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Statement of Intent

Experts say that by 2022, silicon will have reached its limit and Moores Law will become

invalid. However, with researchers seeking new alternatives such as graphene, and the

standardization of new processes such as EUV and die stacking, VLSI designers still play a

prominent role in the semiconductor industry. During my undergraduate studies, I developed akeen interest in transistors that form the basic building blocks of electronics and circuit design. I

aspire to join other engineers in this industry to shape a better future for mankind. My passion

and creativity led me to pre-silicon design, which I believe is best suited to my area of interest.

To prepare myself for this rigourous industry, I seek to expand my design experience through the

pursuit of a Master of Engineering degree in electronics at the University of Toronto.

I have gained various experiences in designing, prototyping, and simulating digital and analog

electronics to prepare me for a Master of Engineering degree. I have excelled in courses such as

VLSI, IC Engineering, Micro- & Nano-Fabrication, Digital Electronics and Computer Hardware.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen financial difficulties and family issues, my grades wereseverely affected during the first semester of my third year. However, I was determined not to

allow these personal setbacks to further interrupt my studies in the next semester. I established

accurate and realistic study goals of studying in distraction free environments to mitigate these

setbacks. This allowed me to isolate my university work from other sources of interference. By

achieving these goals, I made a tremendous recovery during the second semester of third year

and after PEY. With my analytical skills and inventive strategies, my grades portray my strong

candidacy in my studies for fields relating to electronics and semiconductors. I wish to use these

qualities in courses like ECE1352 (Analog Circuit Design I), which will help me further hone my

creativity on electronic engineering.

This above paragraph is a little disorganized. I feel you would be better off breaking it up and

maybe devoting a separate paragraph to your justification. Tread with care. Financial difficulties

cannot, for example, be resolved by studying and setting goals. How did you get the money? Did

you pick up a part time job, for example? Its sometimes difficult to elaborate on these issues

(esp. family) but a willingness to do so will probably be looked upon well. Try to make an

ultimate goal in demonstrating your ability to persevere in adverse conditions.

I have also sought out opportunities to develop skills in design by moving beyond my

coursework through innovative projects at the university level. As part of my Computer

Organization design course (ECE243), I created an automated storage and retrieval system using

Lego components, multiple processors, and sensors. The aim of the design was to capture the

how an automated safe in a bank works by storing and retrieving objects from a vault, as

specified by the user. The system was created in assembly language, and Morse Code was used

as the communication medium between the user and the vault. I am also involved in the

university organization, Friends of Design, which reviews fourth-year design projects and

network with alumni. My mandate in this group is to promote the idea of design, and connect

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students requiring help on a design aspect to student organizations that are capable and

experienced in the field.

Outside of school, I have extensive industry pre-silicon experience relating to schematics and

layouts. I worked as an intern at the Progressive Inter-Cultural Community Services (PICS)

Society, which is affiliated with a new college called PICS Asia Pacific College Education(PACE) Canada. I performed tasks of hardware processor implementation in Verilog, and logic

block design using transistors. In addition, I gained hands-on experience in electronic circuitry

and hardware and software systems. During my time there, I also took on challenging

coursework in order to determine the suitability of assignments and labs of newly designed

college programs and courses. These courses allowed me to learn about transistors, their

functionalities, and various non-idealities relating to them. From this knowledge, my most

exceptional work was performing CMOS schematic and layout designs of various blocks, such

as SRAM, Shift Registers, Logic Gates, etc. Creating these also required optimizing and

minimizing of parasitic capacitances and resistances. This was an extremely valuable experience,

which helped me to discover my passion for pre-silicon design.

I also completed a 12 month internship at Microsemi Corporation in San Jose, California as part

of my PEY program. The company assisted me in gaining practical experience on industrial

CAD tools, such as Cadence Virtuoso. Using this tool, I performed extraction and identification

of locations on chips that are potential points of failure due to latch-up. After my proposed

design changes, the chips were fabricated, and I was given the opportunity to test if these latch-

up issues had been resolved in private research facilities, such as those in UC Berkeley and

Texas A&M University. I believe that these experiences will help me produce better and more

efficient designs in graduate courses such as ECE1388 (VLSI Design Methodologies).

My experience with IC design has made me eager to learn more. There are areas in electronics in

which I would like to further explore. My drive and enthusiasm will allow me to strive for the

best as a Masters student. With my desire to learn and my passion for design and VLSI, I aspire

to be a part of University of Torontosprestigious Master of Engineering program.