Teaching Digital Integrated Circuits in a Simulated Industrial Environmental

该项目的重点是开发初级/高级电气工程课程（数字集成电路）的课程材料，使学生了解集成电路设计和制造的各个方面，并在“模拟工业环境”中实施该课程。“该课程将根据由IC相关公司的工程师和管理人员组成的工业咨询委员会的意见制定。拟议的课程的目标是改变标准的教学环境，包括讲座和个人作业，这将1）提供从各种来源收集技术信息的实践; 2）发展解决问题的能力; 3）强调团队合作;和4）提供大量的机会来完善口头和书面沟通技巧。 在拟议的课程中，学生将作为集成电路设计公司的“员工”参加公司不同部门（设计，测试和制造）的小团队工作，以解决共同问题。 “项目芯片”将通过该提案创建，允许学生比较集成电路的设计，仿真和实际测量。学生将评估问题，确定潜在的解决方案，形成自己的行动计划，并以书面，口头和电子形式（电子邮件）与同龄人和上级交流他们的想法。公司框架将使用现有的局域网（LAN）创建，该局域网加载了IC公司将使用的软件（文字处理、演示、电路模拟、电路布局和电子邮件）。 现有的测量设备将用于测试公司的产品。“介绍集成电路课程，涵盖基本的集成电路制造和设计是目前在大多数每一个电气工程课程在该国。从这个项目产生的材料（“项目芯片”和所有支持计算机文件）将采用标准格式，使其独立于平台，从而适用于尽可能广泛的受众。这种模拟工业环境和以项目为中心的方法的有效性将由工业顾问，教师和学生参与者进行批判性评估。

The focus of this project is to develop course material for a Junior/Senior level Electrical Engineering course (Digital Integrated Circuits) which will expose students to all aspects of integrated circuit design and fabrication, and to implement the course in a "simulated industrial environment." The course will be developed based on input from an industrial advisory board consisting of engineers and managers from IC-related companies. The goals of the proposed course are to change the standard instructional environment, consisting of lectures and individual homework, to one which will 1) provide practice gathering technical information from various sources; 2) develop problem solving skills; 3) emphasize teamwork; and 4) provide numerous opportunities to refine oral and written communication skills. In the proposed course students will participate as "employees" of an integrated circuit design company working in small teams in the different divisions of the company (Design, Test and Fabrication) to solve a common problem. "Project-chips" will be created by this proposal allowing students to compare the design, simulation and actual measurements of integrated circuits. Students will evaluate the problems, define potential solutions, form their own plan of action, and communicate their ideas with both peers and superiors in written, oral and electronic form (e- mail). The company framework will be created using an existing local area network (LAN) loaded with the software an IC company would use (word processing, presentation, circuit simulation, circuit layout, and e-mail). Existing measurement equipment will be used to test the companies "products." An introductory integrated circuit course that covers basic IC fabrication and design is present in most every electrical engineering curriculum in the country. The material generated from this project ("project-chips" and all supporting computer files) will be in standard formats such that it is pla tform independent, and thereby applicable to the widest possible audience. The effectiveness of this simulated industrial environment and project-centered approach will be critically evaluated by the industrial advisors, faculty, and student participants.