Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Tutorials: 1 session / week, 1.5 hours / session

Prerequisites

6.011 and 6.111

Topics

The course will focus on four major categories as outlined below:

1. Introduction to digital communications
   • Modulation and detection, vector channel representation
   • Equalization
   • Multi-channel systems (modulation methods, waterfiling, bit loading)
   • Practical examples including 802.11a
   • Coding – sequence detection, gap, convolutional and block codes
2. ASIC design fundamentals
   • ASIC design flow, tools, system-on-a-chip design issues
   • Micro-architectures and transformations (parallelism, pipelining, folding, time-multiplexing)
   • Hardware description languages: introduction to Bluespec™ and Verilog® review
3. Theory and building blocks
   • Fast fourier transform (theory, fast algorithms and VLSI implementations)
   • Convolutional and Trellis codes, and Viterbi algorithm (theory, algorithms and VLSI implementations)
   • Synchronization (phase and frequency tracking loops, algorithms and VLSI implementations)
   • Block codes (Hamming, BCH, Reed-Solomon), basic theory and VLSI implementations
4. Wireless channel fundamentals
   • Properties and modeling (fading, Doppler effect,...)
   • Channel estimation (theory and VLSI implementations)

Grading

Calendar

The calendar below provides information on the courses lectures (L) and Tutorials (T) sessions.