WEB Technology for Seamless Integration of Remotely Operated Computer Aided Design Tools and Laboratory Experiments

 

Trond Ytterdal¹ and Tor A. Fjeldly²

¹Department of Physical Electronics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

²UniK-Center for Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to establish a user-friendly and efficient WEB technology for interactive, on-line operation of remote laboratory experiments that is seamlessly integrated with computer-aided-design (CAD) software. We have already demonstrated the suitability of a remote lab concept, developed in collaboration between the NTNU and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY [1]. So far, the remote lab has been dedicated to semi­conductor device characterization. Central issues within the proposed project are to implement a user-friendly laboratory setup for characterization of analog integrated circuits and the development of a WEB based environment for computer simulations of the same circuits. Based on this concept, courses that include laboratory modules and the utilization of CAD tools within many disciplines of engineering and science can be offered to regular and continuing education students locally and remotely, eliminating a major obstacle to establishing a boundless and complete remote education engineering curriculum.

Previous and Proposed Work

With the mass proliferation of the Internet, interesting possibilities have emerged for extending its use into new areas, including distance-education – a rapidly growing part of the university curricula that also encompasses the increasing continuing education market. By utilizing the WEB, the potential exists for offering courses to remote students, who can participate without other technical requirements than a personal computer and a telephone line.

Laboratory and computer-aided-design modules are vital parts of engineering education, but so far, these elements have been considered impractical for distance-education. On the other hand, user-friendly, computer-controlled instrumentation is revolutionizing the way measurements are being made, and is now permitting net-based techniques to be utilized for setting up remote laboratory access. Such a remote laboratory can, for example, be used in conjunction with courses in electrical engineering, allowing remote students to gain hands-on experience in a wide range of areas. As an added benefit, this technology may offer students the opportunity to work with sophisticated equipment, of the kind they are more likely to find in an industrial setting, and which may be too expensive for most schools to purchase and maintain. Much of the same arguments can be used with regards to software for computer-aided-design.

The basic concept and feasibility of remote system control via the Internet were investigated in two Siv.ing. (M.Sc.) student theses at NTNU [2], [3]. Further development was pursued in 1998 in collaboration with Professor Shur at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, where Prof. Fjeldly was on a sabbatical leave. This work so far has been described in several publications [4]-[11].

The present version of the remote lab is dedicated to semiconductor device characterization. It includes several experiments that are performed on a microelectronic test chip, and is used as a lab module in a course on semiconductor devices and circuits at the senior or first year graduate level. In Norway, this is a course that is presently being taught remotely from UniK to students at NTNU in Trondheim. The remote lab is planned to become a permanent part of this course.

While much of our work in this area has previously been devoted to remote laboratories, the development of WEB based CAD tools has received little attention. In the above course, we have practiced on-line laboratory experimentation in combination with local circuit simulations. By analyzing the experimental characteristics obtained from individual devices, the students extract SPICE parameters, which can be used for simulating the behavior of circuits using our circuit simulator AIM-Spice [12], [13]. These simulations can then be compared with experiments on simple circuits on the test chip. However, we can see distinct advantages in being able to also offer on-line CAD tools as a supplement to the experiments.

Central issues within the proposed project are, therefore, to implement user friendly WEB based CAD tools and laboratory setups for remote simulation and characterization of analog integrated circuits. Work has been initiated and funding has been provided for setting up a new laboratory at the Department of physical electronics, NTNU, devoted to characterization of analog integrated circuits. This lab will be used by 4th year students in the courses Analog CMOS 1 and 2. Further funding and resources are required for bringing this laboratory and accompanying CAD software on-line.  As a complement to this new educational tool, we have signed a contract with an international publishing house for a book that describes both the technology used and the details of the various experiments. This will also serve as a user/lab manual for the students. 

We will be collaborating on the above issues with groups at RPI (Troy, NY) and in at Chalmers (Gothenburg).

Key Personnel

Professor Tor A. Fjeldly received the M.Sc. degree from the Norwegian Institute of Technology, 1967, and the Ph.D. degree from Brown University in 1972. He was with the Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Physics in Stuttgart, Germany (1972-1974) and with SINTEF in Trondheim, Norway (1974-1983). Since 1983, he has been with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He is presently with NTNU's Center for Technology (UniK) at Kjeller, Norway. He has been a Visiting Professor at University of Virginia (1990-1997) and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997-). His current research interests are semiconductor device technology, circuit analysis, and Web based educational tools. He has written about 150 scientific papers, several book chapters, he is co-author of two books, including "Introduction to Device Modeling and Circuit Simulation" (Wiley & Sons, 1997), and is co-editor of 5 books. Professor Fjeldly is a Fellow of IEEE, a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technical Sciences, and a member of several other professional societies. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of High-Speed Electronic and Systems, published by World Scientific Publishing Co. in Singapore.

Professor Trond Ytterdal received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Norwegian Institute of Technology, University of Trondheim in 1990 and 1995, respectively. He was employed as a research associate at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Virginia (1995-1996) and as a research scientist at the Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy New York (1996-1997). From 1997 to 2000 he worked as a senior ASIC designer at Nordic VLSI in Trondheim, Norway. Since 2000 he has been on the faculty of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where he is a Professor at the Department of Physical Electronics. Dr. Ytterdal's present research interests include design of analog integrated circuits, semiconductor device technology, modeling of deep submicron MOSFETs, MESFETs, HFETs and novel device structures for application in circuit simulators. He has published more than 60 scientific papers in international journals and conference proceedings. He is a co-author of the books Semiconductor Device Modeling for VLSI (Prentice Hall, 1993) and Introduction to Device Modeling and Circuit Simulation (Wiley, 1998), and has been a contributor to several other books published internationally. He is also a co-developer of the circuit simulator AIM-Spice. Dr. Ytterdal is a Senior Member of IEEE.

References

[1]     AIM-Lab URL: http://nina.ecse.rpi.edu/shur/remote

[2]     V. Kristiansen, Remotely operated experiments on electric circuits over the Internet - An implementation using Java, M. Sc. thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (1997).

[3]     B. Dalager, Remotely operated experiments on electric circuits over the Internet - Realizing a client/server solution, M. Sc. thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (1998).

[4]     H. Shen, Z. Xu, B. Dalager, V. Kristiansen, Ø. Strøm, M.S. Shur, T.A. Fjeldly, J. Lü, T. Ytterdal , "Conducting Laboratory Experiments over the Internet", IEEE Trans. on Education, 42, No. 3, pp. 180-185 (1999).

[5]     T.A. Fjeldly, M. S. Shur, H. Shen and T. Ytterdal, "Automated Internet Measurement Laboratory (AIM-Lab) for Engineering Education", Proceedings of 1999 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE’99), San Juan, Puerto Rico, IEEE Catalog No. 99CH37011(C), 12a2 (1999).

[6]     M. Shur, T. A. Fjeldly and H. Shen, "AIM-Lab – A System for Conducting Semiconductor Device Characterization via the Internet", late news paper at 1999 International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures (ICMTS 1999), Gothenburg, Sweden (1999).

[7]     T.A. Fjeldly, M.S. Shur, H. Shen, and T. Ytterdal, "AIM-Lab: A System for ­Remote Characterization of Electronic Devices and Circuits over the Internet", Proc. 3rd IEEE Int. Caracas Conf. on Devices, Circuits and Systems (ICCDCS-2000), Cancun, Mexico, IEEE Catalog No. 00TH8474C, pp. I43.1 –I43.6 (2000)

[8]     K. Smith, M. Sc. thesis, UniK/University of Oslo (2000).

[9]     J. O. Strandman, M.Sc. Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2000).

[10]   R. Berntzen, M.Sc. Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2001).

[11]   K. Smith, J.O. Strandman, R. Berntzen, T.A. Fjeldly, M.S. Shur, “Advanced Internet Technology in Laboratory Modules for Distance-Learning,” accepted for presentation at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition 2001, ASEE’01”.

[12]   AIM-Spice URL: http://www.aimspice.com/

[13]   T. A. Fjeldly, T. Ytterdal, and M. S. Shur, Introduction to Device Modeling and Circuit Simulation, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY (1997).