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Microelectronic Engineering and Nanotechnology Education for Undergraduates and Pre-College Students through Curriculum Reform and Outreach Activities

Abstract

The extension of microelectronics to new frontiers that include MEMS, nanotechnology, flexible electronics, biotechnology, energy and solid state lighting is inevitable. Development of a necessary multi faceted work force is critical to our nation’s innovation edge in these fields. The Department of Microelectronic Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology received an NSF implementation grant in 2005 to institute a major department level reform (DLR) to address this critical need. The key elements of this effort consist of curriculum reform in the main program, creation of a novel minor program and diverse activities to reach out to K-12 and pre- college community. The curriculum reform consisting of creation of free electives through course consolidations and new course development that included a new nanocharacterization laboratory based course has been instituted. A K-12 teachers’ forum on microelectronics and nanotechnology has been developed and delivered. A program package that includes instructional materials, available for wider dissemination, has been developed. A unique ‘service learning’ co-op experience has been piloted where an engineering student spent two academic quarters in a high school under the guidance of the physics teacher to develop physics laboratories and mentor students in math and science. Feedback from students outlined the benefit of having another knowledgeable individual in the classroom to gain insight about careers in engineering which hopefully will translate into students choosing engineering as a career. These initiatives have significantly enhanced the educational programs at RIT.

Introduction

The semiconductor industry has entered nanotechnology. The smallest feature size printed on an integrated circuit is known as the technology node. The industry has already announced its readiness for the 45nm technology node in production with 32nm node on the horizon. The curricula developed by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have kept pace with the rapid advancements sharing 25 of the 40 years of the Moore’s Law and have contributed significantly in generating the workforce and research for this growing high tech industry. One of the great challenges for the future microelectronics and semiconductor technology will be the need to draw on scientific principles and engineering developments from such an extraordinary wide range of disciplines not adequately provided by traditional engineering or science programs. Education must not only keep pace with this trend but also lead and foster this growth. The opportunities in nanoelectronics are considerable. It is predicted that CMOS will be supplemented by novel nano-enabled solutions. Prudent semiconductor manufacturers must plan for nanotech’s impact on their businesses today and prudent educators must plan for educating a high tech engineering workforce.

The Bachelor of Science program in Microelectronic Engineering at RIT started in 1982 with basic PMOS process on 2” wafers. Today, the program supports a complete 4 and 6 inch CMOS line equipped with diffusion, ion implantation, plasma PVD and CVD processes, electro-

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Kurinec, S., & Jackson, M., & Schulte, T., & Kane, N., & Lewis, E., & Gupta, S. (2008, June), Microelectronic Engineering And Nanotechnology Education For Undergraduates And Pre College Students Through Curriculum Reform And Outreach Activities Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3450