Crystallography for Microsystems Learning Module

Module Description:

This module, from Support Center for Microsystems Education (SCME), introduces "the science of crystallography and its importance to microtechnology." This module is divided into the following six units: Knowledge Probe (KP), Primary Knowledge (PK), Growing Crystals - Hot Ice Activity, The Miller Index Activity, Breaking Wafers Activity, An Origami Crystal Activity, and Final Assessment.

Module Contents: 

The module includes eight instructor guides, seven participant guides, and a presentation. PDF and DOC versions are provided for all of the guides. The included guides are Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge (PK), Crystallography Overview for MEMS Knowledge Probe (pre-test), four activities, and an assessment. Instructor guides include additional content such as instructor notes and questions and answers. A Learning Module Map (LM) Instructor Guide is also included. 

The LM map provides information about the module including module contents, target audience, and a map that is divided into the following three sections: Important Steps, Key Points, and Reasons. 

Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge (PK) is an instructional unit that discusses the following topics:

• The types of solid matter (amorphous, polycrystalline and crystalline).
• Miller Indices (a method of describing planes and directions within a crystal).
• Growing crystals.

The following sections are included in this unit guide: Introduction, Objectives, Key Terms, Crystallography, Solid Arrangements, The Unit Cell, The Lattice, All Unit Cells are Not Alike, and more. 

In the Miller Index Activity, students "explore crystal planes by learning how to identify and notate them using The Miller Index." After completing the activity students will be able to "use the correct Miller index notations for different planes and vectors in crystal structures."

The Breaking Wafers Activity is intended to be used after Crystallography Overview PK is read. At the conclusion of the activity, students will be able to "state the crystal orientation of a silicon wafer by breaking the wafer into smaller pieces and observing the resulting shape."

In An Origami Crystal Activity, students construct a "rhombicuboctahedron out of paper that represents a silicon crystal" in order to understand "different crystal planes as defined by Miller Indices."

In the Growing Crystals: Hot Ice Activity, students demonstrate "the growth of a crystal by heating sodium acetate trihydrate below its melting point to form a supersaturated liquid solution, and then initiating crystal growth by placing a seed crystal into the liquid."

The Crystallography Overview for MEMS Assessment includes 15 questions and is intended to be given to students at the completion of the module.

A PowerPoint presentation is also provided and includes a unit overview, unit objectives, and introductory information on crystallography.

For orientation purposes Fab_Crystl_LM_MAP_IG.pdf is included as a separate attachment and offers a sample of the type of material included in this module. 

Below is a list of the files included in the .zip attachment. The size of each file is included in parenthesis. 

Crystallography for Microsystems Learning Module (40 files, 43.8 MB)

• Instructor Guides
  • Docs
    • The Miller Index Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC00_IG_April2017.docx 6.5 MB)
    • Breaking Wafers Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC10_IG_April2017.docx 674 KB)
    • An Origami Crystal Activity (Fab_Crystl_AC12_IG_April2017.docx 545 KB)
    • Growing Crystals: Hot Ice Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC14_IG_April2017.docx 273 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Assessment Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_FA10_IG_mc_April2017.docx 296 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Knowledge Probe Pre-test Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_KP10_IG_April2017.docx 306 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Learning Module (Fab_Crystl_LM_MAP_IG_April2017.docx 128 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_PK10_IG_April2017.docx 2 MB)
  • PDFs 
    • The Miller Index Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC00_IG.pdf 6 MB)
    • Breaking Wafers Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC10_IG.pdf 694 KB)
    • An Origami Crystal Activity (Fab_Crystl_AC12_IG.pdf 568 KB)
    • Growing Crystals: Hot Ice Activity Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC14_IG.pdf 495 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Assessment Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_FA10_IG.pdf 310 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Knowledge Probe Pre-test Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_KP10_IG.pdf 303 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Learning Module (Fab_Crystl_LM_MAP_IG.pdf 124 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge Instructor Guide (Fab_Crystl_PK10_IG.pdf 2.1 MB)
• Participant Guides
  • Docs
    • The Miller Index Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC00_PG_April2017.docx 4 MB)
    • Breaking Wafers Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC10_PG_April2017.docx 512 KB)
    • An Origami Crystal Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC12_PG_April2017.docx 513 KB)
    • Growing Crystals: Hot Ice Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC14_PG_April2017.docx 326 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Final Assessment Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_FA10_PG_April2017.docx 238 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Knowledge Probe Pre-test Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_KP10_PG_April2017.docx 238 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_PK10_PG_April2017.docx 1.9 MB)
  • PDFs 
    • The Miller Index Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC00_PG.pdf 4 MB)
    • Breaking Wafers Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC10_PG.pdf 462 KB)
    • An Origami Crystal Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC12_PG.pdf 517 KB)
    • Growing Crystals: Hot Ice Activity Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_AC14_PG.pdf 460 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Final Assessment Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_FA10_PG.pdf 299 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Knowledge Probe Pre-test Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_KP10_PG.pdf 297 KB)
    • Crystallography Overview for MEMS Primary Knowledge Participant Guide (Fab_Crystl_PK10_PG.pdf 2 MB)
• Presentation
  • Crystallography Overview for Microsystems (Crystallography_for_MEMS.pdf 4.4 MB)
  • Crystallography Overview for Microsystems (Crystallography_for_MEMS.pptx 2 MB)