Industry-Oriented Laboratory Development for Mixed-Signal IC Test Education

The semiconductor industry is lacking qualified integrated circuit (IC) test engineers to serve in the field of mixed-signal electronics. The absence of mixed-signal IC test education at the collegiate level is cited as one of the main sources for this problem. In response to this situation, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Ohio State University, Columbus, has partnered with Texas Instruments to establish an IC test-engineering-oriented course. The course objectives are to familiarize students with industrial testing techniques and to help students obtain the fundamental skill sets required to be competent mixed-signal IC test engineers. A novel laboratory pedagogy is developed to achieve these objectives. The results of the classroom assignments and the feedback provided by students, faculty, and industry representatives indicate that the approach has successfully achieved these goals.