Facilities and other resources
The Electrical Engineering Department provides outstanding laboratory facilities in various areas in order to fully support study and research in the program. In the department, a new dedicated Optical Communications and Networking Research Laboratory set-up is in progress. This lab is equipped with different high performance computer systems integrated into networks and all the specialized software in the area including OPNET, IT Guru, Visual Studio, MATLAB and so on. This lab will have high-speed access to other facilities over regional, national, and worldwide computer networks, and also be connected through 802.11g wireless Local Area Network as the UNR Information Technology team recently deployed wireless access points.
The Photonics Research Laboratory sited in the EE department operates a full line of instruments for sensor characterization. At the heart of the laboratory are several vector spectrum network analysis systems capable of precise, low noise measurement of electrical parameters at frequencies up to 50 GHz . The test set connects to the devices under test, and acts as signal separation devices to resolve incident, reflected and transmitted signals. The spectrum and network analyzers contain both the extremely sensitive receiving apparatus as well as a control and display interface. The probe station is mounted on a vibration/isolation table as a control and is capable of performing rapid, accurate testing of devices. Additionally, the probe station is fitted with a 300 degree C thermal chuck assembly that allows measurement of properties of sensor as a function of temperature. Other instrument includes precision Agilent frequency counters, Agilent digital power supplies, and various voltage measurement devices. Vibrometers manufactured by Poly PI are available both to measure the static and dynamic performance of micromechanical structures. A Lightwave analyzer with high temperature stage is available to characterize static performance of the micro-machined devices.
The lab also houses a Semiconductor Charact erization station that has several probe stations connected to semiconductor parameter analyzers, impedancemeters, oscilloscopes, curve tracers, lock-in amplifiers, and an assortment of other electronic instruments to allow measurements of I-V, C-V, G-V, D LTS, RTS, 1/f noise, and charge pumping characteristics over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. It is equipped with a fast PC which facilitates data acquisition and data analysis.
Scanning electron microscope and microlithography equipment are in the school of engineering. The Nanotechnology Laboratory has equipment for high resolution e-beam litho g raphy, SEM characterization facilities, AFM and STM in both ambient and UHV environments, and an exceptionally wide range of device analysis capabilities. The laboratory specializes in the fabrication and investigation of nanostructured, quantum, and novel molecular scale devices. Characteriz ation facilities include. The laboratory is also equipped for research in MEMS, with ODE etching and thin film membrane expertise, and has full facilities for conventional MOS processes. We have facilities for chemical preparation (fume hoods, NMR, etc.) and extensive expertise in their characterization for research in molecular and biological systems, focusing on the integration with microelectronics.
The Infrared Device Characterization station in the same lab has a probe station for electrical characterization of various tunable lasers, an optical spectrometer, and various function generators, digital communication analyzer (50 GHz capability), lock -in amplifiers, high-speed amplfiers up to 50 GHz, an optical spectrum analyzer, and a Hewlett Packard 4156 B High Precision Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer capable of measuring low DC Currents measurements. The optical and electrical characterization of materials and devices (Photoluminescence, electroluminescence, absorption, current-voltage measurements, detectivity, and responsivit y) can b e carried out at operating temperatures between 10 Kelvin and room temperature.
The lab also is network capable: it has a testbed for the development and performance evaluation of wireless networks of small devices. This infrastructure consists of a three- dimensional fixture that holds a set of wireless sensor nodes. This enables researchers to insrument a diverse set of wireless sensing scenarios in a cont rolled setup and allows the validation of new communication protocols and algorithms. The lab is also equipped with the required hardware and software tools to develop and test application specific wireless sensor nodes using commercially available off-the-shelf components. Current projects include the development of protocols and algorithms for smart environments. The centerpiece of our work is the development of a wireless sensor network testbed consisting of smart, location-aware wireless sensor network ( IP based ). Through this testbed, our researchers are able to develop and validate new communication and algorithms that form the essential building blocks for a large variety of wireless sensing and ubiquitous computing applications.
The Sensors section of the lab contains signal processing and other instruments for acquisition and processing of information from acoustic, optical, and magnetic sensors. Acoustic, infrared, mechanical, magnetic, ultrasonic and vision sensors a repositioned on robot arms and mobile robots. Sensor data analysis uses high-speed analog-to-digital converters to acquire the data. Programs in Visual Basic, MatLab, and C operate on Pentium computers to extract information, which is then used to control actuators. Faculty and students have access to networks of workstations, Windows NT PC's, and numerous Linux and Windows NT workstations and servers.
Computer Facilities
UNR Information Technology provides several general access computer Labs and they are open to all currently affiliated students, staff, and faculty. Especially, the college of engineering has the Engineering Computing Center providing the quality research and educational environment where students rise to their full potential. The ECC contains four computing labs and over 80 workstations. Half of these systems run Microsoft Windows XP and the other half run RedHat 8.0 Linux. The ECC offers a helpdesk staff during all hours of operations to assist when students have questions or concerns.
Office Space
The College of Engineering uses large space in six buildings in the campus and the Electrical Engineering Department has been allocated in the third floor of Scrugham Engineering/Mines building. This space has been used for faculty/staff/graduate students offices and for research/teaching/computing l aboratories. All space assignments are regularly reviewed and confirmed by the College of Engineering to effectively support teaching and research missions.
Other Resources
s a member of University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN), the UNR Campus Network is connected to NevadaNet which is a robust statewide backbone network providing data and compressed video s ervices. The UCCSN also provides to its research institutions high-speed OC3 (155 M B/s) connectivity to the research network known as Internet 2.
The Lemelson Center for Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship is located in the Electrical Engineering Department at UNR. This center has a focus on small business and product development. When deemed appropriate, it tackles a national or world problem. The center teaches the basic skills required to su ccessfully invent, design, and commercialize products. The program brings together government, industry, and academia in a unique format designed to succeed. The center is supported by the Lemelson Foundation and other private and governmental sources interested in its goals.