DOE/SPC class opened up to all Nanofab Labmembers

October 11, 2013

Dear Lab Members,

When Intel came to us recruiting in late September, they were very impressed with our new cleanroom and microscopy facilities and asked that we prepare our students better to enter the tech manufacturing workforce by teaching our students the tools of everyday engineering: statistical experimental design, or in the jargon "Design of Experiments" (DOE), and Statistical Process Control (SPC).

DOE is a means of designing efficient and cost effective experiments to determine principal effects of process variables on performance outcomes, and also identifying interactions between variables. It is highly complementary to mechanistic approaches of experimental design that we normally teach in academic environments, and many graduate students have found the technique helpful in expediting their own graduate research with higher confidence in the results and conclusions.

SPC is the main tool for evaluating and reducing sources of manufacturing variability; hence SPC is the main engineering technique for reducing cost and improving quality in volume manufacturing.

Please note that Intel’s message is the same message given to us by Micron, IMFT and Fairchild, and also other volume tech manufacturers like Merit Sensors and Blackrock Micro.  This is why the College of Engineering has re-started the course ME/ECE 6055/5055 Microsystems Design and Characterization with Engineering Initiative Funding. Our instructor, Dr. Jim Smith, is opening up the section of that course dealing with DOE/SPC, so that all Nanofab lab members may participate. This segment is once again taught by student-favorite, visiting lecturer Jim Pugmire, Staff Statistician at Fairchild Semiconductor, our local semiconductor partner. If you wish to become conversant in critical tools for experimental design, either to benefit your own research, or to not look stupid sitting in interview sessions, then come join us:

Three lectures, 8 to 8:50 am. WEB 2250.

  • Oct 22: Lecture on SPC
  • Oct 24: Lecture: finish any SPC leftovers; hypothesis testing and regression
  • Oct 29: Lecture: DOE overview factorials to RSM

Lab Session: Oct 31 statapult exercise for DOE lab

One of five lab sessions, limited space available. You must RSVP for one of the following lab sessions.

  • Session 1: 8-8:45 am
  • Session 2: 9-9:45 am
  • Session 3: 10-10:45 am
  • Session 4: 1:30-2:15 pm
  • Session 5: 2:30-3:15 pm