Northeast Consortia for Advanced Integrated Silicon Technologies

仅靠电子微芯片技术无法持续地满足数据网络和中心的扩展、更安全的自动驾驶车辆以及更高效的食品生产。然而，将电子设备与集成光电子技术相结合，提供了一种更节能的方式来提高数据网络的速度和容量、降低成本并满足各个行业日益多样化的需求。这一转变严重依赖于用于超高速、低损耗光数据传输的硅光子集成电路(PIC)的结合。硅(Si)PIC的制造已经从实验室迅速进入大批量生产。然而，美国熟练的技术劳动力(STW)目前无法支持这一扩张，并有可能失去国内制造能力和美国在这一关键技术领域的全球领导地位。该项目旨在响应这一需求，并将建立东北先进集成硅技术联盟(NCAIST)，其使命是为先进硅制造教育STW，重点是硅基PIC技术和电子-光子集成电路(EPIC)。NCAIST将与美国制造业创新研究所(MII)AIM Photonics密切合作，协调并加快从AIM附属美国重点大学到美国东北部社区和技术学院的技术员教育内容和教学方法的过渡。这将包括对社区和技术学院的学生和教师进行硅基PIC和EPIC制造方面的实践培训，测试和包装，将PIC/EPIC技术员教育内容直接纳入现有的学分课程和学位计划，并向地区高中教师介绍职业道路和PIC教育内容。NCAIST由纽约、马萨诸塞州和宾夕法尼亚州的16所社区学院和技术学院以及4所大学组成，其共同目标是快速开发和传播PIC/EPIC技术的技术人员教育内容。除了与AIM Photonics合作外，NCAIST还与NEATEC、NACK、激光TEC和MNT-EC ATE中心合作，使内容能够在美国各地传播。NCAIST将：(1)开发和传播包含定制设计、打包的PIC/EPIC和完整的实验室就绪包的Si PIC教育工具包，以便可持续地和经济地纳入现有的技术人员教育课程和计划；(2)与联盟社区大学共同开发PIC/EPIC学习模块；(3)为在线和实验室教育中的PIC测试和包装设备引入基于虚拟现实的培训模块；以及(4)评估短期培训的有效性，为学生直接过渡到有直接劳动力需求的PIC/EPIC制造商做好准备，以及行业指导/实习作为学生进入劳动力市场的未来途径的可持续性。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The expansion of data networks and centers, safer autonomous driving vehicles, and more efficient food production cannot be sustainably met by electronic microchip technology alone. However, combining electrical devices with integrated photonics provides a more energy efficient way to increase the speed and capacity of data networks, reduce costs and meet an increasingly diverse range of needs across various industries. This transition is critically reliant on the incorporation of silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for ultra-fast, low-loss optical data transmission. Silicon (Si) PIC fabrication has moved quickly from the laboratory to high-volume manufacturing. However, the U.S. skilled technical workforce (STW) is not currently positioned to support this expansion and risks losing domestic manufacturing capability and U.S. global leadership in this key technology area. This project aims to respond to this need and will establish the Northeast Consortium for Advanced Integrated Silicon Technologies (NCAIST) with a mission of educating the STW for advanced silicon-manufacturing with an emphasis on Si-based PIC technologies and electronic-photonic integrated circuits (EPICs).Working closely with AIM Photonics, a U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII), NCAIST will coordinate and accelerate the transition of technician education content and teaching methodologies from key AIM-affiliated U.S. universities to community and technical colleges in the northeast U.S. This will include hands-on training of students and teachers from community and technical colleges in Si-PIC and EPIC fabrication, testing and packaging, incorporation of PIC/EPIC technician education content directly into existing for-credit courses and degree programs, and introduction of career pathways and PIC- education content to regional high school teachers. NCAIST is comprised of a network of 16 community colleges and technical colleges, and 4 universities across NY, MA, and PA with a common goal of rapidly developing and disseminating technician education content in PIC/EPIC technologies. In addition to working with AIM Photonics, NCAIST works with the NEATEC, NACK, LASER TEC and MNT-EC ATE centers to enable dissemination of content across the U.S. NCAIST will: (1) Develop and disseminate of Si PIC education kits incorporating custom-designed, packaged PIC/EPICs and full lab-ready packages for sustainable and economical incorporation in existing technician education courses and programs; (2) Co-develop with consortium community colleges PIC/EPIC learning modules; (3) Introduce virtual reality-based training modules for PIC testing and packaging equipment for online and in-lab education; and (4) Evaluate the efficacy of short-term training to prepare students for direct transition to PIC/EPIC manufacturers with immediate workforce needs, and the sustainability of industry mentorships/internships as a future pathway for students entering the workforce. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.