Electronic Circuit Design

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Julien Pierce (Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering)
• Email: jpierce@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Rowan Engineering Center 218
• Office Hours:
  • Monday & Friday: 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (In person, Rowan Engineering Center 218)
  • Wednesday: 3:00–4:00 p.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Diodes, bipolar and field-effect transistors, amplifier biasing and small-signal models, frequency response, and feedback, with a weekly three-hour design laboratory. EE 310 presents the fundamental principles of analog electronic circuit design, bridging semiconductor device physics with practical linear amplifier architectures. Students examine the operation, large-signal models, and small-signal linearizations of junction diodes, bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The course emphasizes single- and multi-stage amplifier design, differential pairs, high-frequency response, feedback theory, and hands-on laboratory prototyping using discrete transistors and test instrumentation.

Prerequisites

EE 201.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of EE 310, students will be able to:

1. Model Semiconductor Devices: Apply physical and empirical models for diodes, BJTs, and MOSFETs across cutoff, active/saturation, and triode operating regimes.
2. Design Transistor Biasing Networks: Synthesize robust DC biasing circuits and current mirrors insensitive to thermal variation and transistor manufacturing parameter spreads.
3. Analyze Small-Signal Amplifiers: Derive small-signal hybrid-pi and T-models to compute voltage gain, current gain, input impedance, and output impedance for single-stage and multistage BJT and MOSFET amplifiers.
4. Evaluate Frequency Response: Determine low- and high-frequency cutoff points, apply the Miller approximation and open-circuit time constant methods, and sketch amplifier frequency response curves.
5. Construct and Test Analog Hardware: Breadboard discrete analog circuits, simulate designs using SPICE, and execute benchtop characterization using oscilloscopes, function generators, and spectrum analyzers.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Sedra, Adel S., Kenneth C. Smith, Tony Chan Carusone, and Vincent Gaudet. Microelectronic Circuits. 8th ed., Oxford University Press, 2020. Approx. $85 digital rental ($195 purchase; reserve copies available in Alkimi Library).
2. Analog parts kit and breadboard package (available in campus bookstore or department distribution). Approx. $35.
3. Total estimated cost: Approx. $35 (parts kit with library reserve book) to $120 (rental plus parts).

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 2: AI Permitted with Disclosure for Specified Tasks)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), EE 310 operates under AI Level 2.

• What is permitted: Students may use AI assistants to generate LTspice circuit netlists, write Python or MATLAB scripts for plotting amplifier Bode frequency responses, and clarify solid-state semiconductor physics principles.
• What is prohibited: AI models must not be used to perform analytical small-signal circuit calculations, calculate DC bias network resistor values on graded homework, or draft laboratory reports. No AI assistance or electronic devices are permitted during exams.
• Disclosure: All submitted laboratory reports and project deliverables must include an AI disclosure statement detailing any computational or generative AI tools consulted, the nature of the prompt, and the physical bench measurement verification executed.

Grading Components and Weights

• Weekly Homework Problem Sets: 10% (Due Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. in Canvas (weeks 2–14; lowest dropped))
• Laboratory Experiments & Formal Reports: 25% (Performed in Monday lab sessions; reports due following Sunday at 11:59 p.m. in Canvas (lowest dropped))
• Discrete Analog Audio Amplifier Design Project: 15% (Due Friday, November 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Midterm Exam 1 (Diodes & BJT Amplifiers): 15% (In class, Friday, October 2)
• Midterm Exam 2 (MOSFETs, Differential Pairs & Frequency): 15% (In class, Friday, November 6)
• Comprehensive Final Examination: 20% (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 9:00–11:00 a.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No extra credit assignments are available in EE 310.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Punctual attendance at all lectures and laboratory sessions is mandatory. Hands-on bench experiments in Rowan Engineering Center 150 require safety compliance, circuit debugging skills, and collaborative teamwork that cannot be made up independently. If illness or approved university business necessitates an absence, contact Dr. Pierce before the session. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Weekly problem sets submitted after the deadline will be deducted 15% per day up to 48 hours late, after which solutions are released and no credit can be awarded. Laboratory reports submitted after Sunday 11:59 p.m. will incur a 10% penalty per 24 hours. The lowest homework and lowest lab report grades are dropped to account for emergencies.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 9:00–11:00 a.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).