD modeling, wireless antennas, dosimetry, and bioelectromagnetics. His name is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in the West, Dictionary of International Biographies, and 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th Century.
Dr.Lazzi is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is recipient of the 2003 ALCOA Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, a 2003 Outstanding Teacher Award and Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award, a 2001 NSF CAREER Award, a 2001 Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering grant for Young Investigators, a 1996 International Union of Radio Science (URSI) "Young Scientist Award," and the 1996 "Curtis Carl Johnson Memorial Award" for the best student paper presented at the eighteenth annual technical meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS). He is author or co-author of more than 100 international journal articles or conference presentations on FDTD modeling, wireless antennas, dosimetry, and bioelectromagnetics. His name is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in the West, Dictionary of International Biographies, and 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th Century.
Veena Misra's research interests center around nanoscale electronic devices and include both logic and memory. In the area of logic, she is exploring gatestacks/contacts for Si and non-Si channels. In the area of memories, she is exploring molecules, nanoparticles and magnetic nanostructures.
The REU project deals with the investigation of nanoparticle formation and its impact on device performance via the use of a novel membrane based heater. Fully fabricated nanoscale devices will be integrated with the membrane and subjected to ultra fast heating while undergoing simultaneous electrical characterization within a probe station environment. Two types of devices will be investigated: (i) charging based memory device and (ii) coulomb blockade single electron device. The devices will consist of ultra thin noble like metal layers, such as Pt, Ru and Ni, embedded in a dielectric matrix. These ultra thin metal layers will be transformed to nanoparticles via the in-situ membrane heater. Current pulses applied to the semiconductor membrane will produce Joule heating and create highly localized 'hot' regions where very high temperatures can be achieved in millisecond timeframes (~1200°C per millisecond). Electrical leads to the transistor terminals will be used to measure the devices under heating in real time. The features of C-V and I-V curves, degree of charge storage, retention times and discreteness of threshold voltages will be used to assess the impact of the anneal. With this approach, over a hundred anneal/measurement steps can ultimately be achieved in a matter of seconds. The above route can also expedite the optimization process of determining nanoparticle anneal conditions. The goal of this work is to determine the role of temperature and time on nanoparticle formation on high-K dielectrics.
The REU project deals with the investigation of nanoparticle formation and its impact on device performance via the use of a novel membrane based heater. Fully fabricated nanoscale devices will be integrated with the membrane and subjected to ultra fast heating while undergoing simultaneous electrical characterization within a probe station environment. Two types of devices will be investigated: (i) charging based memory device and (ii) coulomb blockade single electron device. The devices will consist of ultra thin noble like metal layers, such as Pt, Ru and Ni, embedded in a dielectric matrix. These ultra thin metal layers will be transformed to nanoparticles via the in-situ membrane heater. Current pulses applied to the semiconductor membrane will produce Joule heating and create highly localized 'hot' regions where very high temperatures can be achieved in millisecond timeframes (~1200°C per millisecond). Electrical leads to the transistor terminals will be used to measure the devices under heating in real time. The features of C-V and I-V curves, degree of charge storage, retention times and discreteness of threshold voltages will be used to assess the impact of the anneal. With this approach, over a hundred anneal/measurement steps can ultimately be achieved in a matter of seconds. The above route can also expedite the optimization process of determining nanoparticle anneal conditions. The goal of this work is to determine the role of temperature and time on nanoparticle formation on high-K dielectrics.
Dr. Townsend's current research focuses on wireless communications using ultra-wideband (UWB) techniques. One key benefit of UWB is very low interference, a characteristic that can be exploited for a number of applications. Students would work on computer simulation and mathematical modeling projects that investigate the performance novel alogrithms and techniques for UWB wireless communications systems.