Electrical and Electronics Commons^™

Silicon Photonic Devices For Optical Delay Lines And Mid Infrared Applications, Saeed Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silicon photonics has been a rapidly growing subfield of integrated optics and optoelectronic in the last decade and is currently considered a mature technology. The main thrust behind the growth is its compatibility with the mature and low-cost microelectronic integrated circuits fabrication process. In recent years, several active and passive photonic devices and circuits have been demonstrated on silicon. Optical delay lines are among important silicon photonic devices, which are essential for a variety of photonic system applications including optical beam-forming for controlling phased-array antennas, optical communication and networking systems and optical coherence tomography. In this thesis, several types of …

Suction Detection And Feedback Control For The Rotary Left Ventricular Assist Device, Yu Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a rotary mechanical pump that is implanted in patients with congestive heart failure to help the left ventricle in pumping blood in the circulatory system. The rotary type pumps are controlled by varying the pump motor current to adjust the amount of blood flowing through the LVAD. One important challenge in using such a device is the desire to provide the patient with as close to a normal lifestyle as possible until a donor heart becomes available. The development of an appropriate feedback controller that is capable of automatically adjusting the pump current …

Wireless Sensor Networks And The Internet Of Things, Yingtao Jiang, Lei Zhang, Ling Wang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

It is estimated that mobile internet devices that can act as sensors will outnumber humans this year (2013), and by 2015, there will be about 15 billion internet-connected devices. Related applications are thriving in commercial, civic, and scientific operations that involve sensors, web, and services, leading by both academic societies and industry companies. It is commonly accepted that the next generation of internet is becoming the “Internet of Things (IoT)” which is a worldwide network of interconnected objects and their virtual representations uniquely addressable based on standard communication protocols. Identified by a unique address, any object including computers, mobile phones, …

Tunable Fano Resonances Based On Two-Beam Interference In Microring Resonator, Ting Hu, Ping Yu, Chen Qui, Huiye Qui, Fan Wang, Mei Yang, Xiaoqing Jiang, Hui Yu, Jianyi Yang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

In this paper, a resonant system is demonstrated on silicon-on-insulator wafer to achieve tunable Fano resonances. In this system, the Fano resonance originates from the interference of two beams resonant in the microring resonator. The shapes of the Fano resonances are tunable through controlling the phase difference of the two beams. Both large slope and high extinctionratio (ER) are obtained when the phase difference is 0.5π or 1.5π. Experimental results show that Fano resonances with steep slope and ER over 20 dB are achieved in the whole free spectral range by controlling the microheaters to meet the phase condition.

Estimation Of Performance Indices For The Planning Of Sustainable Transportation Systems, Alexander Paz, Pankaj Maheshwari

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

In the context of sustainable transportation systems, previous studies have either focused only on the transportation systemor have not used a methodology that enables the treatment of incomplete, vague, and qualitative information associated with the available data. This study proposes a system of systems (SOS) and a fuzzy logic modeling approach. The SOS includes the Transportation, Activity, and Environment systems. The fuzzy logic modeling approach enables the treatment of the vagueness associated with some of the relevant data. Performance Indices (PIs) are computed for each system using a number of performance measures. The PIs illustrate the aggregated performance of each …

Framework For Simulation Of Heterogeneous Mpsoc For Design Space Exploration, Bisrat Tafesse, Venkatesan Muthukumar

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Due to the ever-growing requirements in high performance data computation, multiprocessor systems have been proposed to solve the bottlenecks in uniprocessor systems. Developing efficient multiprocessor systems requires effective exploration of design choices like application scheduling, mapping, and architecture design. Also, fault tolerance in multiprocessors needs to be addressed. With the advent of nanometer-process technology for chip manufacturing, realization of multiprocessors on SoC (MpSoC) is an active field of research. Developing efficient low power, fault-tolerant task scheduling, and mapping techniques for MpSoCs require optimized algorithms that consider the various scenarios inherent in multiprocessor environments. Therefore there exists a need to develop …

Elec 2110: Elements Of Electrical Engineering—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Mahmoud Alahmad

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

I have been teaching this class for the last five years. As an introductory course to electrical engineering, there is a lot of material that needs to be covered. All the material is important and relevant, and I try to go in-depth in each topic area. This approach has resulted in overwhelming the students and made them struggle with the course content, application and utilization. As I consider this course for the peer review, I am evaluating the depth of each topic and the opportunity to adjust the approach and method used to introduce new concepts and at the same …

Modeling Of Sic Power Semiconductor Devices For Switching Converter Applications, Ruiyun Fu

Theses and Dissertations

Thanks to recent progress in SiC technology, SiC JFETs, MOSFETs and Schottky diodes are now commercially available from several manufactories such as Cree, GeneSiC and Infineon. SiC devices hold the promise of faster switching speed compared to Si devices, which can lead to superior converter performance, because the converter can operate at higher switching frequencies with acceptable switching losses, so that passive filter size is reduced. However, the ultimate achievable switching speed is determined not only by internal semiconductor device physics, but also by circuit parasitic elements. Therefore, in order to accurately predict switching losses and actual switching waveforms, including …

Wireless Pressure Sensor System For Medical Applications, Xuehe Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Telemedicine in the modern era is a rapidly developing industry. In a telemedicine system, sensor is the key elements and play important role in any telemedicine applications, especially implantable sensors. Unlike traditional in vitro sensors, there are some special requirements for them like battery-less, compact, and bio-friendly. Therefore, many researchers in institutes as well as in industry are continually developing implantable sensor and sensor system to fulfill the requirements of medical applications.Nine in one thousand people in the United States are born with congenital heart defects and sixty percent die before one year old. As a result, it will be …

Emulation Of An Aeroderivative Twin-Shaft Gas Turbine Engine Using An Ac Electric Motor Drive, Blanca A. Correa

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a method to use an electric motor to emulate the steady-state and transient shaft power characteristics of an aeroderivative twin-shaft turbine engine. Model-based control provides the framework for developing an aeroderivative twin-shaft engine emulation system. Criteria are developed to appropriately specify the motor and variable-speed drive, based on torque, power, and inertia. This method accounts for the difference in inertia between the engine and the emulating motor; it establishes for the first time the nominal and peak torque requirements of the machine and the peak power and current requirements of the electronic motor drive (inverter).

Our results …

Coordinated Control Of Power Electronic Converters In An Autonomous Microgrid, Gholamreza Dehnavi

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in power electronics and generation technologies have increased the viability of distributed generation systems. A microgrid is a special category of distributed generation systems that is distinguished by its size and the ability to operate independently as an islanded system. As long as a microgrid is connected to a large grid, quality of the voltage is supported by the main grid and each power source connected to the microgrid generates independently. In contrast, in the islanded operation of microgrids and in electrical islands such as shipboard distribution systems, dynamics are strongly dependent on the connected sources and on the …

Ultrawideband (Uwb) And Reconfigurable Antennas - New Concepts For Conformal Load Bearing Antenna Structures (Clas), Nicholas Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

Conformal antennas have been increasingly playing an important role in a vast number wireless of communication applications. More specifically, Conformal Load Bearing Antenna Structures (CLAS) have drawn a great deal of interest among researchers and engineers because of their advantages of multiple functionality, e.g. antenna and structure both. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate and design innovative conformal Ultrawideband (UWB) endfire antenna arrays and reconfigurable aperture coupled pixel patch antennas both of which are good candidates for CLAS. First, a broadband VHF-UHF end-fire Yagi-Uda array is proposed for possible air vehicle integration and operation within the 240-465 MHz …

Dislocation Reduction In Silicon Doped High Aluminum Content Algan Layers For Deep Uv Optoelectronic Devices, Hung-Chi Chen

Theses and Dissertations

III-Nitride based deep ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) are prospective candidates to replace the conventional bulky, expensive and environmentally harmful mercury lamp as new UV light sources, used in the applications of water and air purification, germicidal and biomedical instrumentation systems, etc. Due to the lack of native substrates and poor carrier injection, AlGaN-based deep UV LED is suffering from low optical power and low overall efficiency, which prevents the availability of low cost, high efficiency deep UV LED on the market.

This dissertation is focused on improving the efficiency of deep UV LEDs, by improving the base template …

Effects Of N-Type Doping On Algan Material Quality, Devendra Diwan

Theses and Dissertations

The field of group III-nitride semiconductors has seen incredible developments during last couple of decades. They are recognized as the most promising materials for a wide field of optoelectronics and electronic devices. Their bandgap ranges from 6.2 eV for AlN to 0.7 eV for InN, covering a wide spectral range from infrared (1.77 mm) to deep ultraviolet (200 nm). Their direct bandgap makes them useful for fabricating optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), and photodetectors. III-nitride semiconductor materials also possess strong bond strengths and exhibit good structural, chemical and thermal stability. These properties make it …

Fault Protection In Dc Distribution Systems Via Coordinated Control Of Power Supply Converters And Bus Tie Switches, Pietro Cairoli

Theses and Dissertations

A new fault protection method responds to the current needs of emerging dc power distribution systems by coordinating electronic power converters and mechanical contactors to rapidly isolate short circuit faults while maintaining continuity of power to loads. This work is important because the increasing performance, higher efficiency, and decreasing cost of electronic power converters have spurred a rediscovery and proliferation of dc power distribution systems. Although dc distribution offers advantages such as higher transmission efficiency, higher power density, higher reliability, and ease of interfacing asynchronous sources, enthusiasm for adopting dc technologies suffers from widespread concern over the means to protect …

Iii-V Nitride Micro- And Nano-Scale Cantilevers For Multimodal Sensing Applications, Ehtesham Bin Quddus

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research trends in chemical and biological sensing have been geared toward developing molecular sensor devices that are fast, label free, miniaturized and portable. The performance of these devices can be dramatically improved by utilizing multimodal detection techniques, new materials and micro-/nanofabrication technologies. This is especially true for micro-/nanoscale cantilever sensors, which undergo changes in mechanical or electrical properties upon the specific binding of molecules. To develop the sensor devices with the above attributes, we utilized III-V nitride materials: InN nanowires for realizing nanoscale cantilevers and AlGaN/GaN heterostuctures with or without embedded HFETs, for developing microcantilevers. There are mainly two …

Stabilizing Controller Design For A Dc Power Distribution System Using A Passivity-Based Stability Criterion, Antonino Riccobono

Theses and Dissertations

In modern times there has been an increased penetration of power electronic converters into Power Distribution Systems. In particular, there has been a strong interest in DC Power Distribution Systems as opposed to conventional AC Power distribution systems. These DC Power Distribution Systems are enabled by power electronics converters. The strong interest is motivated by improvements in power electronic converter technology, like advances in power semiconductor devices, magnetics, control, and converter topologies which have made possible to build high-performance converters at low cost. In many systems, such as cars, ships and airplanes, there has also been a trend towards the …

Online Nonintrusive Condition Monitoring And Fault Detection For Wind Turbines, Xiang Gong

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The goal of this dissertation research is to develop online nonintrusive condition monitoring and fault detection methods for wind turbine generators (WTGs). The proposed methods use only the current measurements that have already been used by the control and protection systems of WTGs; no additional sensors or data acquisition devices are needed. Current-based condition monitoring and fault detection techniques have great economic benefits and the potential to be adopted by the wind energy industry. However, there are challenges in using current measurements for wind turbine condition monitoring and fault detection. First, it is a challenge to extract WTG fault signatures …

Electronic Device, Display And Touch-Sensitive User Interface (Dec 2012), Michael E. Miller, Jerald J. Muszak, Michael J. Telek

AFIT Patents

Display devices and methods for operating the same are provided. In one embodiment, the display device has an electronic display having an active area for presenting visual content; a housing holding the electronic display and having an opening allowing a person to view a first portion of the active area; and a bezel about the opening, the bezel covering a second portion of the active area and providing a window through which at least a part of the second portion can be viewed. A sensor system senses when a person is close to touching the bezel or when a person …

Conductive Concrete For Electromagnetic Shielding – Methods For Development And Evaluation, Aaron P. Krause

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research investigates the development and evaluation innovative methods for the use of conductive concrete as an electromagnetic shield. New testing methods are developed to determine the best conductive components to use in the design of a concrete mixture for shielding that shows the best promise. The conductive concrete mixture has the potential to provide electromagnetic shielding that is cost-effective in terms of construction, operation, and maintenance compared to conventional approaches. Two testing methods, Small Sample Testing and Large Slab Testing, are developed based on standardized testing methods that have been modified for the testing of conductive concrete mixtures. As …