EDUCATION
Power Electronics Curriculum at Virginia Tech
CPES has an established power electronics systems curriculum that includes courses in power electronics packaging, and systems design and integration. These courses are updated continually to reflect ongoing research advances.
Please check the Virginia Tech Timetables for up-to-date registration information.
Other related ECE curriculum: Undergraduate courses / Graduate courses
Graduate Courses
ECE 5204: Power Semiconductor Devices
Characteristics, fabrication, and application of power semiconductor devices, which may include p-i-n and Schottky diodes, insulated gate bipolar transistors, field effect transistors, and thyristors. Effect of semiconductor material, device structure, and current injection levels on device performance. Device drive requirements and power circuit interaction. Implementation of power devices using wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride.
ECE 5224: Advanced Principles of Electronic Packaging
Design issues such as electrical, electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical, are covered at the lower levels of packaging hierarchy. Materials and process selection guidelines are discussed for the manufacturing and reliability of chip carriers, multichip and hybrid modules. Theoretical bases for design methodology and package reliability. Solid modeling for electrical and thermal designs from chip to board.
ECE 5234: EMI & Noise Reduction Techniques
Theory and practice of E.M. noise coupling; Techniques for noise reduction: shielding, grounding and filtering. Measurement of EMI to comply with government regulation. EMI problems and solutions to switching power supply applications. Design of EMI filter.
ECE 5244: Advanced Power Conversion Techniques
High-frequency resonant, quasi-resonant, and multi-resonant power conversion techniques; zero-voltage and zero-current switching techniques in pulse-width modulation converters and inverters. Pulse-width modulation and frequency modulation; non-linear analysis techniques for resonant and soft-switching converters and inverters. Power factor correction rectifiers and distributed power systems.
ECE 5254: Power Converter Modeling & Control
Nonlinear modeling of power conversion circuit using discrete and average techniques analysis and design of voltage mode and current mode control; parallel module operation and system interactions; distributed power systems; time domain simulation and frequency domain measurement techniques.
ECE 5264: Embedded Power Management
Study of advanced control and high frequency modeling of power converters; analysis and design of high-frequency power converters; analysis of high-frequency magnetic components; analysis and design of embedded power management solutions for distributed power systems.
ECE 5274: Modeling and Control of Three-Phase PWM Converters
Power conversion principles for three-phase pulse-width modulation techniques, control and converters. Development of averaged models of three-phase rectifiers and inverters in stationary and rotating coordinates. Small-signal models in rotating coordinates and control design. Introduction of switching state vectors and different modulation schemes. Three-phase inverter and rectifier applications. Parallel and multi-level three-phase converters.
Advanced Undergraduate Courses Approved for Graduate Credit
ECE 4205, 4206: Electronic Circuit Design
Stability and response of feedback amplifier, wideband amplifiers, operational amplifier characteristics, waveform generators and wave shaping, nonlinear circuit applications, signal generators, and photolithography. Design of analog electronic circuits, circuit simulation, response characterization, and printed-circuit construction.
ECE 4224: Power Electronics
Power devices and switching power converters including rectifiers and inverters; design of electronic power processing circuits and their control as applied to computer, telecommunication, transportation, and industrial systems. A C- or better is required in all prerequisite courses.
ECE 4254: Principles of Electronic Packaging
This course covers principles and analyses for design and manufacture of electronic packages, including design issues such as electrical, electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical, are covered at the lower levels of packaging hierarchy. Materials and process selection guidelines are discussed for the manufacturing and reliability of chip carriers, multichip and hybrid modules.
ECE 4284: Power Electronics Laboratory
Design and testing of electronic power processing systems for commercial and aerospace applications.
