In the winter semester, students in the "Energy-efficient microelectronics" laboratory in the Master's degree program in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology were given a comprehensive insight into the complete development process of microelectronic circuits - from simulation to the finished printed circuit board (PCB).
The participants worked on a current task from the field of microelectronics - the design of a hybrid voltage converter based on the so-called 3:1 switched-capacitor Fibonacci topology. The topic is highly relevant, especially in the context of energy-efficient power supplies for microcontrollers and data centers. Building on the basics of the previous course "Semiconductor Circuit Technology", the individual design steps were carried out independently - from circuit simulation in LTspice to the design of the circuit diagram and PCB layout in KiCad through to assembly and experimental commissioning in the laboratory.
The development process was accompanied by reviews after each work step - based on professional processes in the industry. In addition to functional solutions, creatively designed PCB layouts were also produced. Some groups even went beyond the original task and developed reconfigurable, five-stage variants of the Fibonacci converter.
The laboratory is held by the Mixed Signal Circuits (MX) department under the direction of Prof. Bernhard Wicht.
