Before a chip finds its way into a cell phone or a car, it goes through a long and complex journey in the hands of many engineers. Physicists, such as those from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT, are usually at the forefront. Their knowledge is essential for understanding and controlling the physical processes that occur in chips, and their role thus covers a significant part of the production chain: from material selection to testing and optimization.
Solid-State Physics, Physical Principles of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Nanoelectronics… Students in the Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology program at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FSI) encounter these and other subjects closely related to semiconductors. “But quantum physics and thermodynamics are also important; you need to understand them for chips to function at all,” notes Tomáš Šikola, director of the Institute of Physical Engineering—the department within the faculty that is naturally closest to semiconductor technologies.
Chips are increasingly discussed in the public sphere, and their foundation—semiconductor materials and nanostructures—is a field the institute thoroughly masters. “Our students encounter semiconductors as early as their bachelor’s studies. It is a natural part of our research and teaching,” assures Šikola, adding that while the physicists’ expertise focuses primarily on materials, the design and manufacture of chips as final components is the domain of colleagues from the neighboring FEEC BUT.
The institute has been working closely for years with leading domestic companies in the semiconductor industry, led by onsemi. “At least half of our students conduct research in the field of semiconductors: from bachelor’s theses through master’s theses to doctoral dissertations. Interest in working at onsemi, for example (most of the company is based in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, ed.), is unfortunately influenced by the fact that many graduates want to stay in Brno after graduation and therefore tend to choose a career in electron microscopy. But that doesn’t mean that those who go to work for an electron microscope manufacturer won’t encounter semiconductors; for example, Thermo Fisher Scientific has a division focused specifically on developing equipment for studying semiconductor materials. It’s a multidisciplinary field, and therefore highly intertwined,” says Šikola.
Together with Masaryk University and onsemi, the institute also has a system of internal grants that students can apply for. “We strive to go beyond simply solving practical problems in manufacturing. We prefer research, for example in the field of new materials and their characterization,” explains Šikola.
The institute is scientifically strong, for example, in the field of photonics and nanophotonics, which explores the possibilities of manipulating light as a carrier of information or energy. “We’re also interested in 2D materials—that is, monolayers of atoms that form surfaces with specific properties,” he adds.
Thanks to the integration of theory and practice, students come into contact with cutting-edge technologies—including cleanrooms and vacuum equipment—even during their studies. “We don’t hide expensive equipment from students. On the contrary, they work with professional equipment during their studies, immediately after thorough training. And they’re often less dangerous than the professors,” Šikola remarks with a touch of humor.
The market for specialists such as physics graduates is relatively “squeezed dry.” According to Šikola, this is also a limit that efforts toward greater self-sufficiency for the Czech Republic and Europe in the field of chips and semiconductors are currently encountering. “Twenty to twenty-five graduates complete our program each year. And of course, not all of them go into semiconductors,” he points out. Projects like Chips for Europe, which includes outreach activities, are intended to change that. However, we’ll have to wait to see their effect in the form of a larger number of STEM graduates. “Necessity has taught Dalibor to bake; until now, we’ve relied on the global market, but as we see the situation worsening, it makes sense to strengthen our own capabilities and thus contribute to improving the situation in the European semiconductor industry,” adds Šikola.
The foundation lies in high-quality instruction in mathematics and physics starting in elementary and secondary schools. According to Šikola, this has not yet been achieved. “There are many excellent teachers who do a good job. But I fear there are still many who tend to discourage children from physics rather than attract them. I wouldn’t like it either if my physics lessons focused mainly on measurement systems and unit conversions… Those are important for us as professional physicists, but less so for children. The main thing is not to discourage them, but to engage them; children don’t need to know exact formulas, but to see what physics is used for and that it can be understood. For example, everyone knows LED diodes, which are actually components made of semiconductor materials—a wonderful example of basic research that has become a useful invention, a major business, and even won a Nobel Prize. Semiconductors have the amazing advantage of being all around us. That’s what we should build on in our outreach efforts,” concludes Šikola.
Source: News at BUT (written by Iveta Hovorková)
Photo by Václav Široký
