Graduate course: Advanced Analog Circuit Design

Course Syllabus (Fall Semester 2026)

Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Korea
University of Toronto, Canada

1. Course Information

• Course Title: Advanced Analog Circuit Design
• Credits: 3
• Semester: September 1 – December 18, 2026 (tentative)
• Course Type: Online & In-person
• Grading: P/F
• Language: English

2. Course Description

This course is a globally collaborative graduate-level program jointly delivered by Sungkyunkwan University (Korea), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), and the University of Toronto (Canada). It is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge in analog and RF integrated circuit design through a combination of online lectures, in-person discussions, and expert guest seminars.

The course covers three major areas of analog circuit design:

1. Power Management Circuits
2. Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs)
3. Ultra-Low Power RF Transceivers

Additionally, special lectures by internationally recognized experts will introduce emerging topics and cutting-edge research in the field.

3. Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand and analyze advanced analog and RF integrated circuit architectures.
2. Design and evaluate key building blocks such as PLLs, LNAs, mixers, and DC/DC converters.
3. Analyze trade-offs among noise, power consumption, linearity, and efficiency.
4. Apply system-level and circuit-level design methodologies in modern IC systems.
5. Critically review and interpret recent research publications in analog IC design.

4. Target Students

• Graduate students in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Senior undergraduate students with sufficient background in analog circuits

5. Prerequisites

Students are expected to have completed courses equivalent to:

• Analog Integrated Circuit Design
• Signals and Systems

Basic understanding of RF circuits and semiconductor devices is recommended.

6. Instructors

Primary Instructor at TU Delft (Online & In-Person Sessions)

• Prof. Sijun Du (Delft University of Technology) – Power Management Circuits

Online Lecturers (in alphabetical order by last name)

• Prof. Woogeun Rhee (Sungkyunkwan University) – Phase-Locked Loops
• Prof. Antonio Liscidini (University of Toronto) – Ultra-Low Power RF Transceivers

Guest Lecturers (in alphabetical order by last name)

• Prof. Asad Abidi (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)  
• Prof. Pieter Harpe (Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands)
• Prof. Kenichi Okada (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan)
• Prof. Ali Sheikholeslami (University of Toronto, Canada)
• Prof. Bernhard Wicht (Leibniz University Hannover, Germany)  

7. Course Structure

• Total Duration: 16 Weeks
• Main Lectures: 9 Weeks
• Special Lectures: 5 Weeks
• Discussion / Integration Sessions: 2 Weeks

8. Weekly Schedule

Weeks 1–3: Power Management Circuits (Prof. Du)

• Energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials
• Wireless power transfer systems
• DC/DC converter design

Weeks 4–6: Phase-Locked Loops (Prof. Rhee)

• PLL fundamentals and modeling
• Phase noise and jitter analysis
• Circuit-level design of PLL components
• Fractional-N PLL techniques

Weeks 7–9: Ultra-Low Power RF Receivers (Prof. Liscidini)

• RF front-end architectures
• Low-noise amplifier (LNA) design
• Mixer design and noise analysis
• Oscillator design and frequency generation

Weeks 10–14: Special Lectures (Tentative)

• Visualizing the Dynamics of the CMOS Latch (Prof. Abidi)
• Basics and Recent Examples of Analog-to-Digital Converters (Prof. Harpe)
• Integrated Power Stages - From Circuits to Physical Implementation (Prof. Wicht)
• Fundamentals of Jitter and Phase Noise for Wireline Systems (Prof. Sheikholeslami)
• Advances in Millimeter-Wave and THz Circuit Design for Future Wireless Communications (Prof. Okada)

Weeks 15–16: Discussion

• Emerging trends in analog IC design
• Discussions and Q&A

9. Evaluation Method

This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

• Class Participation
• Discussion & Engagement
• Final Presentation or Report

10. Course Materials

• Lecture slides provided by instructors
• Selected research papers (IEEE JSSC, ISSCC, TCAS, etc.)
• Recommended textbooks (TBD)

11. Additional Notes

• Course structure at partner universities may vary slightly.
• Schedule and lecture topics are subject to change depending on instructor availability.

Teachers

Last modified: 2026-04-24