Program Overview

Electrical and Computer Engineering Program

The Electrical and Computer Engineering program at the University of Waterloo is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary program that covers a wide range of topics in electrical and computer engineering.

About the Program

The program is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the principles and practices of electrical and computer engineering, as well as the opportunity to specialize in a particular area of interest. The program is divided into several streams, including:

• Computer Hardware
• Computer Software and Systems
• Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems
• Integrated Devices, Circuits, and Systems
• Nanoengineering
• Power and Energy Systems
• Quantum Engineering

Research Fields

The program has a strong research focus, with faculty members and students working on a wide range of research projects in areas such as:

• Applied Electromagnetics and Photonics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biomedical Engineering
• Communications and Information Systems
• Computer Hardware
• Computer Software and Systems
• Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems
• Integrated Devices, Circuits, and Systems
• Nanoengineering
• Power and Energy Systems
• Quantum Engineering

Course Details

One of the courses offered in the program is ECE 6610 PD, which covers a wide range of topics in power electronics, including:

• Power semiconductor devices with emphasis on their operating characteristics
• Power converter topologies for ac-to-dc, dc-to-dc, dc-to-ac, and ac-to-ac conversions
• Multi-converters and multi-level converters
• Control techniques in power converters
• Modeling of power converters
• Applications of power converters
• Converter design aspects (snubber circuits, gate/base-drive circuits, thermal management, series/parallel combinations of switches)
• Computer simulation of power electronic systems

Objectives

The objectives of the ECE 6610 PD course are to:

1. Understand operating characteristics of power semiconductor devices
2. Learn converter topologies, control techniques, and applications
3. Learn modeling and design aspects of converters
4. Use power electronic simulation packages

Course Prerequisites

The prerequisites for the ECE 6610 PD course are:

• Basic understanding of circuit analysis and control theory
• Familiarity with electric machinery and power systems is desirable

Main Topics and Delivery Plan

The main topics covered in the ECE 6610 PD course include:

1. Power Semiconductor Devices
2. Power Converter Topologies and Control Techniques
3. Modeling and Design Aspects of Power Converters

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures and computer simulations, with a total of 30 lectures covering the following topics:

• Introduction to Power Electronics
• Waveform Quality
• Power Semiconductor Devices
• Computer Simulation of Power Electronic Systems
• Power Converter Topologies, Design, Modeling, and Control Techniques
• Design of Power Converter Accessories

References

The course references include:

1. Mohan, Undeland, and Robbins, Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and Design, 3rd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003
2. M.H. Rashid, Power Electronics: Circuits, Devices, and Applications, 3rd Edition, Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2003
3. Conference and Journal papers
4. Course Notes