Electronic Components and Sensors

Standardization,
Reliability, Accelerated aging. Acceleration Factor,
Resistors: Review of structures, properties and applications of resistor families,
Nonlinear resistors: NTC PTC thermistors, varistors,
Capacitors: Review of structures, properties and applications of capacitor families: Plastic, Ceramic. Electrolytic (liquid, solid), Special.
Coils: air core, ferrite cores with/without gap. Filter inductor design, Small network transformer design, Buck/boost SMPS operation and design.
Piezoelectric elements: Piezoelectric effects. Piezoelectric actuators, Quartz crystals. SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) devices.
Sensors: Essential sensor parameters, Overview of sensing principles, Processing of sensor signals, Components of sensor systems, Sensor signal conditioning circuits

The course objective is to familiarize students with advanced properties of electronic components, which can be further applied in the field of electronic systems design. The course comprises an overview of advanced properties of essential linear (RLC) as well as non-linear (thermistor, varistor) components, with emphasis on non-ideal  properties (loss analysis) and thermal impact on element operation.
Second part of the course focuses on the overview of sensors, where sensing principles, sensor acquisition and signal conditioning circuits are presented. The course gives a practical and theoretical insight into application of electronic components for use in later courses and represents a foundation for interdisciplinary work particularly in the field of sensor electronics.

Course lectures provide practical and theoretical background on particular scope items together with presentation of simple practical examples. A complete study material is available to the students.

Practical work is tightly interwoven with course lectures being performed in the laboratory environment, and is accomplished in steps acquainting students with a certain electronic component/sensor and corresponding instrumentation.