Undergraduate microsystems packaging education: needs, status and challenges

Abstract

New technologies are needed both to create new products and to expand the existing products based on the last 40 years of the microelectronic revolution. These new technologies must lead to marketable products that are higher in performance, lower in cost, thin, light, portable, and highly reliable. Second, new human resources trained in these new technologies and products must also be developed to propel the market growth. These engineers are needed to explore, design, develop, manufacture and market the products globally. Both of these issues are global problems that require global efforts and solutions. To meet the above needs for microsystems packaging engineers, both in quality and quantity, the PRC at Georgia Tech recognized the need for a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum and developed such a microsystems packaging program. There are certain characteristic features of this program that include: a strong cross-disciplinary and yet a fundamental flavor; a system-level perspective; an emphasis on industrial perspective; and team research. These characteristics require a more systematic approach to undergraduate education than is currently pursued. While the VLSI segment of the $1.2T IT market has developed extensive research and educational programs, the IC and microsystems market segment, however, is primitive without degree programs, curricula, design tools and courses. This paper describes some of the details of the newly developed undergraduate programs to address these.