ECE Research Laboratories

Analog Circuit Design and Test (FAB 60-23)

A 300-sqft laboratory is available to design discrete or integrated filters and test their performance. The laboratory has workstations and the necessary design and simulation software (Cadence, Mentor Graphics, Tektronix Analog Design System (ADE), Magic, SPICE). Test and measurement equipment to permit measuring the frequency response of filters from DC to several GHz is available. Our lab is closely affiliated with the IC Design and Test Lab.
Director: Branimir Pejcinovic

Biologically Inspired Computing Lab (BICL) (EB 500)

The research goal of the Biologically Inspired Computing Laboratory is to develop a new inference-based information processing structure that performs probabilistic computing using radically new nano-scale devices.  This approach exploits the analog, time-dependent properties of such devices, and their massive parallelism. By doing so, such a computing structure will be more efficient and scalable than by using more traditional digital hardware to implement the same task. As a part of this work we are studying the Hierarchical Temporal Memory with Cortical Learning Algorithm (HTM CLA) developed by Numenta, Inc.  We are looking at hardware acceleration of the algorithm, in the short term FPGAs and GPUs and nano-scale devices in the long term.  We are also studying applications of HTM CLA in the energy space.
Director: Dan Hammerstrom

Biomedical Signal Processing Laboratory (FAB 89-02)

The mission of the BSP lab is to increase our collective knowledge of how useful information can be extracted from physiologic signals. We primarily focus on clinical projects in which the extracted information can help physicians make better critical decisions and improve patient outcome.
Director: James McNames

Capstone & Digital Design Lab (FAB 60-14)

Capstone students are provided with sets of standard measuring equipment, dedicated fabrication and test equipment, and a presentation/demonstration area as well as secure storage for projects. The lab also houses our digital signal processing equipment and sodering stations.

This lab reinforce the "duality" that exists between the frequency and time-domains and will contain instrumentation for both: a vector network analyzer (VNA) and a time-domain reflectometry (TDR) oscilloscope. The lab will support courses from junior electromagnetics to advanced graduate courses on RFIC, microwave circuit design, or radar processing.

Emulation Lab (FAB 60-15)

Embedded within the VLSI & Emerging Technologies - Design Automation Research Lab this lab is home to "Veloce," a hardware emulation system donated last year by Mentor Graphics. Students in many design, architecture, and synthesis classes use it for very fast evaluation of their designs. Our research teams are exploring using Veloce capabilities in advancing research in new system architectures and possibly emerging technologies.
Directors: Malgorzata Chrzanowska-Jeske, Xiaoyu Song

Evolvable Systems Laboratory (FAB 70-06)

The purpose of this lab is to investigate how hardware can self-adapt, via autonomous reconfiguration, to compensate for failures or a changing operational environment. The methods used rely heavily on the use of evolutionary algorithms, which emulate natural selection as found in nature, to modify reconfigurable hardware. The emphasis of current work is to explore reconfiguration as a fault recovery method for autonomous hardware.
Director: Garrison Greenwood

IC Design and Test (FAB 60-24)

The goal of the Integrated Circuits Design and Test Laboratory is to become the local, regional and national focal point for innovative research and education in the area of integrated circuit design and test. The PSU Spire of Excellence designation recognizes the laboratory's significance to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest high-frequency digital, mixed-signal, and RF design communities as well as the large concentration of industry leaders in semiconductor manufacturing and semiconductor testing.
Director: Robert Daasch

Intel Lab (FAB 55-17)

The Intel lab contains 43 2.8 GHz Dell Precision T1500 machines. Of the 43 machines, 33 run Windows 7 and 10 Linux. These machines are used for programming and for IC design tools that work under Windows 7 or Linux. This lab and all of our other labs are open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This lab has been supported by Intel Corporation.

Intelligent Robotics (FAB 70-09)

The Intelligent Robotics Laboratory is dedicated to applying machine learning and data analysis algorithms to solve practical problems in electrical and computer engineering, especially in Data Mining, assistive robotics, and human-machine interaction.
Director: Marek Perkowski

Nanoelectronics and Packaging Laboratory (FAB 25-03)

The 1660 sq ft NEPL houses the ECE Department's research activities in Nanoelectronics, in Electronics Packaging, and in the overlap area of Nanoelectronics Packaging. It is also home to Mechanical & Materials Engineering efforts in packaging, where Professors James Morris in ECE and Sung Yi in MME collaborate.
Director: James Morris

Northwest Electromagnetics and Acoustics Research Laboratory (NEAR-Lab)
(FAB 25-00, 89-01)

The mission of the NEAR-Lab is to develop knowledge of electromagnetic and acoustic wave scattering and propagation phenomenon in order to devise and evaluate advanced signal processing techniques.  Applications are in the areas of radar, sonar, and biomedical.
Directors: Lisa Zurk, Martin Siderius

Tektronix Lab (FAB 60-01)

The Tektronix lab at PSU contains 30 fully-equipped test stations that include 4-channel oscilloscopes, DVMs, programmable function generators, spectrum analyzers, programmable power supplies, and Pentium 4 PCs. This lab allows students to learn analog and digital lab skills using the latest test equipment from one of the world’s top instrument companies. This lab is supported by Tektronix.

Terahertz Lab (FAB 60-06)

The NEAR-Lab's new Terahertz (THz) facility is a state-of-the-art measurement lab, with four THz (and laser) equipment stations fully supported by instrumentation and computation workpaces.

Teuscher Lab: Emerging Computing Models and Technologies
(FAB 60-11)

The mission of teuscher.:Lab is to study, rethink, model, and design the implementation of computations in living and non-living systems. An understanding of the phenomena provides a basis for better, smarter, and more robust computing paradigms, architectures, devices, algorithms, languages, and systems for applications such as embedded systems and biomolecular engineering. We are interested in bold, visionary, and transformational solutions to complex and critical problems needed for the medium- and long-term sustainability of the technological future of all computing disciplines. The lab owns a powerful 32-code blade server to simulate advanced computing architectures and models.
Director: Christof Teuscher

Video Image Processing Lab (VIP) (FAB 25-04)

With over $400,000 in equipment and cash donations from Tektronix, the VIP Lab provides invaluable research opportunities to students and faculty. The equipment includes a Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) portable analyzer, MPEG transport stream monitors, MPEG test systems, picture quality analysis systems, and a real-time spectrum analyzer.
Director: Fu Li

VLSI & Emerging Technologies - Design Automation Research Lab (FAB 60-17)

One of the labs main projects focuses on exciting 3D VLSI technology that enables easier integration of memory, analog, digital, RF, optical, MEMS, BioMEMS, sensors, and possibly bio-systems into one small package. From analysis of tiny carbon nanotube constructs to exploring the challenges of process and environment in current CMOS and future nanotechnologies, the lab is taking the important steps toward more compact and complex devices.
Director: Malgorzata Chrzanowska-Jeske

VLSI Lab (FAB 60-19)