The Semiconductor Technology MS program was developed in collaboration with local semiconductor companies, ensuring that the training you receive matches the skills employers need most. Classes are taught by our expert faculty as well as experienced professionals in the field. With access to PSU’s cleanroom, teaching labs and the Center for Electron Microscopy and Nanofabrication, you’ll be training on the same equipment found in industry.
Choose from two tracks — Device Processing and Materials and Device Characterization — to customize your degree to your interests and career goals.
The program’s capstone is a three-month internship at a local semiconductor facility. You’ll apply your skills, gain industry experience and build your network.
Track 1: Device Processing
Core Required (18 credits)
- Ph 545 Microelectronic Devise Fabrication I
- Ph 546 Microelectronic Device Fabrication II
- Ph 547 Microelectronic Device Fabrication III
- Ch 545 Physical Chemistry Laboratory
- Stat 551 Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I
Electives (18 credits from the following)
- ME 577 Introduction to Semiconductor Manufacturing (4 credits)
- ME 513 Engineering Material Science (4 credits)
- Ph 581 Introduction to Nano-Materials Science & Engineering (4 credits)
- Ph 540 Physics of Solid-State Devices I (4 credits)
- Ph 551/ME 528 Electron Microscopy (4 credits)
- ME 510 Thin Film Process Technology and Application (4 credits)
- Ch 552 Technology of Photoresist (4 credits)
- Ph 585 Experimental Methods in Applied Physics (4 credits)
- Ph 507 or Ch 507 Seminar (1-4 credits)
3-month Internship in the Local Semiconductor Industry (9 credits)
- Ph 504 Cooperative Education/Internship
Track 2: Materials and Device Characterization (Metrology)
Core Required (20 credits)
- Ph 545 Microelectronic Devise Fabrication I
- Ph 546 Microelectronic Device Fabrication II
- Ph 547 Microelectronic Device Fabrication III
- Ph 551 Electron Microscopy or ME 528 Scanning Electron Microscopy for Materials and Device Characterization
- Stat 551 Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I
Electives (16 credits from the following)
- ME 513 Engineering Material Science (4 credits)
- ME 552 Electron Microscopy
- ME 529 Transmission Electron Microscopy and Chemical Analysis of Materials
- Ph 540 Physics of Solid-State Devices
- Ph 581 Introduction to Nano(materials)-Science and –Engineering
- Ph 595 Materials Physics: Structure and Physical Properties of Ordered and Disordered Condensed Matter
- Ph 548 Electronic Materials and Device Characterization
- ME 510 Material Surface Analysis
- Ch 553 Surface Chemistry
- Ch 510 Electronic Materials
- Ph 585 Experimental Methods in Applied Physics
- Ph 507 or Ch 507 Seminar
3-month Internship in the Local Semiconductor Industry (9 credits)
- Ph 504 Cooperative Education/Internship
Total Credit Hours: 45
Contact
If you have questions about the Semiconductor Technology MS program, please contact the Physics Department office (physics@pdx.edu) or the program director, Dr. Raj Solanki (solanki@pdx.edu).
Completion of Program
The awarding of a degree during a specific term involves the following steps, which must be met by certain deadlines.
- Complete required (core) and elective coursework
- PH 504 Cooperative Ed./Internship with local semiconductor partner
- Completion of cooperative internship requires submission of a written final report or oral presentation to the program director detailing work done in the internship
- Application for graduation by the term deadline
Time Limits
Full-time students can complete the program in just one year, while working professionals may choose to pursue it part-time.
- Full-time students (9 credits per term excluding summer): For full-time students entering the M.S. program, a maximum of three years will be allowed from admission to completion of all requirements.
- Part-time students (less than 9 credits per term excluding summer): For part-time students entering the M.S. program, a maximum of six years will be allowed from admission to completion of all requirements.
Appeal
A student has the right to appeal the results of any aspect of the departmental guidelines, by sending a written notice to the Physics Department Chair and the Physics Graduate Affairs Committee. The appeal will be considered by the whole Department within sixty (60) days. Following that appeal, the student can request a review by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and if so requested, a review by the Dean of the Graduate School to ensure the departmental process was followed.
Students are responsible for knowing all regulations and procedures required by the University as well as the departmental requirements for the graduate certificate or degree program being pursued. A graduate student may petition the Graduate Council for the waiver of a University graduate academic regulation or degree requirement. The petition process is an option in unusual cases with extenuating circumstances. A petition is not a remedy for poor advising on the part of an academic unit or poor planning by the student. In no case will a regulation be waived or an exception granted because of ignorance of the regulation or of the assertion that the student was not informed by the adviser or other authority.
The responsibility for initiating the petition rests with the student. The decision of the Graduate Council is final.