Undergraduate microelectronics education in engineering and technology programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This paper describes the microelectronics education in engineering and technology programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Laboratory facilities, the curriculum for electrical engineering and electronic engineering technology programs, and Web deliverable interactive multimedia modules are discussed. The courses in integrated circuit engineering and technology are electives for senior students interested in microelectronics fabrication. The laboratory courses have experiments which are designed to complement the theory discussed in the lectures. The students' feedback showed that through laboratory experiments, students gain further understanding of the theory of processing parameters, manufacturing issues, and the final electrical testing of the chip, helping them to appreciate the impact of processing parameters on IC chips. The students are required to design and simulate the processing schedule. The electrical test results of metal gate n-MOS transistors which were fabricated in a student laboratory project are presented. Some issues relating to the teaching and success of the fabrication laboratory are described.