The Master Programme in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
permits the specialisation in one of the following areas:

• Communications
• Micro and Optoelectronics
• Computers and Networks
• Systems and Control
• Electrical Power Systems and Mechatronics.
  
  

These specialisations are described below. However, courses can be selected freely, subject to approval by the tutor. The individual courses and their prerequisites are listed in the course catalogue.

Communications

Telecommunications is about transmitting "information" (pictures, sound, generic files) from "here" to "there" by means of a physical medium such as wires, optical fibres, or electromagnetic waves in free space. The challenge is to do this efficiently and reliably despite the many imperfections of the medium. Telecommunications is ubiquitous; for example, a typical laptop computer contains half a dozen highly sophisticated communication systems (including the magnetic and optical disc drives).

The design of modern communication systems is firmly based on the fundamental principles of information theory that were discovered by Claude Shannon and that continue to be a vibrant research area by themselves.

The exploitation of these ideas has been enabled both by the amazing progress in semiconductor technologies and by ever more sophisticated statistical signal processing. Indeed, as one of the largest industries, communications has been driving forward both semiconductor technologies and methods for signal processing.

The courses and projects in this area cover fundamentals and applications in communication systems, information theory, electromagnetic wave propagation, and signal processing.

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Hans-Andrea Loeliger.

Computers and Networks

The study course on Computers and Networks covers methods and processes for the analysis, design, realization and operation of systems in information technology.

Today, computers are essential components in every complex system. Very often, they are embedded into much larger systems and they are very often networked for the purpose of realizing geographically distributed functionality. Therefore, to any engineer in the area of information technology and electrical engineering a thorough knowledge of the functionality of computers, (computer supported) networks and embedded systems is an important prerequisite for successful performance.
This field is currently affected by the following developments:

• The internet and related technologies have a significant influence on many sectors of technology and on our society.
• There is a strong tendency towards networking of formerly autonomous subsystems (e.g. in the automotive industry or with information technology of any kind), whereas the systems’ functional scope is significantly extended at the same time.
• In the future, many services which until now have been offered through terrestrial networks will as well be operating non-wired, i.e. wireless and mobile. This development is accompanied by the evolution of a new generation of specialized and miniaturized portable devices (so-called wearables), as well as new services working in a mobile environment only.
• The design and implementation of computers and networks is supported by special software and hardware methods and tools. In the area of embedded systems such as multi-media systems, process control, sensor networks, automotive systems, new approaches are sought that lead to dependable and predictable computers and networks.
• As the networking of subsystems into more complex systems progresses, involving reciprocal dependencies, security has become an important aspect which must be considered accordingly in both the development and operation.

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Bernhard Plattner.

Micro- and Optoelectronics

The area of Micro- and Optoelectronics (M&OE) is dealing with the realization of system concepts in the fields of communications, computing, signal processing, sensing, imaging, etc. with electronic or optoelectronic devices, circuits and higher level hardware platforms.

The progress in electronic miniaturization has enabled the transformation of highly complex electrical functions into compact integrated circuits. M&OE is quasi omnipresent in many of the technical gadgets used in human social and economic activities performing signal processing in the wider sense in areas like medical and biologic applications, information technology and entertainment or energy generation and control.

Many of today’s applications and commodities, technical and social achievements, which we just take for granted, would not be possible without the «hidden» enabling function of M&OE – such as e.g. air and rail traffic control, the internet and wireless communication, the PC etc. Electronics and Photonics are at the core of the present information society.

Devices and IC-technologies and the strategies for their design and integration are the result of a large-scale industrial and academic research and development effort in areas such as: semiconductor and materials technologies, circuit and IC-design by CAD, system architecture, as well as high frequency techniques and photonics. Mastering the whole chain of innovation from device technology to system development is necessary to cope with the rapidly increasing complexity on all levels of integration in M&OE under the influence of the explosive growth in bandwidth and data rates. It is the synthesis of this broad spectrum of technical art that ensures reliable function of hardware that is at the core of our curriculum.

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Qiuting Huang.

Electrical Power Systems and Mechatronics

Efficient and sustainable energy supply together with an effective and appropriate energy infrastructure are of utmost importance for the modern society and its further development. This has been recognized by numerous studies, and energy has recently been put as a prioritized item on the political agenda in most countries.
Security of supply, environmental compatibility and economic viability are three requirements that constitute a huge challenge in this field.

Guided by these challenges we teach the fundamentals in Electric Power Systems and Distribution. We introduce Mechatronics as a new means of electromechanical energy conversion that has become an indispensable technology enabling extensive automation of processes on the industrial scale and in various application classes. We educate our students in the use of IT equipment in power monitoring and control and we expose them to new techniques in the design of highly compact, efficient and reliable power converters. This includes issues of power generation in hybrid systems on the macro and micro scale and in extreme environments. In addition, we discuss new methods of distributed and clean power generation to satisfy environmental needs.

If the main goal of Electrical Power Systems and Mechatronics is to help provide mankind with electric energy that is better adapted to the needs of people and the environment, our goal is to educate the engineers that make this happen.

The dynamical evolution of systems in time lies at the heart of many engineering problems. Dynamical evolution can take several forms: Physical motion (for example, the flight of an aircraft, or the movement of a robot), electrical “motion” (for example, the flow of charge in a circuit, or the flow of power in a power network), or the sequence of changes induced in the memory of a computer by the execution of a program or algorithm. Systems theory is the branch of engineering that aims to understand the laws that govern dynamical evolution and provide engineers with the necessary tools to improve system performance. Automatic control is the branch of systems theory that deals with regulating the system dynamics using on-line measurements to ensure that the resulting evolution is stable, safe, and efficient.

Systems and control theory forms the foundation of many of the technological developments on which modern economy and society is based. Control algorithms have been at work for decades in the avionics regulating the flight of aircraft, in the control rooms of chemical and nuclear plants, and in the SCADA systems regulating the flow of energy in power networks. They play an ever increasing role in automotive electronics, in active suspension systems, engine and traction control, driver assistance tools and intelligent cruise controllers. Control algorithms are also hidden, however, in less obvious places, for example in embedded systems such as cellular phones and in the internet, in the form of traffic congestion control.

A Masters in Systems and Control offers the opportunity to explore the methods and computational tools that can be used to solve problems and improve system performance in this wide range of application areas. Students can put together a program of study by selecting courses on a variety of topics from several departments. Course coverage ranges from the theoretical foundations of systems theory, to algorithms and computer tools for solving practical control problems, to applications of systems theory in industrial processes, robotics, embedded systems, automotive systems, and biology. Semester and Master’s project research can be conducted on theoretical, computational and applied problems, motivated by real life engineering systems in (among others) building management, power systems, air traffic management, solar vehicles, biology, anesthesia control, and electrical muscle stimulation.

For further information please contact Prof. John Lygeros