Although Alan Mantooth is excited about his research, he's even more excited about the achievements of his students. "Don't forget to mention that four of my students received prestigious, highly-competitive Texas Instrument fellowships," he said.

Mantooth never loses sight of his students while he focuses on three areas of research: circuit design, device modeling and computer aided design. His research into semiconductor device modeling centers on using silicon carbide to extend the useful application of electronics to higher temperatures (e.g., greater than 300 C). He and his team develop mathematical models of silicon carbide devices so that designers can assess through computer simulation whether silicon carbide is better than traditional techniques. The designers can then better decide to build it in silicon carbide or not.

Debugging and modeling circuitry devices is increasingly important. "It's time consuming and expensive to design and build these devices," said Mantooth. "Sometimes the process can take months or even years. We have developed algorithms that can accomplish it in a day. The designers are glory boys, but we help them get there."

The third area of his research led Mantooth to develop a company. Lynguent is a software company that builds better, more productive ways to make computer models. Automating electronic design allows more complexity into the process.

"A lot of engineering happens before a product ever turns a profit," said Mantooth. "We're able to shorten a company's time to a positive return on their electronic-based products by improving their design productivity. Or as we call it, improve their time to market - and money."

Two of his doctoral students work part-time for the company. "They're not working in the abstract," he said. "They're getting the unique experience of working with a start-up company and actually bringing a product to market."