Circuit Design and Signal Processing Area

General Description

Circuits: Electrical circuits form the building blocks of most electrical systems. Some examples of systems containing electrical circuits are telephones, radios, television, controllers, oscilloscopes, logic gates, and memories. Analysis of electrical circuits is an essential task in the evaluation of these systems. Circuits are made up of interconnections of various elements such as resistors, inductors, transformers, capacitors, semiconductor diodes and transistors, and operational amplifiers. Some examples of these circuits are amplifiers, oscillators, modulators, demodulators, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. Various methods for the design of these circuits to meet given specifications are discussed in the courses of this area.

Signal Processing: The electrical voltages and currents that carry useful information are known as signals. Extraction of information from a signal, modification of a signal from one form to another, separation of a signal from noise, etc., are called signal processing. Passive filters, active filters, and digital filters are three classes of filters used in telecommunications, instrumentation, control, and other applications. Other examples of signal processing circuits are spectrum analyzers, echo cancelers, speech synthesizers and recognizers, image processers, and low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filters. Design and application of the signal processing circuits are taught in the elective courses in this area.

Relation to Other Areas

Electronic circuits are essential components in practically all electrical systems such as controllers, telecommunication systems, power circuits, digital systems, computers, and instrumentation systems. Circuit designers conceive and design these building blocks while engineers in other areas develop systems using these building blocks.

Job Opportunities

Circuit designers are needed in all areas of electrical engineering, especially in telecommunications, instrumentation, control and computer areas. With the advances in the integrated circuit technology, design and construction of new building blocks are continuously needed. Electrical engineers with expertise in the design of signal processing circuits will find employment in such modern applications as speech processing, image processing, wireless telephone, high definition television, and radar.

Senior Sequences
Option 1
ECE 4020  Digital Signal Processing
ECE 4030  Analog Signal Processing

Option 2
ECE 4030  Analog Signal Processing
ECE 4310  Analog VLSI Design

Recommended Courses
Students specializing in this area should take Complex Variables or Linear Algebra for their Math Elective. Students taking senior sequence courses in the circuits and signal processing area will benefit more if they take courses in telecommunications, control or digital areas.

Circuits and Signal Processing Area Courses
The courses below are covered in more detail in your catalog.
 
ECE 2000  Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECE 2010  Electric Circuits I 
ECE 2020  Electric Circuits II 
ECE 2060  Measurements Laboratory
ECE 3010  Signals and Systems 
ECE 3020  Discrete-Time Signals and Systems 
ECE 3300  Electronics I
ECE 3310  Electronics II 
ECE 3360  Electronics Laboratory 
ECE 4020  Digital Signal Processing 
ECE 4030  Analog Signal Processing
ECE 4310  Analog VLSI Design

Undergraduate Catalog >