Education on microfabrication in Latin America and the microelectronics workshop at UNICAMP

This paper discusses the importance and the need to improve education on microfabrication technologies in the region of Latin America. A short historical overview of microfabrication and its current activities in the region are presented. Since the beginning of the 1960’s, industrial and academic activities in microelectronics have taken place in the region. However, the technological gap to the developed countries has been growing continuously. To change this scenario, a strong effort in education is needed. The education in microfabrication in the regular engineering courses is very limited and needs to be changed. A specific workshop at the State University of Campinas—UNICAMP, called “Oficina de Microeletrˆonica,” was set up in order to reduce the gap in education on microfabrication technologies. This workshop is discussed in detail.