BOARD #132: Further Signal Integrity Experiences in Undergraduate Education

Aldo Morales; Sedig Salem Agili

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: Poster Session-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)
Tagged Division: Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)
Page Count: 11
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55949

Paper Authors

biography

Aldo Morales Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, The Capital College

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Dr. Aldo Morales was born in Tacna, Peru. Dr. Morales earned his B.S. in Electronic Engineering, with distinction, from Northern University (now University of Tarapaca), Arica, Chile. He has an M.Sc. Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo). He is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering with Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA, USA.
He was the PI for a three-year Ben Franklin Technology Partners Grant that established the Center of Excellence in Signal Integrity at Penn State Harrisburg, a $440K MRI NSF grant, a Volvo industrial grant and DURIP grant.

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biography

Sedig Salem Agili Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, The Capital College

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Sedig S. Agili received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Marquette University in 1986, 1989, and 1996, respectively. Currently he is a Professor of Electrical Engineering teaching and conducting research in signal integrit

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Abstract

Signal integrity (SI) has become as one of the vital areas for the development of modern hardware systems that require working with digital signals at very high speeds. As it is also known, the federal government has budgeted about $280 billion in new funding for domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors through the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) act. These new semiconductor chips are tightly packed with signal interconnects densely integrated in small spaces where there exist several coupling mechanisms leading to signal integrity problems. Furthermore, signal integrity requires the synergy of electrical and mechanical engineering, physics and another associated disciplines. However, nationally, there is still a need for engineers and scientists with SI skills. For example, it has been pointed out that: “The gap between the demand in the industry and the supply of engineers with signal integrity design skills is widening.” Additionally, the XX metropolitan area is known as having one of the highest concentrations of connector companies, where SI knowledge is needed.

In a previous paper, we reported that one of the problems with valuable signal integrity educational experiences is the specialized and costly equipment and software that are needed. For example, high-speed sampling oscilloscopes, bit error rate testers and up-to-date precision network analyzers, are very expensive and beyond the standard laboratory equipment in an undergraduate program. In this paper, we report the efforts that we have made to keep our signal integrity laboratory current and the new laboratory experiences, as well as capstone projects and undergraduate research, that we have supervised. For example, some projects have been How to Conduct a 4-port Mechanical Calibration on a 67 GHz vector network analyzer, Using Advanced Design System for a Detailed Examination of the Worst-case Impact of Vias on the Signal Integrity of a Signal when Traversing a Printed Circuit Board with 5 and 9 Layers and Obtaining Dielectric Characteristics of a Material Using the Free Space Measurement Method. In addition, we supervised a capstone project of Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electromagnetic Interference Evaluation Board, which was sponsored by an industry partner and is currently in use at the sponsor’s facility. Recently, we have obtained support from the Office Naval Research to acquire new equipment to continue our enhancement of our undergraduate/graduate education and research in the signal integrity field.

Furthermore, we can proudly state that we have graduated over sixty students who have taken a course on signal integrity or have done internships in the signal integrity laboratory and are now working in the SI field worldwide. Furthermore, students highly rated the course (6/7) and provided comments such as “Lectures and hands-on during labs. The use of many SI equipment and simulation tools plays a big part on understanding the materials.” We are also planning to contribute to the CHIPS act by partnering with our sister campus that obtained CHIPS funding and develop a skilled and diverse pipeline of workers for the national semiconductor industry and its associated industries, such as connectors and PCB manufacturing.

The Authors thank the Office of Naval Research, Award #: xxxx, for their support.

Citation
Format

Morales, A., & Agili, S. S. (2025, June), BOARD #132: Further Signal Integrity Experiences in Undergraduate Education Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55949

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Signal integrity (SI) has become as one of the vital areas for the development of modern hardware systems that require working with digital signals at very high speeds. As it is also known, the federal government has budgeted about $280 billion in new funding for domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors through the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) act. These new semiconductor chips are tightly packed with signal interconnects densely integrated in small spaces where there exist several coupling mechanisms leading to signal integrity problems.   Furthermore, signal integrity requires the synergy of electrical and mechanical engineering, physics and another associated disciplines.  However, nationally, there is still a need for engineers and scientists with SI skills. For example, it has been pointed out that: “The gap between the demand in the industry and the supply of engineers with signal integrity design skills is widening.”   Additionally, the XX metropolitan area is known as having one of the highest concentrations of connector companies, where SI knowledge is needed.

In a previous paper, we reported that one of the problems with valuable signal integrity educational experiences is the specialized and costly equipment and software that are needed. For example, high-speed sampling oscilloscopes, bit error rate testers and up-to-date precision network analyzers, are very expensive and beyond the standard laboratory equipment in an undergraduate program. In this paper, we report the efforts that we have made to keep our signal integrity laboratory current and the new laboratory experiences, as well as capstone projects and undergraduate research, that we have supervised. For example, some projects have been How to Conduct a 4-port Mechanical Calibration on a 67 GHz vector network analyzer, Using Advanced Design System for a Detailed Examination of the Worst-case Impact of Vias on the Signal Integrity of a Signal when Traversing a Printed Circuit Board with 5 and 9 Layers and Obtaining Dielectric Characteristics of a Material Using the Free Space Measurement Method. In addition, we supervised a capstone project of Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electromagnetic Interference Evaluation Board, which was sponsored by an industry partner and is currently in use at the sponsor’s facility.  Recently, we have obtained support from the Office Naval Research to acquire new equipment to continue our enhancement of our undergraduate/graduate education and research in the signal integrity field. 

Furthermore, we can proudly state that we have graduated over sixty students who have taken a course on signal integrity or have done internships in the signal integrity laboratory and are now working in the SI field worldwide. Furthermore, students highly rated the course (6/7) and provided comments such as “Lectures and hands-on during labs. The use of many SI equipment and simulation tools plays a big part on understanding the materials.” We are also planning to contribute to the CHIPS act by partnering with our sister campus that obtained CHIPS funding and develop a skilled and diverse pipeline of workers for the national semiconductor industry and its associated industries, such as connectors and PCB manufacturing.

The Authors thank the Office of Naval Research, Award #: xxxx, for their support.  
AU  - Aldo Morales
AU  - Sedig Salem Agili
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - BOARD #132: Further Signal Integrity Experiences in Undergraduate Education
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55949
ER  -