Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Nanotechnology

The program information below was valid for the spring 2021 term (May 1, 2021 - August 31, 2021). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

Students are responsible for reviewing the general information and regulations section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Program information

  • Admit term(s) 
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Spring
  • Delivery mode 
    • On-campus
  • Length of program 
    • The minimum period of registration for the Doctoral degree is four terms after a Master’s degree or equivalent and six terms after an Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent. The maximum time limit is twelve terms after a Master’s degree or equivalent and eighteen terms after an Honours Bachelor's degree or equivalent. Extensions beyond twelve terms must be approved by the Faculty Graduate Studies Office.
  • Program type 
    • Collaborative
    • Doctoral
    • Research
  • Registration option(s) 
    • Full-time
    • Part-time
  • Study option(s) 

Admission requirements

  • Minimum requirements 
    • Admission to the program is based upon the student's academic record and evidence of ability to pursue independent research.
    • Normally an overall standing equivalent to 83% in either a relevant thesis-based Master’s degree or a University of Waterloo Master of Engineering (MEng) degree that includes a completed ECE 699 Master of Engineering Project course.
    • At the time of admission, each student must have a faculty supervisor who has endorsed the recommendation for admission.
  • Application materials 
    • Résumé
    • Supplementary information form
    • Transcript(s)
  • References 
    • Number of references:  3
    • Type of references: 

      at least 2 academic
  • English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Degree requirements

    Thesis option:

  • Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)
  • Courses 
    • Students who are admitted with an appropriate master’s degree must complete a total of at least 4 courses (0.50 unit weight) including 2 required core courses and 2 elective courses from the list of technical electives, the choice of courses must meet with the approval of the supervisor.
    • Students who are admitted with an appropriate honours bachelor’s degree or who transfer directly from a master’s program to the PhD program must complete a total of at least 7 courses (0.50 unit weight) including 2 required core courses and 5 elective courses from the list of technical electives.
    • Students who have completed their Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degree in Nanotechnology Engineering or Master’s degree in Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo are not obliged to take the 2 core courses as part of the minimum course requirement. Instead, they can choose all graduate courses from the list of technical electives to meet the total course credit requirement.
    • Nanotechnology core courses:
      • NANO 701 Fundamentals of Nanotechnology (students must complete any 2 of the 0.25 unit weight modules)
      • NANO 702 Nanotechnology Tools (students must complete any 2 of the 0.25 unit weight modules)
    • Technical elective courses:
      • (a) Micro/nano Instruments and Devices
        • BIOL 642 Current topics in Biotechnology
        • CHEM 720 Topic 13 Selected Topics in Analytical Chemistry: Biosensors and Nanotechnology
        • CHEM 750 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Surface Science and Nanotechnology
        • CHEM 750 Topic 23 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Processes at Micro-Nano Scales
        • CHEM 750 Topic 27 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Nanotechniques
        • ME 738 Special Topics in Materials: Materials for NEMS and MEMS
        • ME 760 Special Topics in Thermal Engineering
        • ME 780 Special Topics in Mechatronics
        • SYDE 682 Advanced MicroElectroMechanical Systems: Principles, Design & Fabrication
        • SYDE 750 Topic 24 Topics in Systems Modelling: Modelling, Simulation and Design of MEMS
      • (b) Nanoelectronics Design and Fabrication
        • CHE 620 Applied Engineering Mathematics
        • CHEM 750 Topic 11 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Bioelectronics
        • CHEM 750 Topic 19 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Carbon Nanotube Electronics
        • ECE 630 Physics and Models of Semiconductor Devices
        • ECE 631 Microelectronic Processing Technology
        • ECE 632 Photovoltaic Energy Conversion
        • ECE 633 Nanoelectronics
        • ECE 634 Organic Electronics
        • ECE 635 Fabrication in the Nanoscale: Principles, Technology, & Applications
        • ECE 636 Advanced Analog Integrated Circuits
        • ECE 637 Digital Integrated Circuits
        • ECE 639 Characteristics & Applications of Amorphous Silicon
        • ECE 672 Optoelectronic Devices
        • ECE 676 Quantum Information Processing Devices
        • ECE 677 Quantum Electronics and Photonics
        • ECE 730 Topic 10 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Advanced Technology for Semiconductor Processing
        • ECE 730 Topic 11 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Physics and Modeling of Semiconductor Devices
        • ECE 730 Topic 19 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Magnetism and Spintronics
        • ECE 730 Topic 26 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: MBE and Quantum Nano Devices
        • ECE 730 Topic 28 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Physics of Nanoscale Devices
        • ECE 730 Topic 29 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Computational Nanoelectronics
        • ECE 770 Topic 18 Special Topics in Antenna and Microwave Theory: Nanoelectronics for QIP
        • ECE 770 Topic 21 Special Topics in Antenna and Microwave Theory: Quantum Optics & Nanophotonics
        • PHYS 713 Molecular Physics
        • PHYS 731 Solid State Physics 1
        • PHYS 747 Optical Electronics
      • (c) Nano-biosystems
        • BIOL 608 Advanced Molecular Genetics
        • BIOL 614 Bioinformatics Tools and Techniques
        • BIOL 629 Cell Growth and Differentiation
        • BIOL 642 Current Topics in Biotechnology
        • BIOL 670 Photobiology
        • BIOL 678 Current topics in Neurophysiology
        • CHE 622 Statistics in Engineering
        • CHE 660 Principles of Biochemical Engineering
        • CHE 760 Special Topics in Biochemical Engineering
        • CHE 765 Research Topics in Biochemical Engineering
        • CHEM 737 Enzymes
        • ECE 730 Topic 25 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Microfluidic & Nanobiotech Systems
        • PHYS 751 Clinical Applications of Physics in Medicine
        • PHYS 752 Molecular Biophysics
      • (d) Nanomaterials
        • CHE 610 Theory and Application of Transport Phenomena
        • CHE 612 Interfacial Phenomena
        • CHE 622 Statistics in Engineering
        • CHE 630 Chemical Reactor Analysis
        • CHE 640 Principles of Polymer Science
        • CHE 641 Physical Properties of Polymers (cross-listed with CHEM 771)
        • CHE 740 Special Topics in Polymer Science and Engineering
        • CHE 745 Research Topics in Polymer Science and Engineering
        • CHE 750 Special Topics in Materials Science: Thin Film Fabrications & Mechanical Properties
        • CHE 755 Research Topics in Electrochemical Engineering, Interfacial Engineering & Material Science
        • CHEM 710 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Inorganic Chemistry: Nanostructured Materials and Integrative Chemistry
        • CHEM 713 Chemistry of Inorganic Solid State Materials
        • CHEM 720 Topic 14 Selected Topics in Analytical Chemistry: Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Clean Environment
        • CHEM 750 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Surface Science and Nanotechnology
        • CHEM 770 Principles of Polymer Science

        • CHEM 773 Topic 11 Selected Topics in Polymer Chemistry: Synthesis, Self-assembly and Materials Application of Inorganic Polymers

        • CHEM 773 Topic 14 Selected Topics in Polymer Chemistry: Living Polymerization Techniques

        • CHEM 773 Topic XX Selected Topics in Polymer Chemistry: Noncovalent Interactions & Supramolecular Chemistry

        • ME 632 Experimental Methods in Materials Engineering
        • ME 738 Special Topics in Materials: Materials for NEMS and MEMS
        • ME 738 Topic 8 Special Topics in Materials: Introductory and Advanced Nanomechanics
        • PHYS 701 Quantum Mechanics 1
        • PHYS 704 Statistical Physics 1
        • PHYS 706 Electromagnetic Theory
        • PHYS 773 Special Topics
    • The faculty supervisor will consider the level and adequacy of each student's preparation in drawing up the candidate's program. It is expected that candidates will maintain a 78% minimum cumulative average in their course work. To obtain credit, an individual course must be passed with at least 75%.
  • Link(s) to courses
  • PhD Comprehensive Examination I and PhD Comprehensive Examination II
    • Students are required to meet the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements outlined in the “Minimum requirements for the PhD degree” section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), with certain noted differences that are specific to the Faculty of Engineering Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements:
      • Comprehensive examination purpose: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements.
      • Who Chairs an examination: Students must follow the Faculty of Engineering Chair guidelines whereby the Chair is normally selected from outside of the student’s home department.
      • Format / Content: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements but with additional information provided in the Faculty of Engineering Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements.
      • Academic integrity: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements.
    • In addition to the University-level and Faculty-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements, students in the PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Nanotechnology program are also required to meet the following requirements:
      • Students must complete the Background Comprehensive Examination and the Comprehensive Proposal Examination which are conducted by the Department for each candidate.
      • The first exam, the Background Comprehensive Examination, will be held before the end of the third term (fourth term if from an incomplete MASc). The main objective of this examination is to satisfy the Department that the candidate has a broad knowledge of their field and a thorough technical background to pursue their research; the candidate will be questioned on their background preparation.
      • The second exam, the Comprehensive Proposal Examination, will be held no later than the student's sixth term and only after the Background Comprehensive Examination has been successfully completed. The main objective of this examination is to examine and approve the thesis proposal.
      • The result of these examinations is the identification of an Advisory Committee which has examined and approved the candidate's background and thesis proposal and is willing to assist the supervisor with the subsequent research program. The validity of the comprehensive examination expires after three years.
      • Students who do not complete either Comprehensive Examination by the stated deadline, or fail either exam on their second attempt, will be required to withdraw from the program.
      • The Background Comprehensive Examination Committee does not include the supervisor(s) and must consist of three members of the University, one of whom must be from ECE and two of whom can be internal or external to ECE (but within the University of Waterloo). The Proposal Comprehensive Examination Committee must consist of the  supervisor(s) plus three members of the University, two of whom must be from ECE and one of whom must be external to ECE (but within the University of Waterloo). It is the supervisor’s responsibility to form each of these committees.
    • Detailed procedures are available in the “PhD comprehensive examination process” section of the Electrical and Computer Engineering website.
  • Nanotechnology Seminar
    • This seminar is a forum for student presentation of research results or proposals. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of research in the collaborative program. Each student is required to present at least 1 Nanotechnology research seminar over the course of the degree. The Nanotechnology Seminar may simultaneously count towards the PhD Seminar requirement of the ECE Department.
  • PhD Seminar
    • The aim of the PhD seminar is to allow students to gain experience in preparing and presenting their work. The seminar is to be held no later than the end of the third year after the initial registration in the program. The seminar must be attended by the student’s supervisor and their Advisory Committee. Other Faculty members and PhD and MASc students may also be in attendance. Since this is not intended to be an examination, the seminar presentation and the feedback communication, would be regarded as satisfying the seminar credit requirements.
    • Students who do not complete the PhD Seminar by the stated deadline will be required to withdraw from the program.
  • PhD Thesis
    • The primary objective of the program is the accomplishment of independent and original research work and reporting thereon in a research thesis.
    • The requirements for the PhD degree are completed when the student successfully defends their thesis before an Examination Committee. This committee should consist of the supervisor, three other members of the University (at least one of whom should be from outside the Department) and an external examiner. Faculty from other Departments who hold cross appointments in the Department are counted as departmental members in defining examining committees.
Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisors (ADDS)
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering website
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Nanotechnology future students program page