SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND
ELECTRONICS
Web-site: www.ee.ed.ac.uk
Tel: 0131 650 5565 Fax: 0131 650 6554
E-mail: enquiries@ee.ed.ac.uk
The internationally top-rated 5* School
of Engineering and Electronics is located in the new purpose built
Scottish Microelectronics Centre on the King's Buildings campus on
West Mains Road, most easily accessed via Gate 1. The Scottish Microelectronics
Centre offers approximately 250m2 of class 10 clean-rooms and 1000m2
of office, computer and laboratory space. Excellent facilities exist
for CAD, and for the design, fabrication and assessment of VLSI circuits.
In addition there is an extensive computer resource within the School,
linked to the campus network, with access to commercial design, simulation
and modelling software. Teaching Lab C houses the bulk of the public
access SUN-4 SPARC stations. These machines are powerful, fully networked,
UNIX based workstations.
The School has over twenty years of
experience promoting education, research, and the application of microelectronics.
During this time it has launched a number of companies of which the
best known are the Vision Group (80+ employees) and Wolfson Microelectronics
(40+ employees). In the last research assessment exercise it was rated
5*A and in the last teaching assessment exercise was rated excellent.
The School of Engineering and Electronics is one of the very few university
sites that has both the capability, and operational status, to produce
sub-micron silicon ICs. The fabrication facilities includes state-of-the-art
e-beam lithography, two wafer steppers, two track systems and an in-house
implanter together with associated furnaces, etch tools and layer
deposition equipment. The School also houses MIAC with over £1.5 M
of inspection and repair tools (SEM, FIB and AFM) capable of taking
8" wafers. Supporting the above is the Parameter Extraction and Microelectronic
Test Structure Centre with an extensive equipment base not matched
anywhere in the UK. The School has also led the development of the
teaching chip (with support from Motorola and Compugraphics), which
has now been adopted by the Engineering Council's Technology Enhancement
Programme and the chips and associated documentation will be made
available to the IGDS programme.
The Silicon Technology Research Group
within the School has strong industrial links, many of which will
be used to support the IGDS initiative. Collaborative research projects
that are currently being funded include the following companies: Admit
Design Systems, CRL, Freescale Semiconductors, National Semiconductor,
GPS, Seagate, Siemens, ST, TMA, MicroPix, Tyecin, Domain Solutions.
The STRG also has links with a large number of UK Universities and
companies for whom it provides access to silicon processing. MIAC
also provides imaging and failure analysis services to a number of
semiconductor companies and ASIC design companies.
IGDS PROGRAMME - MSc in ADVANCED
SILICON PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
Edinburgh's major contribution to
the IGDS MSc will be its practical expertise in silicon IC technology.
In addition to this, the Silicon Technology Research Group's focus
on research relating to the manufacturing of integrated circuits provides
a platform that is able to make a major contribution in a number of
areas. They have internationally recognised expertise in TCAD, IC
process optimisation and DFM, microelectronic test structures, planarisation
processes for miniature IC displays, yield prediction software, and
have published widely on a number of areas relating to IC processes.
In addition, also located in the School is the Microelectronic Imaging
and Analysis Centre (MIAC) which gives an added capability in the
area of debugging process problems. Edinburgh has designed and will
present Module 1: 'Introduction to IC Technology', Module 5:'Optimisation
of Processes' and Module:11 'Lithography'
EDINBURGH STAFF
Professor
Anthony J Walton has been a member of the School of Engineering
and Electronics for the past 20 years. During that time he has been
involved with the microelectronics industry in a number of areas which
include silicon processing, microelectronic test structures, Yield
improvement, Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Technology Computer
Aided Design (TCAD). His present interests also include the optimisation
of semiconductor processes through the integration of experimental
design and TCAD simulation tools. He has published widely and in 1990
won the best paper award for the IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor
Manufacturing. Professor Walton is the Academic Convenor for Module
5: 'Optimisation of Processes' and will also lecture during Module
1: 'Introduction to IC Technology' and Module 11:' Lithography' at
Edinburgh, Module 4: 'Interconnect and Metallisation' at the University
of Newcastle, Module 6: 'Measurement Techniques and Failure Analysis'
at the University of Manchester and Module 7: 'Production Management'
at Heriot-Watt University.
Dr
Les Haworth is a lecturer in the School of Engineering and Electronics
and is a member of the Silicon Technology Research Group. After completing
his Ph.D. research at the University of Salford he worked at Ferranti
Electronics Ltd as a production process engineer with responsibility
for diffusion, epitaxy and plasma cleaning in the company's CDI bipolar
process. In 1983 he joined a Teaching Company Scheme set up by Ferranti
Electronics and the University of Salford in the capacity of Senior
Assistant. During this period he continued to work closely on production
issues with Ferranti Electronics and also conducted research on ion
implantation of polymers. In 1987 he was appointed to the post of
lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and his research interests
have been within the silicon wafer fabrication area and include the
formation of refractory metal silicides by ion beam mixing, the development
of rapid thermal processing equipment and processes. Dr Haworth is
the academic Convenor for Module 1:' Introduction to IC Technology'.
Dr
J T N Stevenson received the B.Sc.
degree in Physics in 1967, the M.Sc. degree in Instrument Design in
1969 from the University of Aberdeen and the Ph.D. degree from the
University of Edinburgh in 1988. He spent 5 years at Ferranti Ltd.,
Dalkeith as a development engineer on moire fringe measuring systems
for machine tools. In 1974 he joined the Wolfson Microelectronics
Institute to work on the design of an optical pattern generator for
IC masks. In 1980, he was appointed to a Research Fellowship in the
Edinburgh Microfabrication Facility, University of Edinburgh. His
main research interests are in optical lithography, metrology and
Chemical Mechanical Polishing. Dr Stevenson is the academic Convenor
for Module 11: 'Lithography', he will also lecture during Module 1:'Introduction
to IC Technology' and Module 4:'Interconnect and Metallisation' at
the University of Newcastle.
Professor
Ian Underwood was awarded a PhD in Applied Physics from The University
of Edinburgh in 1987. He has worked on the development of CMOS based
liquid crystal microdisplays for around 15 years, concentrating on
the VLSI design and microfabrication of these devices. A Fulbright
Fellow at The University of Colorado in 1991, he has worked on several
award winning designs and has been employed as a consultant by several
of the world's leading microdisplay companies. He is currently managing
one EC and two EPSRC funded research contracts and has recently co-founded
his own microdisplay company. Dr Underwood will lecture at Edinburgh
on Module 1:' Introduction to IC Technology' and Module 5: 'Optimisation
of Processes'.
Dr
Gerard A Allan received the B.Sc.
degree in mechanical engineering, in 1986, and the M.Sc. degree in
design and fabrication of microelectronics systems, in 1985 from the
University of Edinburgh. He worked towards the Ph.D. degree in the
Edinburgh Microfabrication Facility in the University of Edinburgh.
He is presently employed as a lecturer in the School of Engineering
and Electronics, University of Edinburgh. His current research interests
include, layout optimisation, yield prediction , CAD tools and IC
design. He has published some twenty papers on critical area extraction
and yield prediction, and is author of the EYE and EYES critical area
extraction software programs. He will lecture on Module 1:' Introduction
to IC Technology' and Module 5: 'Optimisation of Processes'.
Dr
Alan M Gundlach received the B.Sc degree in Physics in 1959 and
the M.Sc degree in 1965, both at the University of London. He was
employed in the semiconductor industry for 19 years from 1959, initially
with A.E.I. Radio and Electronics Components Division and with Texas
Instruments Ltd. working on the manufacture of bipolar discrete devices
and integrated circuits and, latterly, with Elliott Automation Microelectronics
Ltd. Dr Gundlach was also with General Instrument Microelectronics
Ltd. as MOS Process Development Manager. In 1978 he was appointed
to a Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh in
the role of Operations Manager of the Edinburgh Microfabrication Facility
in which capacity he has been responsible for designing and installing
processes ranging from silicon machining to complete processes. Dr
Gundlach will lecture at Edinburgh on Module 1: 'Introduction to IC
Technology', Module 11:'Lithography', and Module 7: 'Production Management'
at Heriot-Watt University.
Dr
Vidar Nilsen graduated with an MEng (Hons) Electronics from the
University of Edinburgh, in July 1996. In September of that year he
took up his present post as a Research Associate in the School of
Engineering and Electronics at the University of Edinburgh to investigate
the integration of software tools to enhance an existing TCAD DFM
framework. He is now currently investigating the modelling of liquid
crystal with a view to the prediction of microdisplay characteristics
during the design phase. Dr Nilsen will lecture on Module 7: 'Production
Management' at Heriot-Watt University.
Dr
Neil Rankin graduated with an MEng (Hons) Electronics from The
University of Edinburgh, in June 1996. In that same month he joined
National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd., where he worked as a TCAD Engineer
in the Research and Development Group. In January 1997 he became a
Parameter Extraction Engineer producing SPICE models for corporate
technologies. In September 1998 he took up his present post as a Research
Associate in the School of Engineering and Electronics at The University
of Edinburgh in the Silicon Technology Research Group led by Professor
Anthony Walton. He is also working on a PhD in the field of statistical
parameter extraction. Dr Rankin will lecture during Module 5:'Optimisation
of Processes'.
Dr
Dave Travis received a BEng in Electronic
and Electrical engineering in 1994 and a PhD in Microelectronics in
1999 from the University of Edinburgh. He currently works as a research
associate at the University of Edinburgh on microelectronic test structures.
Dr Travis will lecture during Module 1: 'Introduction to IC Technology'.
Stewart
Smith gained a First Class Honours
Degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering (microelectronics)
in 1997 at the University of Edinburgh and is currently undertaking
his PhD by research. Stewart is an associate member of the IEE. He
joined the Silicon Technology Research Group (STRG) as a student in
June 1998 and his main research interests are in electrical and optical
test structures for metrology and process control for microelectronics.
Stewart will assist in the delivery of Module 1:'Introduction to IC
Technology'.
Mark Newsam studied Electrical
and Electronic Engineering at Queen's University in Belfast obtaining
a 2.1 BEng and an MSc in Electronics. He then worked as a Research
Associate developing software to improve the integration between simulation
tools such as: Suprem, Medici etc. and experimental design software
such as RS/1. Currently Mark is involved in VLSI design creating a
micro-display. Mark Newsam will be taking part in Module 1:'Introduction
to IC Technology'.
STAFF FROM PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
Details relating to the following
members staff from Partner Institutions, who will be participating
in the Modules presented at Edinburgh, may be found under the relevant
Partners' information section.
Module 1 'Introduction to IC Technology'