Role of Institutional Support for NSF Department Level Reform Grants Santosh Kurinec, Michael Jackson, Davide Mariotti, Surendra Gupta, Sean Rommel, Dale Ewbank, Karl Hirschman, Robert Pearson, and Lynn Fuller Rochester Institute of Technology, Microelectronic Engineering 82 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 Phone (585)475-2927, e-mail:
[email protected] Abstract The Department of Microelectronic Engineering received NSF Department Level Reform (DLR) planning and implementation grants in 2003-04 and 2005-10, respectively. The primary mission of these efforts was to evaluate and develop educational initiatives towards nanotechnology aligned with recommendations from the institution of National Nanotechnology Initiatives published by the US Government in 2000. The Department of Microelectronic Engineering proposed to take this opportunity further and guide its curriculum toward new frontiers in nanotechnology and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMs). Advances in semiconductor technology have resulted in micro/nanofabrication techniques being employed in MEMs, chemical & bio sensors, and in energy harvesting devices and systems. The technology has evolved through aggressive process control and scalability characterized by Moore’s Law. The result has been emergence of a multifunctional “More than Moore” regime that is increasingly multidisciplinary in nature. The institution (RIT) played a key role in making these initiatives possible by carrying out an institute wide review of curricula and strategically designing flexible curricula that would accommodate taking courses in other programs to promote multidisciplinary education, enhance enrollment in engineering and science programs and create wider employment opportunities for graduates. Under this effort, new courses and curricula in Microelectronics and Nanofabrication providing access to state-of-the art semiconductor fabrication facilities to students from other science and engineering programs have been formulated. New K-12 outreach activities have been established. As the funding is ending, institutional support is even more critical to sustain and grow these initiatives. Introduction The Engineering Education Center (EEC) division of the National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Department-Level Reform (DLR) of Undergraduate Engineering Education programs in 20021,2. The DLR solicitation is an opportunity to compete for grants to enable departments to 1) reformulate, streamline and update engineering degree programs; 2) develop novel curricula in newly developing areas for meeting the emerging workforce and educational needs of U.S. industry, and 3) integrate research and teaching with service learning. Grants are available for both planning and implementation efforts. The Department of Microelectronic Engineering3 received a planning grant in 2003 and an implementation grant in 2005. The highlights of each of these grants are described as follows.
DLR Planning Grant: Undergraduate Co-op Based Concentration Curriculum in MEMs and Nanotechnology
A one-year DLR planning grant was awarded in 2003 to define and develop new undergraduate nanotechnology and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) concentration courses. A multidisciplinary planning team was assembled. The uniqueness of this proposal was a direct collaboration between the College of Engineering and the RIT Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services. The team collected information from industry leaders and employers. With the existing BS Microelectronic Engineering curriculum as a foundation, the team sought to assemble multidisciplinary curricula that would best meet the educational needs of students and the workforce needs of employers in the emerging fields of nanotechnology and MEMS. After exhaustive deliberations following the one year of planning period, several questions and challenges listed below were identified: • • • • • • • •
How to accommodate new courses in existing curricula? How to recruit proper faculty? How to attract MicroE students to populate courses? How to involve non-MicroE students? How to ensure job readiness in students? What is nanotechnology, and how do we guard against “jumping on the bandwagon”? Where are the jobs? Are the jobs for undergraduates? How do we assess?
There were no set answers to these questions. However, as educators, opportunities must be created for students. New emerging fields open new possibilities. The planning committee suggested development of new courses and overall curriculum reform to accommodate these courses. The investigators from the RIT Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services developed a data base of MEMs and nanotechnology companies and established co-op opportunities with some of these companies / agencies – that included Analog Devices, Integrated Nanotechnologies Inc., Advanced Microsensors, Medtronics, and Sandia National Laboratories in addition to other semiconductor companies. A critical need for flexible curriculum was identified and communicated to the faculty, the Dean of the College of Engineering and the Provost for Academic Affairs. An institute wide initiative was proposed by the Provost that accelerated any proposed reform. The Provost directive for reforming engineering curricula at RIT is described below: • • •
All undergraduate degree programs will contain at least 12 quarter credits of entirely open electives within the degree program’s distribution requirements; these credits can be used anywhere within RIT to take courses for which the student qualifies. Every RIT BS degree program has to have at least 90 credit hours of “general education” (GE). No more than 12 GE credits can be within the discipline of the student’s home department. For all BS degree programs, a minimum of 36 GE credits must be within College of Liberal Arts (COLA) with distribution determined by COLA.
• • •
For all BS degree programs, a minimum of 20 GE credits must be within COS with distribution determined by the students’ home departments in consultation with COS. All students wishing to do so must be able to take a 20 credit minor in a college other than COLA. Students who choose to take double majors or two or more minors may need to add credits above the maximum of 194 credits needed for graduation.
An extensive effort was undertaken to modify the Microelectronic Engineering (MicroE) curriculum to incorporate initiatives proposed in the NSF Department level reform planning proposal. Since the MicroE program builds upon an electrical engineering core, major interdepartmental level support was required. After deliberations with faculty from affected programs and the MicroE Industrial and Academic Advisory Board (IAAB), a new curriculum was crafted and implemented in 2005. These changes allowed creation of three free electives that students can use to take ‘minor’ programs, or dual degree programs4. Workshop on Nanotechnology and MEMS Education On February 23, 2004, the Microelectronic Engineering department and the RIT Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services hosted a workshop on Nanotechnology and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Education. The objective of the workshop was to raise the awareness among educational institutions, K-12 to University, and in the Greater Rochester Area of the emergence of disruptive technology, such as nanotechnology and MEMS. The workshop was attended by over 70 people, including 13 participants from Pittsford Middle School and Rush-Henrietta High School. Representatives from Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facilities, University of Rochester, and University of Maryland also participated. Industries, including Kodak, Xerox Corporation, Texas Instrument, Integrated Nanotechnology, and Zonare Medical System, Inc. contributed in highly interactive discussions and presentations. In addition, the event generated excitement within the RIT community marked by the involvements of College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Applied Science and Technology, and College of Liberal Arts. This workshop was unique in a sense that it brought together students and educators from K-12, college, university, and industrial participants to share their perspectives and knowledge on the field of nanotechnology and MEMS. DLR Implementation Grant: Leading Microelectronic Engineering Education to New Horizons Following the successful execution of the planning grant, the department of Microelectronic Engineering submitted a proposal for an implementation grant in 2005. The main thrusts were (1) crafting a five course elective sequence within the existing curriculum by eliminating legacy material and course consolidation; (2) offering a Microelectronics and Nanofabrication minor promoting access to state-of-the art semiconductor fabrication facilities to students from other science and engineering programs; (3) developing a concentration program in nanotechnology and MEMS; (4) delivering outreach programs for attracting a larger and more diverse population to meet workforce needs for the nation’s future high tech industry; (5) enhancing student learning through co-op and service. The proposal was endorsed by the Dean of the College of Engineering through institutional support in hiring new faculty, and by leading industries and
consortia that included ASML, IBM, Intel, Micron, National Semiconductors, Texas Instruments, Semiconductor Research Corporation. This approach enabled MicroE to employ top down, lateral and bottom up approaches to foster education in nanotechnology as depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Schematic representation of the strategy pursued in implementing the grant5
New Minor Program A new minor program was designed to provide basic knowledge to students from other engineering and science disciplines interested in a career in the semiconductor industry in the design, manufacture, equipment, chemicals, and/or software sectors. It consists of five courses, three core and two electives, as given in Table I. The prerequisites for each of these courses are basic university level math, physics and one course in chemistry. The courses are multidisciplinary in content so there is an enormous knowledge value for students of every science/engineering program. These five courses equip students from other disciplines to work in the semiconductor industry or go to graduate programs in emerging fields of MEMS, nanotechnology6,7.
TABLE I: Microelectronics and Nanofabrication Minor Curriculum Level Courses Freshmen Level Introduction to Micro/Nanolithography; Introduction to Nanotechnology, Nanofabrication Sophomore Level IC Technology Senior Level Thin Film Processes Two Electives Nanocharacterization CMOS Processing Lab Process and Device Modeling Nanoscale CMOS and Beyond Other Discipline Specific Nano Courses
Concentration in Nanotechnology The faculty of Microelectronic Engineering approved offering a ‘Nanotechnology’ concentration within the BS program consisting of courses listed in Table II. TABLE II: Nanotechnology Concentration Required Courses Introduction to Nanotechnology Nanofabrication Quantum and Solid State Nanostructures Elective Courses Nanocharacterization of Materials Surfaces Nanoscale CMOS and Beyond Additional relevant courses from other programs
Status First time offered in Winter quarter 2007 First time offered in Spring quarter 2007 Modified and offered in Fall 2007 Offered in Spring 2006,2007,2008 Offered in Winter 2006, 2007, 2008 Under exploration
A new NanoTech faculty Davide Mariotti was hired for development of two new courses. Davide Mariotti received his undergraduate degree from the University of Ulster in Belfast, his master degree from the Polytechnic of Marche in Italy and the PhD from the University of Ulster. After few years in industry, he worked for the University of Loughborough in a project funded by Caterpillar on atmospheric plasma discharges. Before joining RIT, he had spent two years in National Labs in Japan (AIST) to work on atmospheric microplasma for nanofabrication. The following new courses have been developed by the DLR faculty under this grant.
Introduction to Nanotechnology, 0305-370 Nanotechnology aims to control properties at atomic or molecular level or to realize components with critical dimensions below 100nm. It enables new functionality, improved performance, higher density of information storage and processing within and around advanced semiconductor technology platforms. This course will introduce nano properties based on chemical and physical nature of materials and their interface with solid state devices. Although the course is predominantly lecture-based, it has provided the option to students to be involved in small experimental projects. Most students have opted for the experimental projects. The course also included 4 hours of demonstration related to characterization tools and in collaboration with multidisciplinary faculty. Nanofabrication, 0305-470 This course covers the different approaches for creating nanostructures and nanodevices, including “top down” and “bottom up” techniques, with a discussion of the capabilities and limits of each. Students learn the fundamental physics, chemistry and material science of nanofabrication, as well as the practical aspects of the creative process of building functional structures at the nanoscale. Topics covered in the course include: advanced lithography technologies, including photon, electron, ion and atom, scanning probe, “soft lithography” and nanoimprinting; pattern transfer; self-assembly; process integration; characterization; and applications. Students are inspired to learn how these processes may be combined to build functional structures and devices. This course is developed with laboratory sessions. Furthermore, a new experimental microplasma process for assembling nanostructures being developed by Prof. Mariotti is introduced to students. Micro/Nano Characterization, 0305-714 This technical elective with weekly lab component focuses on tools and techniques for microand nano-characterization of materials, surfaces and thin films. The course covers the principles and applications of two characterization techniques: x ray diffraction and scanning probe microscopy (acquired through the DLR grant). Students learn the physics of interaction processes used for characterization, quantification and interpretation of collected signals, and fundamental detection limits for each technique8. Laboratory Development To support this project, we acquired a new Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) - XE-150 that has the following capabilities: - AFM, I-AFM, EMFM, Scanning Thermal, Scanning Capacitance modes. This facility is being used to teach the nanocharacterization course developed by the CoPI, Professor Surendra Gupta. It is also serving as a key characterization tool for numerous research projects. Acquisition of this facility has resulted funding from NASA to explore phase change materials for nonvolatile memory applications in collaborations with Boise State University. DLR visiting faculty Prof. Mariotti attracted corporate partners MKS and Applied Materials which have contributed with donations and corporate gifts to set up an atmospheric microplasma laboratory for instruction and research9-11. Prof. Mariotti’s research activities grew fast and produced high quality publications with the realistic potential of attracting further funding. Furthermore, Prof. Mariotti developed valuable relationships with engineering faculty and
faculty from other colleges. Prof. Mariotti has been involved in community outreach with the organization of a Micro and Nano Art exhibit for Imagine RIT, an innovation festival in May 2008 aimed to expose technical innovations to the community. Figure 2 shows the nanofabrication laboratory set up by Prof. Mariotti for assembly of nanoparticles.
Figure 2: Microplasma nanofabrication laboratory developed by DLR visiting faculty involving undergraduate and graduate students; (b) TEM image of carbon nanoparticles; (c) AFM image on nickel nanodots produced in this lab9-11 New Process Developments Students supported with this DLR grant were involved in development of process and lab capabilities and preparation of instructional material. These include the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Deposition of high permittivity HfO2 nanoscale thin films Set up of electron beam lithography capability. Fabrication of MOSFETs on strained silicon Fabrication of Schottky barrier MOS transistors Simulation and modeling of strained SiGe MOSFETS Online video module on vector calculus for Electromagnetic Fields course Instructional material for Quantum and Solid State Nanostructures course
Graduate Research Eight graduates (Masters Level) and one PhD student were supported to carryout research in advanced devices and processes. In addition, one female PhD student was initially involved to explore non volatile memory research development at RIT. With her work on phase change memory device fabrication, we were successful in obtaining a grant from NASA in collaboration with Boise State University. Three of the eight masters’ students joined PhD programs, one in the US (UC Berkeley), one in UK (Imperial College) and one in Belgium (University of Leuven). The research areas of these graduates are listed in Table III.
Table III. Research Topics of DLR Supported Graduate Students Degree Thesis MS (MicroE) Schottky Field Effect Transistors and Schottky CMOS Circuitry MS (MicroE)
NMOS Transistors on Strained Silicon
MS (MicroE) MS(MicroE)
Electrical Characterization of Ge and Heterogeneous Compound Semiconducting Devices Fabrication of Nickel Nanodots for Application in Memory Devices
MS (EE)
Design and Simulation of Strained-Si/Strained-SiGe MOSFETs
MS (Materials Science & Engineering) MS (Materials Science & Engineering) MS (Materials Science & Engineering) PhD (Microsyatems Engineering)
Hafnium Oxides for Gate Dielectric for Integrated Circuits Microsystem for Hydrogen Production Investigation of Atmospheric Microplasma for Nanofabrication CoFeB|MgO|CoFeB Magnetic Tunnel Junction Devices
Outreach Activities The evolution and future promise of the field of microelectronics, as well as the emergence of nanotechnology, should be communicated to high school teachers and guidance counselors so that they are better informed as to the future trends and needs of industry. They in turn can disseminate that information to their students thereby encouraging increased enrollments in sciences and engineering. A K-12 Outreach Forum on Microelectronics and Nanotechnology has been developed and delivered 2-3 times per year since November of 2006. Over 100 K-12 teachers have taken this course12. Status of DLR Changes and Role of Institutional Support The curricular reforms in our BS program have proven to be successful and will continue after the grant is expired. We will continue to offer the minor program in Microelectronics and Nanofabrication. We continue to seek active support from other departments and programs to encourage students to consider this minor. We have approximately 12 students start the minor and three complete it to-date. Under this initiative, we have developed a nanotechnology concentration comprised of three new courses. One of the courses, Nanocharacterization, has been offered 3 times whereas the other two, Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanofabrication, have been delivered only once with
very little time to advertise. Therefore it is difficult to project future enrollment. A visiting faculty was hired for this initiative, whom we expected to retain as a tenure track faculty member at RIT. This did not occur and represents a missed opportunity. Continuing outreach is critical and challenging. We are looking for institutional and industrial support to sustain our initiatives. We have submitted proposals to sponsor our K-12 programs to various industry members hoping to get their support. We have been successful in obtaining one grant from our DLR outreach initiatives and have several pending. Co-PI Professor M. Jackson received a New York State Department of Education in the amount of $55,000 to develop and deliver a two week summer experience for students from greater Rochester area school districts that are in the top 10% of the pool of incoming eighth graders. The event was held at RIT and delivered by the Microelectronic Outreach Office funded by the NSF DLR grant. The grant ran from May 1, 2008 through October 30, 2008. The students were introduced to the fields of Microelectronic Engineering and Nanotechnology through a hands-on experience focused on the fabrication and testing of a solar cell in the RIT cleanroom. The solar cell was the vehicle to tie the lab experiences to the current energy crisis and exploding interest in the fields of renewable and sustainable energy sources. Conclusions This grant proved to be extremely fruitful for establishing a real partnership between faculty, students, community and industry to advance workforce development in the nation. It remained on its focus and has opened enormous new opportunities to the department. Institutional buy-in and consistent support is extremely critical to the success of the DLR projects. The DLR grants differentiate from traditional research grants as these initiatives involve curriculum innovations in addition to development of teaching and research infrastructure. It is important to grow and sustain the programs developed beyond the funding period. The RIT Provost mandate to develop flexible curricula was the primary enabler for these grant initiatives. The support provided by the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services was instrumental in connecting the employers of our co-op students and graduates. The project would have benefitted further by hiring the visiting faculty on a tenure track faculty line. Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the National Science Foundation for the DLR planning grant # EEC-0342703 and implementation grant # EEC-530575. Bibliography 1. Division of Engineering Education and Centers National Science Foundation; www.nsf.gov 2. Portfolio Evaluation of the National Science Foundation’s Grants Program for the Department-level Reform of Undergraduate Engineering Education, Stephanie Shipp, Nyema Mitchell and Bhavya Lal, IDA, Science and Technology Policy Institute, IDA Document, D3. 25 Years of Microelectronic Engineering Education, Santosh Kurinec, Lynn Fuller, Bruce Smith, Richard Lane, Karl Hirschman, Michael Jackson, Robert Pearson, Dale Ewbank, Sean Rommel, Sara Widlund, Joan Tierney, Maria Wiegand, Maureen Arquette, Charles Gruener and Scott Blondell, 16th Biennial University Government Industry Microelectronics Symposium, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, June 2006, p.23
4. Undergraduate Co-op Based Concentration Curriculum in MEMs and Nanotechnology, Santosh K. Kurinec, Lynn F. Fuller, Maria Weigand, Maureen Arquette, 2005 ASEE St. Lawrence Section Conference, Engineering on the Edge: Engineering in the New Century, Binghamton University, April 8-9, 2005. 5. Nanotechnology in education: top-down and bottom-up approach, Mariotti D, Jackson M, Lewis E, Schulte T, Kurinec S “iNEER Innovations 2008 Special Volume, Innovations 2008, World innovations in engineering education and research (2008) 261 6. Microelectronic Engineering Education for Emerging Frontiers, Santosh Kurinec, Dale Ewbank, Lynn Fuller, Karl Hirschman, Michael Jackson, Robert Pearson, Sean Rommel Bruce Smith and Surendra Gupta ,Maureen Arquette and Maria Wiegand, 9th International Conference on Engineering Education, San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 2006, TIA1-5. 7. Curriculum Innovations in Microelectronic Engineering, Santosh K. Kurinec, Surendra K. Gupta, Raymond Krom, Thomas Schulte and Michael A. Jackson, Interdisciplinary Innovation and Imagination in Engineering Education (I3E2)- American Society for Engineering Education, St. Lawrence Section Conference, Cornell University, November 17-18, 2006. 8. Micro- and Nano- Characterization of Materials, Surendra K. Gupta, Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Engineering Education, San Juan, PR, July 2006. 9. Wagner A J, Mariotti D, Yurchenko K J, Das T K “Experimental study of a planar atmospheric microplasma and evidence of a new operating regime” Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics ISSN 1539-3755 10. Švrček V, Kondo M, Kalia K, Mariotti D “Photosensitive self-assembled nanoarchitectures containing surfactant-free Si nanocrystals produced by laser fragmentation in water” Chemical Physics Letters 478 (2009) 224 11. Levchenko I, Ostrikov K, Diwan K, Winkler K, Mariotti D “Plasma-driven self-organization of Ni nanodot arrays on Si(100)” Applied Physics Letters 93 (2008) 183102 - selected for the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology-Supramolecular and biochemical assembly (November 17, Issue 20, 2008) 12. Microelectronic Engineering and Nanotechnology Education for Undergraduates and Pre-College Students through Curriculum Reform and Outreach Activities, Michael A. Jackson, Thomas Schulte, Nathaniel Kane, Elaine Lewis, Surendra Gupta and Santosh Kurinec, ASEE, Pittsburgh, June 2008
