Course Title: Electronic Circuits

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Electronic Circuits

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
EEET2097	City Campus	Undergraduate	125H Electrical & Computer Engineering	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016
EEET2097	City Campus	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2023, Sem 2 2024
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	125H Electrical & Computer Engineering	Face-to-Face	Offsh1 13, Offsh1 14, Offsh2 14, Offsh3 15, Offsh1 16
EEET2479	RMIT University Vietnam	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	Viet3 2017, Viet2 2018, Viet3 2019, Viet3 2020, Viet2 2021, Viet1 2023, Viet1 2024

Flexible Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFSe12018 (All)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2019 (All)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2020 (VE25)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2021 (VE27)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2022 (All)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2023 (All)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFMay2024 (VE33)
EEET2404	SHAPE, VTC	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	OFFJan2025 (VE35)

Course Coordinator: Dr Ke Wang

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2549

Course Coordinator Email: ke.wang@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 12.08.12

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Recommended Prior Study
It is recommended to have satisfactorily completed the following course/s before you commence this course:

• EEET2255 Electronics (038302)
• EEET2249 Introduction to Electrical and Electronic Engineering (038295)
• MATH2161 Mathematics for ECE (038298)

Alternatively, if you have the equivalent skills and knowledge covered in the above course/s you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning.

Please contact your course coordinator for further details. 

Assumed Knowledge
You will be expected to be familiar with:

• Main circuit elements
• Discrete circuit design
• Kirchhoff’s Laws
• Analytical methods of studying circuits with R, L and C elements
• Thevenin's and Norton's equivalent circuits
• Basic operation of pn-junctions, BJT and MOSFET
• Basic characteristics and discrete circuit design of operational amplifiers circuits and their configurations
• DC and AC circuit analysis, and
• Amplifier frequency response, gain, bandwidth, phase, impendence calculation, feedback topologies and Bode plots

Labs in this course require you to be able to

• Design and analysis circuits with any type or version of SPICE
• Plot/read circuit diagrams, connect circuits correctly, and use multimeters with confidence, if necessary
• Use oscilloscopes, if necessary, and
• Professionally write reports on laboratory experiments

Course Description

This course focus on integrated circuit design concepts and assumes that you are familiar with discrete circuit design. System, signal, circuit and component considerations are incorporated. The course is designed to give you broad and applicable skills in designing integrated circuits for a wide range of applications such as chip design, medical implantable devices, integrated sensory systems, many applications that have extreme power consumption limitations and require long-term battery life (e.g. wireless sensors).

Topics include:

1. Semiconductors and Integrated-Circuit Devices, includes

• Semiconductors and pn-Junctions, MOS Transistors and Bipolar Devices, Device Model Summary, SPICE Modelling Parameters, Passive Devices, CMOS Processing, Layout and Rules, Variability and MismatchSemiconductors and pn-Junctions, MOS Transistors and Bipolar Devices, Device Model Summary, SPICE Modelling Parameters, Passive Devices, CMOS Processing, Layout and Rules, Variability and Mismatch

2. Basic Current Mirrors, Single-Stage Amplifiers, includes

• CMOS and BJT Current Mirrors and Gain Stages, Common-Source Amplifier, Source-Follower or Common-Drain Amplifier, Common-Gate Amplifier, Source-Degenerated Current Mirrors, Cascode Current Mirrors, Cascode Gain Stage, MOS Differential Pair and Gain Stage

3. Basic Operational Amplifier Design, Compensation and Feedback, includes

• Two-Stage CMOS Opamp, Opamp Compensation, Advanced Current Mirrors, Folded-Cascode Opamp, Current Mirror Opamp, Fully Differential Opamp, Comparators, Comparator Specifications, Feedback Amplifiers, Ideal Model of Negative Feedback, Dynamic Response of Feedback Amplifiers, Common Feedback Amplifiers

4. Fundamentals of Power Amplifiers, includes

• Class A, B and AB Power Amplifiers, Efficiency, Harmonics and Distortion

5. Biasing, References and Regulators, includes

• Analog Integrated Circuit Biasing, Establishing Constant Voltages and Currents, Voltage Regulation and Fundamentals of Linear Regulator

6. Frequency Response, includes

• Frequency Response of: Linear Systems, Elementary Transistor Circuits, Cascode Gain Stage, Source-Follower Amplifier, and Differential Pair

7. Noise and Linearity Analysis and Modelling

• Time-Domain Analysis, Frequency-Domain Analysis, Noise Models for Circuit Elements, Dynamic Range Performance

Please note that if you take this course for a bachelor honours program, your overall mark in this course will be one of the course marks that will be used to calculate the weighted average mark (WAM) that will determine your award level. (This applies to students who commence enrolment in a bachelor honours program from 1 January 2016 onward. See the WAM information web page for more information.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for Bachelor of Engineering (Honours):

     1.1 Comprehensive, theory based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline.
     1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
     2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
     2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
     2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.
     3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability.
     3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.

For more information on the program learning outcomes for your program, please see the program guide.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Relate knowledge about semiconductor devices to typical implementations
2. Analyse and design amplifier and current source/mirror integrated circuits
3. Design (at circuit level) differential amplifiers in integrated circuits
4. Analyse and use of feedback in fundamental integrated circuits
5. Design power amplifiers and know-how on their implementation as integrated circuits
6. Design and analyse of voltage bias, reference and regulator integrated circuits
7. Analyse and understand fundamental integrated circuits’ frequency response
8. Analyse noise in fundamental integrated circuits and basic circuit design components

Overview of Learning Activities

Key concepts and their application(s) will be explained in pre-recorded lectures, therefore attendance as a learning activity is highly recommended. Examples and case studies for a selection of topics will be discussed.

Major assignment works are designed to develop your group and communication skills through written reports, and to guide you through a design and/or analysis and/or verification methodology.

Student Learning occurs through the following experiences and evaluation processes:

• Pre-recorded Lectures.
• Attending Tutorials.
• Work with others in a team.
• Solve problems.
• Participate in laboratories: analyse, design, implement, test and write reports.
• Collect and analyse information.
• Use simulation packages to help circuit analysis/design. Prepare for possible short test(s) and final quiz/assignment.

You are encouraged to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course.

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course.

For lists of relevant reference texts, resources in the library and freely accessible Internet sites please check Part B of the Course Guide.

You will also use laboratory equipment and computer software within the School during project and assignment work.

Overview of Assessment

☒This course has no hurdle requirements.
☐ All hurdle requirements for this course are indicated clearly in the assessment regime that follows, against the relevant assessment task(s) and all have been approved by the College Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Leaning & Teaching).

Your ability to explain key concepts and demonstrate proficiency in circuit design tasks will be assessed through a final assessment (quiz/assignment) and two major assignments.

Practical skills will be assessed through written reports on laboratory exercises.

All assessment tasks will also assess your ability to critically analyse results and provide arguments to support design decisions. Written feedback will be provided on all assessments upon collection of assignment papers or via online marking facilities which will be introduced during the lectures. There will be no feedback for the final test.

The assessment tasks include the following Assignments, Laboratory work and Final Test with the mentioned breakdown of the total mark:

Assessment tasks

Assessment Task 1: Final Test
Weighting: 30%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
The assessment is a timed and timetabled assessment of less than 2 hours duration that students must attend on campus except for international students who are residents outside Australia. 

Assessment Task 2: Major Assignment 1
Weighting: 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 2, 3, 4.

Assessment Task 3: Major Assignment 2
Weighting: 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Assessment 4: Laboratory reports
Weighting: 30%
This assessment supports CLOs 2, 3, 4, 6, 7.

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.