Interdisciplinary Ece And Me Education In The Electro Thermal Performance Of Cmos Soc Devices

This interdisciplinary educational initiative presents curriculum and research, which is leading to a change in the traditional presentational of microelectronics, digital logic design, and heat transfer in engineering education. In the traditional and prevalent model, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Mechanical Engineering (ME) each have its own set of courses and requirements within the boundaries of a specific discipline. However, the explosive growth in microelectronics and the resulting integrated circuit densities, not only for advanced processors but also for the system-on-chip (SOC) design methodology, now demand ECE and ME graduates with a keen and focused interdisciplinary knowledge of the thermal performance and packaging of such VLSI devices. Furthermore, industry is demanding engineering graduates with the experience to become immediately productive without extensive additional training.