Tools for integrating multidomain technologies into microelectronic circuit design curricula

Current advances in technology, along with application-specific demands in areas such as wireless communication and biomedical engineering, are driving the development of tools and techniques for producing miniaturized system elements from mechanical, magnetic, fluidic and many other nonelectrical domains. Each domain poses its own design and validation challenges. Moreover, integration of multidomain components with electrical components is a challenging task in itself. The authors discuss curriculum materials they are developing to prepare students to meet these design challenges.