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Session 1793

A Three-semester Interdisciplinary Educational Program in Microsystems Engineering Tim Ameel, Bruce Gale, and Ian Harvey Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Abstract

Motivated by an NSF IGERT grant in the general area of microfluidics, a sequence of three interdisciplinary technical courses has been developed in the emerging area of microsystems engineering. Designed as a sequence, these courses provide students, both graduate and upper-level undergraduates from multiple disciplines, who have virtually no knowledge of the microscale and nanoscale engineering and science field, with the ability to design and fabricate complete microscale and nanoscale systems.

I. Introduction

The development of a formalized educational program in microsystems engineering at the University of Utah was motivated by an NSF Integrative Graduate Educational and Research Traineeship (IGERT) grant in the general area of microsystems engineering with a focus on thermal fluid systems and phenomena. A required sequence of three interdisciplinary technical courses has been developed for the formalized educational component of the traineeship program. Designed to be taken in series, these courses provide both graduate and upper-level undergraduate students from diverse disciplines with the ability to design and fabricate complete microscale and nanoscale systems.

The first course in the sequence, Fundamentals of Microscale Engineering, provides an overview of the important technologies from a fundamental point of view through a lecture-only format. Topics include scaling, microfabrication technologies, microscale and nanoscale phenomena, and microfluidic applications. The second course, Fundamentals of Micromachining Processes, is lab intensive and concentrates on the most frequently used microfabrication technologies, such as wet bulk micromachining and surface micromachining. Hands-on experience and instruction is provided for key fabrication and characterization equipment such as pattern generators, evaporators, sputterers, chemical vapor deposition systems, an SEM, and a surface profilometer. The third course, Design and Characterization of Microsystems, is project driven and generalizes microsystems design considerations with practical emphasis on MEMS and IC characterization, and physical analysis. The class team projects emphasize ongoing dissertation research, which produces an additional benefit for some students of significant progress on their individual projects. In some cases, project final reports

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright @ 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Ameel, T., & Harvey, I., & Gale, B. (2004, June), A Three Semester Interdisciplinary Educational Program In Microsystems Engineering Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13420