Program overview

Semiconductor microelectronics technology remains important for the world economy. The semiconductor industry is a star performer in U.S. manufacturing. Fostering a vigorous semiconductor industry in our country is important for the nation’s economic growth, long-term security, and the preparation and maintenance of a capable high-tech workforce. The Kate Gleason College of Engineering developed the first bachelor of science degree program in microelectronic engineering in the U.S., and the college continues to provide highly educated and skilled engineers for the semiconductor industry.

Educational objectives

The educational objectives of the microelectronic engineering program are to produce graduates who have the following skills or characteristics:

• A sound knowledge of the fundamental scientific principles involved in the operation, design, and fabrication of integrated circuits.
• A comprehensive understanding of relevant technologies such as integrated circuit process integration and manufacturing. This includes microlithography and the application of engineering principles to the design and development of current and future semiconductor technologies.
• A professional approach to problem solving, using analytical, academic, and communication skills effectively, with special emphasis on working in teams.
• An enthusiasm for learning and the continuous improvement of skills throughout one’s career, exemplified by learning about emerging technologies and adapting to and accepting change within the field.
• A desire to achieve leadership positions in industry or academia.
• A breadth of knowledge, including the multidisciplinary nature of microelectronic engineering as well as the broad social, ethical, safety, and environmental issues within which engineering is practiced.

One of the great challenges in integrated circuit manufacturing is the need to draw on scientific principles and engineering developments from such an extraordinarily wide range of disciplines. The design of microelectronic circuits requires a sound knowledge of electronics and circuit analysis. Optical lithography tools, which print microscopic patterns on wafers, represent one of the most advanced applications of the principles of Fourier optics. Plasma etching involves some of the most complex chemistries used in manufacturing today. Ion implantation draws upon understanding from research in high-energy physics. Thin films on semiconductor surfaces exhibit complex mechanical and electrical behavior that stretches our understanding of basic materials properties.

Scientists and engineers who work in the semiconductor field need a broad understanding of and the ability to seek out, integrate, and use ideas from many disciplines. The program provides the broad interdisciplinary background in electrical and computer engineering, solid-state electronics, physics, chemistry, materials science, optics, and applied math and statistics necessary for success in the semiconductor industry.

Accreditation

The BS in microelectronic engineering program is accredited by the EAC Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Curriculum

The curriculum begins with introductory courses in microelectronic engineering and microlithography (micropatterning) for integrated circuits. The first two years of the program build a solid foundation in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The fundamentals of statistics and their applications in the design of experiments, semiconductor device physics and operation, and integrated circuit technology are covered in the second year. This prepares students for their first cooperative education experience. The third year comprises the electrical engineering course work necessary for understanding semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. The fourth and fifth years are dedicated to VLSI design, optics, microlithography systems and materials, semiconductor processing, professional electives, and a two-quarter capstone senior project. In the capstone course, students propose and conduct individual research/design projects and present their work at the Annual Microelectronic Engineering Conference, which is organized by the department and well-attended by industrial representatives.

A choice of professional electives and the senior project offer students an opportunity to build a concentration, such as advanced CMOS, VLSI chip design, analog circuit design, electronic materials science, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), or nanotechnology within this unique interdisciplinary program. Three free elective courses are built into the program to allow students to develop an expertise in a related discipline.

Computing skills are necessary to design, model, simulate, and predict processes and device behavior that are vital to manufacturing. A comprehensive knowledge of statistics is required to manipulate data and process control. As the devices shrink in size, approaching the nanoscale regime where molecular and atomic scale phenomena come into play, elements of quantum mechanics become important.

Important issues such as the technology road map, ethics, societal impact, and global perspectives are built into the program beginning with first-year courses. The program is laid out in a way that keeps students connected with their home department throughout the course of study.

Students gain hands-on experience in the design, fabrication, and testing of integrated circuits (microchips), the vital component in almost every advanced electronic product manufactured today. RIT’s undergraduate microelectronics engineering laboratories, which include modern integrated circuit fabrication (clean room) and test facilities, are the best in the nation. At present, the program is supported by a complementary metal oxide semiconductor line equipped with diffusion; ion implantation; plasma; and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes; chemical mechanical planarization; and device design, modeling, and test laboratories. The microlithography facilities include Canon i-line and GCA g-line wafer steppers, and a Perkin Elmer MEBES III electron beam mask writer.

Students participate in the required co-op portion of the program after completing their second year of study. Students may work for many of the major integrated circuits manufacturers across the United States. Upon graduation, they are well-prepared to enter the industry or graduate school. This program also prepares students to work in emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, microelectromechanical systems, and microsystems.

With the worldwide semiconductor industry growing at an astounding pace, RIT graduates are a valuable resource to the industry. This program offers students an unparalleled opportunity to prepare for professional challenges and success in one of the leading modern areas of engineering. Faculty committed to quality engineering education, state-of-the-art laboratories, strong industrial support, co-op opportunities with national companies, and smaller class sizes make this one of the most value-added programs in the nation.

Microelectronic engineering, BS degree, typical course sequence (quarters)

*Please see Liberal Arts General Education Requirements for more information.

†Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information.

‡ Students are required to complete one Pathways course. Students may choose from Innovation/Creativity (1720-052), Leadership (1720-053), or Service (1720-054). These courses may be completed in the winter or spring quarter.

§ Students are required to complete five quarters of cooperative education.

Accelerated dual degree option

A cross-disciplinary dual degree option is available in the microelectronic engineering program. Students may earn a BS in microelectronic engineering from the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and an MS in materials science and engineering from the College of Science.

This unique program was inspired by trends involving convergence of advanced materials with nanofabrication and microelectronics in modern microdevices and systems. The five-year option requires the successful completion of 225 credits, with a minimum of 45 graduate course credits and a graduate thesis. One co-op quarter is substituted for the graduate course work to make it an accelerated five-year option. A student may apply for admission to this option in the fall quarter of the third year with a grade-point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the previous quarter.

Microelectronic engineering/materials science and engineering, BS/MS option, typical course sequence (quarters)

* Please see Liberal Arts General Education Requirements for more information.