"Substantially expanded and updated, the new edition of this classic provides unrivaled coverage of the fundamentals of power electronics. Unique in its breadth and depth, this is the definitive guide to power electronics for senior undergraduate and graduate students, and practicing electrical engineers"--

In exceeding the limits of the size-speed envelope during the design of a GaAs digitizer chip, a new clock speed limitation of stochastic nature was identified. Its importance stems from the fact, discovered during the simulation of the digitizer, that the stochastic components of delays do not affect the performance of the chip in the same manner as the delays themselves. Once discovered and understood, the effect is easily demonstrated even on very small circuits. A functionally correct digital design, based on the assumption that the propagation delays are larger than actual, so as to subsume fluctuations, may not work correctly at any clock speed. This discovery justifies the introduction of a new chapter of logic design, referred to as "stochastic", currently relevant only in applications requiring performance beyond the state of the art defined by the commercial imperative of high production yield. Scientific instrumentation, like DUMAND II, is such an application. The stochastic limitation stems from two sources: a probability distribution of signal transition delays within individual logic cells because of circuit parameter fluctuations over the surface of the chip, and a probability distribution of signal propagation delays between cells caused by fluctuations in routing lengths. The former can affect even small chips if they are sufficiently fast, while the latter might be the dominant stochastic limitation on over-all speed in chips with large clock distribution trees. Such a situation exists within the digitizer, where a very large distribution network delivers the master clock signal to thousands of leaves which must be synchronized, but are actually out of phase as a consequence of position-related fluctuations in propagation delays. A second contribution to VLSI design, also stemming from work on the digitizer, is a power reduction through capacitance cancellation in the different part of current steering logic cells. As much as a thirty percent power reduction can be obtained without affecting the signal to noise ratio and the transition speed.

Neural networks and fuzzy systems have been studied to develop effective means to control highly dynamic high-speed networks in a cost efficient manner. Using the results from a study of robust transfiguring protocols which were designed to recognize changes in assumed network state and adapt to these changing network conditions, a fuzzy control algorithm was implemented.

ICECAP is an auroral measurements program to acquire geophysical data required for the formulation and testing of models and predictive computer codes. The models and codes describe atmospheric ionization, excitation, and optical emissions in the (Aurorally) disturbed ionosphere. These codes are needed to assess and evaluate the operation of critical DoD radar and optical systems in nuclear disturbed environments. Auroral disturbances studied in ICECAP are similar to nuclear disturbances in that both are characterized by dramatic visual displays, enhanced infrared airglows, and enhanced plasma densities resulting from the interaction of energetic electronics with the atmospheric constituents. The general objectives ICECAP are: to provide measurements of chemical emission processes occurring in the disturbed atmosphere; to uncover unsuspected chemical or interactive processes leading to important infrared radiations; to provide experimental data against which models and computer codes can be compared and evaluated; and to provide data that can be used to update and improve theoretical models and predictive computer codes.