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Session 2247

Preparing The 21st Century Microsystems Engineering Technologist Roy C. Shelton, Jr. University of North Texas

Abstract

The semiconductor industry anticipates that its current rate of rapid growth will be sustained for the foreseeable future, driven by the increasing growth of the electronic market. The construction of new fabrication units is creating a growing shortage of qualified technical support personnel. A unique curriculum is needed to educate the necessary personnel. Microsystems Engineering Technology (MSyET) is the unique curriculum, developed jointly with industry, which prepares technologists to support the design and manufacture of miniaturized electronic components and circuits in the semiconductor industry. New in this curriculum are its interdisciplinary contents, the method of course delivery and advanced learning techniques, integrating agility and concurrence through accelerated learning concepts and methods to establish a hands-on experiential learner-centered environment. A curriculum description, together with an impact, constitutes the paper’s subject.

I. Introduction

A. Semiconductor Industry Growth

We stand at the dawn of the 21st Century. It appears that information is being discovered, related, and applied at an alarming rate. Technological innovations are reshaping every aspect of our lifestyles. As traditional methods and standards used for commerce development are extinguished before us, still others, new and technologically driven, appear on the horizon. The very ground into which we have driven the "stakes" of standards and progress measurement, is being “moved and shaken” by the tremors and full-scale earthquakes of technological change. The semiconductor industry has, in large part, been a catalyst in this process. Innovatively developing newer, smaller, denser and more efficient integrated circuit components, systems and devices to meet product demands, this industry has established an environment in which high function high technology products can be cost-effectively provided to the end user.

The semiconductor industry anticipates that its current rate of rapid growth will be sustained throughout the next decade and for the foreseeable future. Most notable among the drivers of this phenomenon is increasing electronic market growth. Consumer market demand for personal computers, cellular telephones and facsimile machines together with an emerging demand for high-definition television (HDTV), digital integrated camcorders and an array of other products yet to be introduced, is one segment of this growth. An expanded demand for

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Shelton, R. C. (1997, June), Preparing The 21st Century Microsystems Engineering Technologist Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6737