PSU Provost's Challenge Proposal #80

1. An On-Line Semiconductor
Fabrication Laboratory Course
Provost’s Challenge 2013
James Morris, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Lemmy Meekisho, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Rajendra Solanki, Physics
Peter Phelps, MCECS Computer Action Team

2. Background
Oregon is the Silicon Forest, which means:
Integrated Circuit (IC) Manufacturing
• Intel drives Moore’s Law worldwide!
Does PSU support this IC manufacturing?
Three lecture courses address IC fab
• ECE 416/516 Introduction to IC technologies
(Morris)
• MME 410/510 Introduction to MEMS
(Meekisho)
• PH 545/546/547 Microelectronic device fabrication
(Solanki)

3. Semiconductor Fab Lab
But need laboratory reinforcement
• Experiential learning component
University semiconductor fabrication labs
• They exist, but are not common
Costs:
• Capital equipment -> industry donations
• Clean room -> µm not nm for education
• Consumables -> alumni donations
• Space
• Power (mostly 3-phase)

4. On-Line Laboratory
Modern equipment
• Computer controlled
• Networked to central computer
• Easy to interface to on-line
• Space -> possibly off-campus if on-line
Manpower
• Used to need close supervision for safety
• No “wet” chemistry now
• On-line -> mainly load wafers
Benefits
• PSU and regional student
• National & international enrollments

5. Research

6. Research