Computer Engineering research includes VLSI design, fault tolerant computing, automatic logic synthesis, and reconfigurable computing. The fault-tolerant program searches for novel digital systems to perform as specified. The synthesis area entails the design, simulation, testing, and verification of logic circuits using semi-custom and VLSI programmable logic devices such as FPGA AND CPLD.

Both the VLSI design and synthesis areas incorporate special-purpose computer-aided design (CAD) tolls and designer aids. VLSI design research investigates high-performance mixed-signal processing applications. The Department of Electrical Engineering Maintains CAD tools used in industry such as CADENCETM and EXACTTM.

Research in ongoing in the areas of computer vision, statistical pattern recognition, communication system, and signal processing. This program includes theories and application related communication systems, signal processing, image processing, pattern recognition and computer vision; employing various techniques, such as signal detection, speech recognition, 3-D image modeling,

Topics include routing and flow-control techniques suitable for high-speed digital networks, switching architectures and protocols for heterogeneous networks of various sizes. Such networks include ATM networks, as well as modeling and analysis of an integrated mixture of different traffic types and sources suitable for the Integrated Service Digital Network.

Electronic material research has been an ongoing effort for more than twenty years, specializing in the growths of thin-film semiconductors and their characterization for device applications. Current interests lie in the epitaxial growth and characterization of GaAsSb and InP materials. The Rockwell Solid Stat Electronics Laboratory, established in 1977, anchors the research in III-V materials, while the Microelectronics Fabrication Laboratory, initiated by the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, houses the silicon-based material effort.

Current materials growth capabilities include liquid phase electroepitaxy, vapor phase epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy, and plasma deposition. Complementary material and device characterization techniques are available, such as 4K photoluminenescence, photo reflectance, ellipsometer, C-V, I-V, Hall effect, SEM/EDX. and high resolution s-ray diffraction. Photolithography and electron beam evaporation facilities are available for fabrication of device structures. Optical communication and sensing research investigates optical device functions for communication, computing, and sensing application.