Computer Systems Engineering

Project

In addition to taught work and practical assignments you will also complete a joint research project in one of the state-of-the-art laboratories in the schools. The independent project is mainly undertaken during the summer at the end of the academic year, although students are encouraged to begin work and planning during the teaching period.

Examples of past projects undertaken for the Computer Systems Engineering MSc include:

Image analysis for Electron Beam Lithography

Electron Beam Lithography is used to define small patterns on silicon substrates to create devices such as microprocessors and memory chips. There is often a need to align a pattern with existing structures on the silicon. This requires the ability to detect and locate alignment marks to accuracies of a few nanometres. Software must be written that can analyse an image and return the position of a matched pattern within it. The software is to run under Linux, be compatible with the lithography machine and be tested for both accuracy and robustness.

Extending the TCP/IP stack in high-speed routers using programmable hardware

High-speed routers commonly trade extensibility and customisability for efficiency by using a fast/slow path separation for packet processing. For the next generation Internet however, it is crucial to be able to deploy customised services in routers without negatively impacting traffic or performance. This project explores how extensible functionality can be integrated with the TCP/IP operations that a high speed router undertakes and implements specific functionality in the hardware.

Film thickness measurement

Thin film technology is widely used in the semiconductor industry for a variety of processes. The thickness of films is an important parameter and different thickness' of dielectrics have different colours. The aim is to create an instrument that can measure the thickness of a deposited film by detecting its colour using a digital camera. This involves mathematical calculations, the writing of software and calibration using samples of known thickness.