Design and analysis of nano-scale computing systems. Topics include nanoelectronic devices (e.g., carbon nanotube transistors, quantum dots, etc.), computational paradigms (conventional von Neumann, quantum cellular automata, quantum computing, etc.), microarchitecture and instruction set architecture for nano-scale systems, defect and fault tolerance, fabrication techniques (e.g., self-assemblies), modeling and simulation methods. This course relies on current literature for information on state-of-the-art nano-scale computing systems.
This is a seminar course, hence there will not be any exams. Grades are based on class participation, paper summaries, and course projects. We will read 2 to 4 papers per week (1 to 2 per class). Students are expected to actively participate in discussions and to lead one or two discussions during the semester. Leading a discussion means preparing material for presentation to the class and ensuring discussion occurs. Students are also required to submit evaluations of the papers discussed.
Class Participation 30%
Paper Evaluations 30%
Project 40%
The goal of this course is to develop an
understanding of the issues surrounding the impact of nanotechnology on computer
system design. Students are encouraged to lead discussions, ask questions, point
out weaknesses and make observations on all topics. The homework (paper evaluations)
are designed to facilitate this discussion. Good research ideas come from lots
of discussion.
Evaluations should be emailed to me with a subject line CPS 296.1 Evaluation <Date>, where Date is the class date, e.g., Jan 15. Please send only one email for each class containing all evaluations for the appropriate class.
The evaluations must be completed the day before each class. The paper evaluations are to ensure active participation by all students and to test for understanding of material. It is also important to develop the ability to critique other research.
Each evaluation will be a maximum of 1/2 page (two to three paragraphs) and should conatin 1) the three most important things the paper says, 2) the biggest problem or weakness of the paper, and 3) a conclusion you draw from the work with respect to the overall course. You may end up with different answers at the end of class, which is fine and expected.
Evaluation scores will range from 0-3. Late homework
will not receive credit for any reason. The evaluations/summaries should reflect
your understanding of the paper. It is not acceptable to turn in a summary if
you have not made an honest effort to read the paper. That is, do not simply
submit the papers abstract, introduction, or conclusion.
You may skip up to 1/4 of the evaluations and still receive full credit if all
other evaluations are completed to my satisfaction.
The class presentations should cover 1 to 3 papers on a single topic. I will provide a set of topic areas. Some topics will span more than one class/student. I will provide initial pointers to get you started, but each student should research the topic and identify any additional or replacement papers to discuss. I am perfectly happy to see topics covered that are of interest to the students, but that I may not have listed. These topics must however fall under the broad umbrella of nanocomputing.
Each presentation will be graded on a score of 0-5. The presentation should focus on encouraging class discussion and should include the following:
1. Problem statement,
2. Related work,
3. Methodolgy,
4. Results and interpretation of results,
5. Contributions of work,
6. Weakness of work,
7. General conclusions to draw from the work.
The major portion of this course will consist of a term
research project performed in groups of three or four.
At the end of the semester each group will present their research in a talk
and a paper. See me if you want to work in a different size group.
Some project ideas will be provided as starting points, but I encourage you to define your own projects as long as it is related to the course. Be sure you are excited and passionate about your project, that is one of the most important aspects of choosing a project.
The project will make up the bulk of the course. Students will spend the first part of the course defining the project and researching related work. The actual work on the project will be completed in the last half of the course.