A joint partnership for improving undergraduate microelectronics instruction

In 1990, Northern Arizona University, Intel Corporation, and Motorola Inc. entered into a joint partnership with the goal of creating an exemplary laboratory for undergraduate instruction in semiconductor fabrication. By the time the laboratory was completed, over a dozen smaller companies has joined in the effort. The resulting laboratory not only satisfied the original goal, but it also became a catalyst causing fundamental changes in the engineering curriculum at NAU. This project both demonstrates the potential for such joint efforts and shows some pitfalls to be avoided.