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Showing papers by "David W Parent published in 2008"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis of student achievement data from other electrical engineering courses taught in a similar open laboratory format suggest that when well-developed learning resources are easily accessible to students, project complexity has no negative impact on student academic achievement and can sometimes enhance student academic performance.
Abstract: The impact that project complexity, student prior academic achievement, and quality of instructional materials might have on student academic achievement was studied during a required device physics course, in which technology computer-aided design (TCAD) tools were introduced to first-year graduate students. Preliminary analysis of student performance and project complexity showed that students who attempted the most complex projects had the lowest student academic achievement, despite there being no significant differences in prior academic achievement as measured by grades in the first exam in the course. Further analysis of student achievement data from other electrical engineering courses taught in a similar open laboratory format, for which enhanced instructional materials were developed, suggest that when well-developed learning resources are easily accessible to students, project complexity has no negative impact on student academic achievement and can sometimes enhance student academic performance. Cognitive load theory was used to explain why well-developed instructional tools, such as enhanced tutorials, can help students better learn or work with complex material.

5 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
14 Oct 2008
TL;DR: A design methodology is presented that uses the EKV model and the gm/ID biasing technique to design hafnium oxide field effect transistors that are suitable for neural recording circuitry.
Abstract: A design methodology is presented that uses the EKV model and the g m /I D biasing technique to design hafnium oxide field effect transistors that are suitable for neural recording circuitry. The DC gain of a common source amplifier is correlated to the structural properties of a Field Effect Transistor (FET) and a Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) capacitor. This approach allows a transistor designer to use a design flow that starts with simple and intuitive 1-D equations for gain that can be verified in 1-D MIS capacitor TCAD simulations, before final TCAD process verification of transistor properties. The DC gain of a common source amplifier is optimized by using fast 1-D simulations and using slower, complex 2-D simulations only for verification. The 1-D equations are used to show that the increased dielectric constant of hafnium oxide allows a higher DC gain for a given oxide thickness. An additional benefit is that the MIS capacitor can be employed to test additional performance parameters important to an open gate transistor such as dielectric stability and ionic penetration.

5 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
13 Jul 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, a laboratory-based course for Electrical Engineering Masters students that teaches students how to design a process flow for metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) that are optimized a high DC gain is presented.
Abstract: A laboratory based course for Electrical Engineering Masters students that teaches students how to design a process flow for metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) that are optimized a high DC gain is presented. This course was developed, because while much of analog circuit design has to use processes that are optimized for high speed digital operation, there still exists design space for transistors that are optimized for analog operation in the low frequency domain. An example of this design space would be circuits that interface with neurons.

3 citations