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ECE 320: Linear Active Circuit Design
Syllabus
Class meets: Tuesday and Thursday from 9:15 to 10:30 in 9-401
Instructor: Prof. Phyllis R. Nelson
Office: 9-407
Email: prnelson@csupomona.edu
Phone: (909) 869-2649 (email preferred)
Text: Jaeger and Blalock, Microelectronic Circuit Design, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill.
References: There are many texts in this field. Some of them (with no representation
from me as to which are best) are
• Gray and Meyer, Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits, Wiley (current edition is by Gray, Hurst, Lewis, and Meyer)
• Neaman, Microelectronic Circuit Analysis and Design, McGraw Hill
• Razavi, Fundamentals of Microelectronics, Wiley
• Sedra and Smith, Microelectronic Circuits, Oxford University Press
Prerequisites: ECE 209, C- or better in ECE 220.
Topics covered: This course introduces the concept of the small-signal model and its
applications to analog circuits. The main focus is the design of MOSFET and BJT
transistor amplifier circuits.
Grading: Homework (15%) Quizzes (25%), midterm exam (30%), final exam (30%).
Schedule: The planned course schedule is available as a separate document. The schedule
may be adjusted as needed. Changes to the published schedule will be posted on
Blackboard and announced in class.
Homework: Homework problems will be assigned approximately weekly, with the due
dates listed in the course schedule. My solutions to these problems will be available
on Blackboard at the end of class on the due date. Thus, late papers will not be
accepted.
These problems enable you to practice analyzing and designing circuits containing
semiconductor devices, and to test your understanding. Many of these roblems will
be discussed in class. The effort you put into the homework is extremely important.
There is a strong correlation between the effort you expend on the homework and the
final grade you receive. In analog electronic design, there is no simple recipe and often
no single optimal solution. Experience matters, and homework is your opportunity to
build that experience. I encourage you to form study groups and discuss the homework
with other students. However, the work you submit should be your own.
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Quizzes: There will be approximately seven brief closed-book quizzes. Dates are indicated
in the schedule, but may be changed to suit the progress of the class. Changes in
schedule will be announced in class and on Blackboard.
Tests: Tests will be closed book with one page of notes, and will take the entire class
period. The notes must be turned in with the exam.
Late or missed assignments or exams: There will be no make-ups for missed homework, quizzes, or exams. You may consult with the instructor in advance to see if
it is possible to arrange to turn in homework or take a quiz or exam at an alternate
time, but granting such requests is at the discretion of the instructor. Examples of
acceptable reasons for granting an alternate time include jury duty, National Guard
service, or a medical emergency of a member of your immediate family.
Attendance: I do not take attendance. However, you are responsible for any due dates or
quizzes for that class period.
Illness: If you are unable to attend class because you are ill, please notify the instructor by
email before the start of class if possible. When you return to school, please meet with
the instructor to discuss the handling of any missed assignments, quizzes or tests.
Software: Homework assignments may involve computer simulations in spice or Matlab,
both of which are available in the computer labs. However, you may use equivalent
software (for example, the spice variant of your choice or octave and gnuplot instead
of Matlab). You may use a schematic capture program to generate your spice runs.
However, the key skill is to be able to demonstrate that you have used correct models
and parameters. Thus, values or graphs without proof of model parameters (spice)
or code used to generate the result (Matlab) will receive a score of zero.
Blackboard: The most current course information, including all assignments, will be kept
on Blackboard. You will be enrolled automatically in the Blackboard site unless you
are taking this course through Open University. The login page is
http://blackboard.csupomona.edu
If you have trouble logging into Blackboard, check the eHelp pages at
http://www.csupomona.edu/%7Eehelp/
or contact the I&IT help desk in Building 1, room 100. Telephone number (909)
869-6776; E-mail address HelpDesk@csupomona.edu.
Email: I will use Blackboard to send emails to your Cal Poly Pomona email address. These
emails may contain comments on homework questions, reminders of important dates,
and other timely information. It is your responsibility to ensure that the method you
use to read your University email allows you to receive these messages.
Disability Resource Center: “The DRC has been designated as the campus authority
to verify disabilities and to prescribe specific accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Individualized programs are designed that enable students to
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compete academically on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers. Academic
accommodations and support services are available to students who have mobility,
visual, or hearing impairments, chronic health conditions, and/or attention, learning
or psychological disorders. Students with temporary disabilities (e.g., broken arm,
sprained ankle) may also be served.” [http://dsa.csupomona.edu/drc/]
The DRC staff are available in Building 9 room 103 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Extensive information is also available on the web at http://dsa.csupomona.edu/drc/.
Academic integrity: “Academic dishonesty is a serious offense that can diminish the
quality of scholarship, the academic environment, the academic reputation, and the
quality of a Cal Poly Pomona degree.” [University Policy on Academic Dishonesty]
Plagiarism (presenting someone else’s work as your own), cheating on tests, sabotage,
altering an academic record, and using unauthorized study aids are all examples of
academic dishonesty. I encourage you to read the Cal Poly Pomona statement on
academic integrity
(http://dsa.csupomona.edu/judicialaffairs/academicintegrity.asp
and the College of Engineering policy on academic integrity
(http://www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/current/integrity.htm).
You are responsible for complying with these policies whether or not you have read
them. The penalties for academic dishonesty are serious.
Safety: In the event of an emergency that requires a police, fire or medical emergency
response, call from the telephone in the classroom and be prepared to give the building
and room number plus a brief description of the emergency. Do not call 911 on
a cell phone unless the clasroom telephone is unavailable or inopperative!
Cell phone calls to 911 are routed to the California Highway Patrol, resulting in a
delayed response.
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