Virtual-reality in microelectronics laboratory instruction

Computer simulations are powerful educational tools. They allow students to explore and interact with worlds not normally accessible. Places or events too small, too expensive, too slow, too fast, or too dangerous to enter can be explored with virtual reality. The microelectronics laboratory is one of those worlds. This paper describes a virtual-reality microelectronics laboratory that was written to help teach the principles involved in process integration. The laboratory simulation has been successfully used to assist with teaching a microelectronics technology short course.