Computer Engineering Internship: Sparse FFT investigation

Introduction to the job

Are you a master's student studying computer engineering; embedded systems; software or electronics engineering with an affinity for programming in C? Then this internship could be interesting for you! 

Background information

Within the electronic development department, we support the electronic parts of the dynamics system in ASML machines. The dynamics system is used to control force damping within the ASML machine, but also dampen influence forces coming from the environment.
The electronic dynamics system consists of sensors, control systems and actuators. The control systems are recently digitized. An FPGA is used within these digital controllers. Within the FPGA firmware a lot of signal processing takes place.
 

Your assignment

The assignment will be performed in the dynamic electronic development team (10+ colleagues), and you will be interfacing with the FPGA development community (10+ colleagues).

The main objective of this MSc. internship is to implement a Sparse Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on an FPGA board in order to improve the computation of FFT in diagnostics and process sensor data in real-time to quickly identify faults.

Background:
FFT is a widely used algorithm in the field of signal processing and is essential in the analysis of time-series data. However, traditional FFT algorithms have a computational cost that grows proportionally with the size of the input data, making them inefficient for large datasets. In recent years, Sparse FFT algorithms have been developed to address this issue, making the computation of FFT more efficient for sparse signals.

The implementation of the Sparse FFT algorithm on an FPGA board will involve the following steps:
•    Study and analysis of the existing Sparse FFT algorithms and selection of the most suitable one for the FPGA implementation.
•    Development of the hardware architecture for the selected Spare FFT algorithm.
•    Implementation and testing of the hardware architecture on the FPGA development board as a proof of concept and demonstrating its operation.
•    Performance evaluation of the implemented Sparse FFT algorithm and comparison with traditional FFT algorithms.
•    Documentation of the investigation, comparative analysis, the design, test specification and test analysis results.

Your profile

To be a perfect match with this internship opportunity, you:

• Are a master's student studying computer engineering; embedded systems; software or electronics engineering (or similar)
• Knowledge of principles of FPGA development (Intel preferred); VHDL, Questa(sim), embedded real-time C programming and basics of digital signal processing techniques and algorithms.
• Have good communication skills in English (verbal and written; technical and non-technical).
• Are eager to learn, a team player and flexible.

This internship is for the duration of 6 to 9 months, 4-5 days a week, starting in January 2024.

Please note that we can only consider students who are enrolled at a university for the entire duration of the internship.

Diversity and inclusion

ASML is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.

Other information

What ASML offers

Your internship will be in one of the leading Dutch corporations, gaining valuable experience in a highly dynamic environment. You will receive a monthly internship allowance based on your educational level and number of days per week, plus a possible housing and/or travel allowance. More information on the allowances can be found on our website. In addition you will get expert, practical guidance and the chance to work in and experience a dynamic, innovative team environment.

ASML: Be part of progress
We make machines that make chips – the hearts of the devices that keep us informed, entertained and safe; that improve our quality of life and help to tackle the world’s toughest problems.

We build some of the most amazing machines that you will ever see, and the applications to run them. Never satisfied, we measure our performance in units that begin with pico or nano.

We believe we can always do better. We believe the winning idea can come from anyone. We love what we do – not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. At ASML we are always pushing technology further.

Students: Getting ready for the real-world
Teamwork is key within ASML. Our R&D team is more than 5,500 people strong and worldwide we form one big team with over 25,000 employees. These colleagues have 123 different nationalities and work at our major sites on three continents.

Dozens of diverse, interdisciplinary teams work in parallel to meet a challenging development schedule. In this inspiring environment, your colleagues may be sitting next door, or they could be thousands of kilometers away in a different country, or even working for a different company.

An internship at ASML is your opportunity to get to know this world and get a feel for that excites you most. Use your education, gain real-life working experience and explore the world of high-tech – all at the same time. How will you be part of progress?