Course Catalogue

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This course introduces the basic building blocks of analogue electronic circuits and systems. It starts from the physics of semiconductors, develops this for bipolar and field-effect transistors and leads to circuits based on operational amplifiers.

Course will be delivered continuously in the traditional manner at UESTC.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

None

Recommended Entry Requirements

None

None

None

Assessment

10% homework and in-class records

15% labs and term project

75% open-book final exam (2 hours)

Due to the nature of the coursework, only the final exam can be reassessed.

The initial grade on Set Exercise (10%) and Report (15%) will be used when calculating the resit grade.

This course aims to provide students with the skills to analyse and design basic analogue electronic circuits containing both passive and active components, including both discrete transistors and integrated operational amplifiers.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ describe the physical operation of a semiconductor diode, draw and explain the current-voltage relation for a diode including its dynamic resistance and capacitance, design simple circuits based on the action of a diode;

■ apply standard parametric models of a transistor, explain what is meant by an amplifier using standard, simplified models, explain how multi-stage amplifiers are coupled and analyse their performance;

■ describe MOSFETs' characteristic curves, analyse and design standard circuits to bias a MOSFET, explain the operation of standard amplifiers using MOSFETs;

■ analyze general circuits with negative feedback, including the four topologies and dual-port network models, demonstrate the effect of negative feedback on distortion and other imperfections of amplifiers;

■ recognize the standard specifications of integrated operational amplifiers, analyze and design standard circuits based on integrated operational amplifiers;

■ use Spice software to measure the input and output characteristic curves of Bipolar and MOSFET transistors, design differential amplifiers and measure DC/AC/transient performance, design multistage amplifiers and measure their performance, design negative feedback amplifiers and measure their performance;

■ design, implement and test a single transistor amplifier circuit, two-stage amplifier circuit, design a negative feedback amplifier circuit using integrated operational amplifier;

■ work as part of a team on a simple technical project.

Students must attend the degree examination and work for assessment for the course laboratory.

Students should attend at least 75% of the timetabled classes of the course.

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates. Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.