TY - JOUR
T1 - The 18 mm2 laboratory
T2 - Teaching MEMS development with the SUMMiT foundry process
AU - Dallas, Tim
AU - Berg, Jordan M.
AU - Gale, Richard O.
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received November 08, 2011; accepted March 19, 2012. Date of publication April 25, 2012; date of current version October 26, 2012. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE #0837521, EEC #0648761, and IIP #1014222; the Teaching Learning and Technology Center, Texas Tech University (TTU); and the Maddox Endowment at TTU.
Funding Information:
The curriculum was initiated with National Science Foundation (NSF) support covering equipment maintenance, operation, and personnel expenses [6], [7]. The courses proved popular, but the intensive physical fabrication format was not sustainable.
PY - 2012/11
Y1 - 2012/11
N2 - This paper describes the goals, pedagogical system, and educational outcomes of a three-semester curriculum in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The sequence takes engineering students with no formal MEMS training and gives them the skills to participate in cutting-edge MEMS research and development. The evolution of the curriculum from in-house fabrication facilities to an industry-standard foundry process affords an opportunity to examine the pedagogical benefits of the latter approach. Outcomes that are assessed include the number of students taking the classes, the quality of work produced by students, and the research that has emanated from class projects. Three key elements of the curriculum are identified: 1) extensive use of virtual design and process simulation software tools; 2) fabrication of student-designed devices for physical characterization and testing; and 3) integration of a student design competition. This work strongly leveraged the university outreach activities of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the SNL SUMMiT MEMS design and fabrication system. SNL provides state-of-the-art design tools and device fabrication and hosts a yearly nationwide student design competition. Student MEMS designs developed using computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) software are fabricated at SNL and returned on 18-mm die modules for characterization and testing. One such module may contain a dozen innovative student projects. Important outcomes include an increase in enrollment in the introductory MEMS class, external research funding and archival journal publications arising from student designs, and consistently high finishes in the SNL competition. Since the SNL offerings are available to any US college or university, this curriculum is transportable in its current form.
AB - This paper describes the goals, pedagogical system, and educational outcomes of a three-semester curriculum in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The sequence takes engineering students with no formal MEMS training and gives them the skills to participate in cutting-edge MEMS research and development. The evolution of the curriculum from in-house fabrication facilities to an industry-standard foundry process affords an opportunity to examine the pedagogical benefits of the latter approach. Outcomes that are assessed include the number of students taking the classes, the quality of work produced by students, and the research that has emanated from class projects. Three key elements of the curriculum are identified: 1) extensive use of virtual design and process simulation software tools; 2) fabrication of student-designed devices for physical characterization and testing; and 3) integration of a student design competition. This work strongly leveraged the university outreach activities of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the SNL SUMMiT MEMS design and fabrication system. SNL provides state-of-the-art design tools and device fabrication and hosts a yearly nationwide student design competition. Student MEMS designs developed using computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) software are fabricated at SNL and returned on 18-mm die modules for characterization and testing. One such module may contain a dozen innovative student projects. Important outcomes include an increase in enrollment in the introductory MEMS class, external research funding and archival journal publications arising from student designs, and consistently high finishes in the SNL competition. Since the SNL offerings are available to any US college or university, this curriculum is transportable in its current form.
KW - Educational technologies
KW - Finite element methods
KW - MEMS
KW - Microelectromechanical systems
KW - Microfabrication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898789837&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TE.2012.2195182
DO - 10.1109/TE.2012.2195182
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898789837
SN - 0018-9359
VL - 55
SP - 529
EP - 537
JO - IEEE Transactions on Education
JF - IEEE Transactions on Education
IS - 4
ER -