From the desk of the Head of the Department

Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering was established in 1964 to offer Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics & Communication and Master of Engineering degrees in (a) Advanced Electronics and (b) Applied Electronics & Servomechanisms. In 1968, the postgraduate programme was restructured with specializations in the areas of Communication Systems, Control and guidance, Microwaves and Radar, and Solid State Electronics. Two new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Computer Science and Technology were started in the year 1982. Keeping in view the activities of the Department, the name was changed to Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering. In January 2013, a separate Department of Computer Science and Engineering was carved out and the department was again renamed as Electronics and Communication Engineering. At present, department is having 40 full time faculty members and offers one B. Tech. program in Electronics & Communication Engineering and five full time M. Tech. programs viz. M. Tech. in Microelectronics & VLSI (MEV), Communication Systems, RF & Microwaves (RFM) Engineering, THz Communication & Sensing (TCS) and Semiconductor Technology. Department is also offering a separate M Tech program specially designed for professionals working in the area of VLSI.

Department is having state of art characterization facilities starting from DC to 1.1 THz. M. Tech. in THz Communication & Sensing is first program offered by any Indian academic institution directly addressing the need of telecommunication technology for beyond 2030 era. Faculty members and research scholars of the department are actively engaged in cutting edge research in all aspects of electronics and communication engineering. Department has up to date infrastructure and human resources to handle traditional as well as future research challenges driving revolution in the technological area of semiconductor as well telecommunication technology. The threads essential for combining semiconductor and telecommunication technology together i.e. the research in Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) is also part of core research activities of the department.

Department’s vision and plan in specific research areas to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047 is as follows:

• Academic & Sponsored Research:
• Microelectronics & VLSI Technology: Essential research facilities required for academic and research activities in the area of Microelectronics & VLSI as well as Semiconductor Technology are present in the department. The core research activities cover device physics, digital chip design, analog and mixed signal chip design, fabrication technology etc. All the software tools needed for chip designing e.g. Cadence EDA Tools, Mentor Graphics EDA Tools, MATLAB, Xilinx, Synopsys TCAD-Full university bundle and HSPICE simulator, and Vivado Tools for Verilog HDL programming. Department has facilities such as PECVD, Direct pattern generator, wire bonder, Surface profilometer, Dielectric and metal deposition systems, DC characterization facilities such as probe stations etc. for chips as well as systems.
• RF & Microwave Engineering: Department is pioneer in the area of RF & Microwave engineering. Department have all necessary facilities and tools required for the design, analysis and characterization of on chip/off chip RF/Microwave circuits, systems, sensors and antennas. Core activities in the direction of RF & Microwave technology include phased array antenna, beam forming, CAD tools development, data analytics in sensing, RF transceivers using CMOS/BiCMOS/ GaN/GaAs, AI/ML in layout and custom design, integrated systems for RADAR, Drone RF technology and Electronic Counter Measures using Drone Technologies. Department intend to promote Indigenous development of RF and Microwave system for 5G, 6G, and beyond, Defense and Space applications and provide trained manpower for INDIA Semiconductor mission.
• Communication, Networks and Signal Processing (CNSP): Department intend to excel in Conducting both foundational and application-oriented research, and fostering innovation by developing systems, algorithms, and technologies for 5G/beyond 5G RAN, green communication, intelligent sensing, signal analysis, smart healthcare and smart cities. CNSP group is significantly contributing towards accelerating national mission on 6G standardization and technology development by handling relevant government and industrial projects, contributing at TSDSI, 3GPP, BIF forums and Bharat 6G alliance, creating intellectual properties, start-ups and skilled manpower, and strengthening industry-academia collaboration. Product oriented research and intellectual property creation are focussed in the emerging technological areas such as: developing technologies for 6G networks and use cases, standard based 6G research, AI/ML for wireless communications and Industry 4.0 (smart healthcare, autonomous vehicles, smart cities), Quantum communications and signal processing, Optical communications, IoT and big data analytics for smart cities, Green and sustainable wireless communication and sensor networks,  Generative AI/large language models.
• THz Communication and Sensing: Essential research facilities required for academic and research activities in the area of Integrated Communication & Sensing (ICS) are available in the department. Major facilities available in the department are: 5G/6G research laboratory, THz communication and sensing laboratory, testing facilities for antennas and wireless systems, network analysers up-to 1.1-THz frequency range for characterization of sub-systems and systems etc. All the necessary EDA tools needed for design and analysis of telecommunication systems are available in the department. Future research direction of TCS group are: THz communication and networks, THz sensing and imaging, Bio-Terahertz design, THz generation and detection, Materials and devices for THz systems, THz photonic devices and systems, THz semiconductor chip design, AI and security in THz systems and 6G standardization activity.
• Academic and Research Collaborations: Department of ECE has strong collaborations with reputed national and international academic and research institutions, R & D laboratories and industries working in the area of semiconductor chip design and manufacturing; industrial leaders in wireless communication technologies such as 5G/6G and beyond and R & D institutions such as DRDO, ISRO, BARC, CDoT etc. Department is working in collaboration with public and private industries towards developing cutting edge technologies. Research outcome of our efforts can also be seen in terms of patents and publications in reputed international journals and conferences.
• Indigenous Technology Development: Faculty members and students of ECE department are actively engaged towards developing indigenous technology and commercialization through either start-ups or directly transferring it as product to other industries. We envisioned to accelerate our effort to significantly contribute in Atmnirbhar Bharat by 2047.
• Training of Manpower: Department of ECE is committed to train technical manpower through academic and research programs to cater the manpower requirement of industries. We are contributing significantly in preparing employable graduates and post graduates in the area of semiconductor, telecommunication, defence and space industries. Department is also focussing to address the issues of low cost electronic test and measurement equipments in social, agricultural and medical sectors.