IC packaging education at the University of the Philippines

The electronics industry of the Philippines comprises 462 companies involved in consumer electronics, telecommunications, computers and device manufacturing. The export performance of this industry has steadily increased from $2.97B in 1992 to $23.84B in 1999, representing 70% of the country's export earnings. Today, a total of 250,000 personnel has been employed by this industry, with the engineering community totalling more than 25,000. Cognizant of the growth of this industry, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has identified semiconductors as a key focus, with improvements in engineering education and enhancement in research and development capability/activities as tactics. The University of the Philippines, in support of this strategy has instituted a graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering in 1992, with a strong emphasis on semiconductors. This program is jointly offered and administered by the Institutes of Chemistry, Physics and Geology of the College of Science and the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering of the College of Engineering. The program was supported by DOST with equipment such as electron microscopes, spectroscopes and device fabrication equipment, including a molecular beam epitaxy machine under a World Bank loan. Research funds were also provided by the same agency. In 1998, an undergraduate program in Materials Engineering has also been instituted to support the increasing need of the industry for materials engineers. This paper presents both the undergraduate and graduate programs in Materials at the University of the Philippines. Enrollment statistics are also presented. Current research focus on assembly packaging materials, silicon and compound device fabrication, thin films, polymeric and magnetic/ceramic materials are also discussed.