Microelectronics (H614)

This degree develops your electronic engineering expertise towards an understanding of the properties of the semiconductor devices and circuits that underpin current and future electronic systems. Such an understanding is crucial in developing high frequency circuits for data processing and communications, as well as for giving light sources that can be used to display information clearly or transmit it quickly. The course will equip you with both practical skills in fabrication and theoretical understanding, allowing you to work in the semiconductor industry, either in silicon based technologies or in more exotic materials. The experience in using cleanroom facilities is also of a wider relevance, as high yield processes in many areas require the use of clean environments.

Core topics include integrated circuit technology and basic VLSI design, describing the practical issues in making circuits on the micro- and nano-scale. Electronic device design, particularly for transistors and including their performance at high frequencies, is also examined, as are the issues in creating semiconductor light emitting diodes and laser diodes. In both these cases their key applications are examined, in particular their performance and use in optical communication systems. All major aspects of semiconductor device technology are covered, giving you a broad understanding to this key field. This, coupled with the broader understanding of electronic engineering, will allow you to graduate with a thorough grounding in the key enabling components that drive the electronics field.