Mircea Stan / Electrical and Computer Engineering

Chips (of the Silicon kind) for everyone!

Integrated circuits, commonly referred to as "chips", are essential to modern electronics, as they serve as the foundation for electronic devices. ICs consist of numerous interconnected electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, and diodes, that are fabricated on a single piece of silicon. Without ICs, many of the electronic devices we use every day would not exist. Despite the significance of ICs, student interest in chip design and fabrication has been dwindling. To reverse this trend, creative solutions are necessary. The US federal government has recognized this need, and the multi-billion dollar CHIPS Act has been passed to address the issue.

The aim of this Dream Ideas project is to rekindle student interest in chip design and fabrication among undergraduates at UVa by providing them with real-life experiences and opportunities. The project includes several activities such as visits to cleanrooms at universities (UVa/VCU/GMU/GW) where chips are being fabricated, tours of companies involved in chip design and fabrication in Virginia (Micron/BAE/Lockheed/Northrop/Mitre/NIST), and selected seminars about chip design and fabrication from among the regular department seminars in ECE/MSE. There will also be meetings at the Colonnade Club for free-form discussions about the visits, seminars, and other activities. To establish a pipeline for the future, a few local high-school students will be involved as mentees, while a few grad students will serve as informal mentors, with the hope that this will increase high school students' interest in pursuing a major related to "chips" and motivate undergrads to pursue graduate school.

Budget

  3 meals at the Colonnade Club or equivalent for 12 students @ $30 ea. = $1,080

      ·        Rental van/gas for 10 students and faculty to make 5 separate “field trips” to universities or industry = $1,250

      ·        Lunches for 10 students and faculty on 5 field trips @ $20 each = $1,000

      ·        Snacks for meetings/field trips = $150

TOTAL $3,480