Resources to develop this course have been provided through a grant in partnership with the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronic Commons (SCMC) Hub [sponsored by the Microelectronics Commons Program (ME Commons)] and the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) program [sponsored by the Department of Defense] at Purdue. As part of the semiconductor workforce development effort required in the CHIPs Act, the ME Commons is supporting curriculum development at universities across the US in targeted areas, including “Commercial Leap Ahead” technologies with the potential to have significant impact on the semiconductor industry. This course will fill an identified gap in curriculum around “Commercial Leap Ahead technologies”. Through examining specific technologies that have had or are anticipated to have significant impact, students will be presented both the theory behind specific innovations and the pathway by which those innovations achieved success. One goal of this course is to prepare students for industry or graduate school through critical evaluation of emerging technologies. It will teach students how to engage with journal articles, critique proposals, ideate, and communicate technical information to experts and non-experts. It will do this in the framework of semiconductor devices, beginning with case studies of how transistors and VCSELs went from theory to research to commercialization. It will then provide students with the technical background to engage with current prominent research topics in the semiconductor field, including integrated photonics, heterogeneous integration, and wide bandgap semiconductors.

This course aims to prepare students to interface with emerging technologies throughout their career in industry or academia.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to identify and propose commercial leap ahead solutions to current technical problems.
2. Students will be able to identify and assess current and past commercial leap ahead technologies including transistors and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs).
3. Students will be able to analyze wide-bandgap semiconductor devices with applications in power electronics and photonics.
4. Students will be able to conceptualize, critique, and compare photonic technologies including silicon photonics, photonic integrated circuits, and electro-optic systems.
5. Students will be able to conceptualize, critique, and compare wafer and chiplet bonding techniques and applications including high temperature direct bonding, plasma-activated bonding, and metal-assisted bonding.

In-Class Assignments: While attendance itself is not recorded, there will be frequent in-class activities that require your attendance and participation. If you are unable to attend a class, follow the course policy on absences.

Assignments: Out of class/ homework assignments will be regularly assigned, with deadlines before a class period. The assignments are designed to reinforce understanding of key concepts, to build skills in extending conceptual knowledge in novel ways, or to prepare students for discussions around key topics. In some cases, completion of a homework problem will require independent study of topics related to but not necessarily covered in class. These are designed to advance the skills needed as a practicing engineer or researcher, where encountering new problems is both normal and common.

Exams: This course will have two, 1-hour exams during class time. The exams will be cumulative and closed book. One hand-written 8.5” X 11” double-sided formula sheet may be brought in for the first exam, and two 8.5” X 11” double-sided formula sheets may be brought in for the second exam. A simple scientific calculator is allowed, but additional formulae must not be stored in the calculator, and it must not have networking capability. You will not be allowed to use your cell phone’s calculator function during quizzes or exams. The format of your exam solutions should be the same as that used for the homework assignments: units must be shown explicitly, your answer must be circled, and your work must be readable. Numerical answers should contain an appropriate number of significant figures.

Term Project: There will be a group term project [TP] and presentation on a topic chosen from provided examples, or as arranged with the instructor. It will consist of a white paper proposal and 20-minute presentation on the research proposal. This project will be scaffolded across the semester, with opportunities to gain experience presenting and review drafts prior to the final submission and presentation.

Grading Criteria: Your grade in this course is based primarily on your scores on the in and out of class assignments, the exams, and the final project.

In-Class Assignments & Participation… 10%
Before-Class Assignments…………………. 10%
Exams………………………………………………… 40%
Term Project………………………………………. 40%
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Total…………………………………………………… 100%

This schedule is subject to change