Cross-Training Technicians & Engineers for Semiconductor Manufacturing

The project extends work begun under Award No. 9850310.

A consortium consisting of three universities (University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, and University of Texas at Austin) and three community college systems (Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, Maricopa County Community College District, and Austin Community College) in three contiguous states, each of which has semiconductor manufacturing as an economic backdrop, is implementing "cross-training" of technicians and engineers.

Supported by a previous NSF grant, the consortium developed a suite of six computer-based training (CBT) modules designed to be integrated into factory-like labs and related courses for co-training of technicians and engineers. The first six modules covered lithography, metalization, design of experiments, etch, chemical vapor deposition, and statistical process control. In the current project, the consortium is (1) developing three more modules covering oxidation and diffusion, doping and annealing, and factory dynamics; (2) deploying the modules in side-by-side training of engineering and technician students at the partnering universities and community colleges; and (3) completing the evaluation of the full suite of nine modules.

The project is built around the premise that "cross-training" technicians and engineers, such that each group better understands the roles and skill sets of the other, will enhance their effectiveness as team members in real factory settings. The project's CBT modules cover basic semiconductor unit processes (lithography, metalization, etch) and their facility demands, design of experiments, and factory-level dynamics from both the technician's and the engineer's perspectives. The modules include interactive, schematic-based simulator panels for selected manufacturing machines, to support a need-based, top-down learning paradigm. In addition, the modules have structured exercises that require interactive roles between technicians and engineers. The "side-by-side" presentation of text, graphics, animations, videos, simulations, and exercises give technicians enhanced exposure to mathematics and science and give engineers enhanced exposure to machine (tool) operation issues. The multimedia modules are designed to operate stand-alone or coupled to a multi-level manufacturing simulator package. They can serve training needs in real, mock, or virtual factory-like labs.