Circuit Training

STUDENTS who sign up for the IGDS (Integrated Graduate Development Scheme) course in advanced microelectronics for industry (AMI), run by Bolton Institute and the Northumbria University, get more than just training in microelectronic technologies and industrial management. They get a brand new PC, an ISDN line into their home and access to thousands of pounds worth of CAD software. The course brings distance learning up to speed with available technology, delivering its teaching entirely over the Internet. "It's unique," claims Roy Attwood, IGDS course coordinator at Bolton Institute. "It follows through on our aim to teach practical skills remotely." Students working from home have access to industry standard software which, Attwood says, "would normally cost £50,000 a seat. Obviously, we can get it at an educational rate, so we have to limit its usage by the students to educational purposes. But we can control that quite easily. We keep all the work on file here, so if there was ever any commercial use we'd know about it."

Telelearning
Covering microelectronic design, technologies and applications as well as business training, the course normally demands 480 hours of 'telelearning' in each of the first two years, with a further 480 hours of project work taking up the third and final year. This innovative delivery of flexible learning came about in response to the pressures on students of trying to combine training and work. "These people are very busy during the day, and often their companies couldn't give them the time to go on a three day course, let alone the five day courses that some IGDS programmes require. Students have to be very self-motivated, as they are doing all this on top of their full time jobs." The AMI course has been running for two years, and there are 23 students currently enrolled, with another eight applicants who hope to begin the course in October. "People are actually designing integrated circuits from their bedrooms, living rooms and attics," enthuses Attwood.

Temptation
All the course material is contained in the course website. The ISDN lines are fitted in order to enable the students to access the web more easily. "We also succumbed to the temptation of giving video cameras to all the students," adds Attwood. "This is not really for video conferencing, though. The whole point of the course is that people learn at different rates, and so there's not much value in forcing people to get together in a tutorial situation to talk about things in a group. "What they can do is talk on a one to one basis with their tutors, and, even more importantly, to each other. One of the biggest problems for students undertaking distance learning can be loneliness and isolation: with this course the students can ring each other up and have a chat, and that makes a big difference. And because they can see each others' living rooms and can point the camera at their cars or their kids, it breaks down the barriers that you can get with the phone." Similarly, students contact their tutors by e-mail to arrange consultation times. "It can be notoriously difficult to get hold of academic staff because they are teaching most of the time," explains Attwood.

Instigated
The AMI IGDS was instigated because microelectronics industry representatives had started to recognise a need for a more substantial course than the microelectronics MScs previously available. A similar call from industry has led to a new part time MSc IGDS programme in advanced silicon processing and manufacturing technologies. A consortium of ten universities is working in partnership with the nine founder members of the National Microelectronics Institute (NMI). The programme director is Professor Peter L F Hemment, research fellow at the University of Surrey's centre for research in ion beam applications. "It's well known that engineering is not seen favourably by young people as a career of choice: historically, it has a bad image," says Hemment.

Problems
"Consequently, across the industry there are difficulties in finding good candidates for positions at all levels. The problems we have in getting good people into the silicon industry are due to an erroneous image of the industry. People think that every form of manufacturing has to be smoking chimneys and grime. In fact, silicon manufacturing is a high tech and highly intellectually demanding industry, with good salaries and good working conditions. The UK actually manufactures almost 30 per cent of all chips in Europe." According to Hemment, in the mid 1990s the government's Foresight programme recognised the need to focus on the UK's needs and to support and foster development of inward investment in the silicon microelectronics industry. "The industry needed to find a way of tapping into existing research and expertise, and of talking meaningfully to universities. "What was really needed was a body owned by the inward investors that could act as an agency for coordinating contact between industry and academia." To answer this need, the NMI was set up in 1996. Working as a virtual institution, with a staff of six based at Heriot-Watt University, the NMI has funding from central government. "One of the first things that the NMI recognised as important was the need for training," continues Hemment. Consequently, the NMI began a dialogue with institutions of further and higher education. "At the same time, several universities were getting together to address the need to provide high level, first class postgraduate training - a form of fast track training for future senior technologists and managers in the industry. Several universities met on several occasions and NMI meetings were attended by representatives from both industry and universities."

Validation
The resulting part time MSc programme defined by the partnership became the IGDS in advanced silicon process manufacturing technology. "In order to cover technologies at world class level, the programme needed the ten universities working in a consortium," explains Hemment. "The whole course will be validated to meet the academic requirements of all ten universities. Degrees will be awarded by individual institutions. The technical content of the course is comparable to the best that can be provided by universities in the US." When it came to defining a delivery method for the course, the consortium came across a familiar concern. "Industry does not want to lose professional engineers for long periods of time," says Hemment. "So the consortium homed in on a cost effective structure of modules with a one week residential period, accompanied by precourse and post-course work by distance learning through e-mail and the Internet. This ensures delegates are away from the factory for a minimum amount of time, but keeps the course content consistent with a programme of high academic standing." The course asks delegates to complete eight modules and a research project, which is done at the delegate's place of work. These eight modules can be selected from up to 16 options, what Hemment describes as "a pick and mix set of modules to meet specific requirements." The course will be open to all, but with priority given to employees of NMI member companies.

Downturn
Unfortunately, a programme that was devised to answer industry's needs has subsequently suffered because the industry itself has suffered. "The goal was to deliver the first module in January 1999," says Hemment, "but there has been a downturn in this sector, with the overproduction of and consequent reduction in the cost of memory chips and the subsequent closure of a number of plants in the UK. For example, some Siemens chips that once cost $60 dropped last year to below $6 each. So this challenge to cashflow and global downturn meant that the delivery of the first module had to be postponed. But we're confident that delivery can begin in the autumn of this year, on the assured expectation that there will be an upturn as we approach 2000." Hemment is adamant that the course will succeed in answering the microelectronics industry's needs. "We're confident that there is a market for this course, and that senior management recognise that there is a need for high level strategic training of staff. So we will not compromise the academic standards of the course, for example by taking fresh graduates with no experience from industry. We will wait and run the course when the industry can support it."

Engineering E2 on the web:  www.engineeringmagazine.co.uk

Copyright Engineering E2. Published here with permission.
Prepared by Antonio Ward. 18th June 1999, pages 11-14.