Microelectronics-Photonics (microEP) Graduate Program University of Arkansas

1. Microelectronics-Photonics (microEP) Graduate ProgramUniversity of Arkansas Ken Vickers – Director Research Professor, Physics (1998 – present) Eng Management, Texas Instruments (1980 – 1998) 479 575-2875 vickers@uark.edu http://microEP.uark.edu College of Engineering PhD Minor in Entrepreneurship July 30, 2004 Fayetteville, Arkansas

2. Arkansas High Tech Business Startups • Startups needed to drive new economic sector in Arkansas • Support of self-harvest of Arkansas IP is growing • SBIR process friendly to new PhD grads • Almost all SBIR activity is associated with research educational institutions microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

3. Society’s Expectations of Graduate Degree Programs Time to Degree Level of Expectation Technical Content Entrepreneurship Soft Skills Time (years) 2004 microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

4. Barriers to High Tech Business Startups from University IP • Student ignorance of missing knowledge • Operational management (IE stuff) • Legal management (IP and regulatory policies) • Business management (MBA stuff) • Tech focus outside PhD’s areas • Lack of operations/management practice • Faculty R&R based on Individual Contributor activities • Curricula generally don’t cover theory, much less practice microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

5. Barriers to Introducing Off-Major Elements to Tech Grad Programs • Faculty issues • Cannot reduce technical content • People issues are unimportant • Keep the students in the lab • “You can’t plan research” • Student issues • What is the minimum I need to graduate • Benefit of off-major elements apparent primarily after graduation • Cannot see themselves in project development or entrepreneurial role from where they are now microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

6. Microelectronics-Photonics Graduate Program: Attributes • Created in April 1998 • MS microEP approved July 1999 • PhD microEP approved July 2000 • Defined as interdisciplinary between Physics, Chemistry, and all engineering • Focused on electronic and photonic materials, and the devices and systems they can create and move into society • Defined as professional development type degree • Based on industry-like Cohort methodology microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

7. microEP Enhancements of Traditional Departmental Degree Elements Traditional Departmental Education Supplemental microEP Elements • Technical Knowledge • Core classes in undergrad dept • Most electives in department • Few other technical electives • Technical Knowledge • Core of interdisciplinary classes • Applied technical electives • Management and Entrepreneurial Classes • Research Methods • Slow student initiated linkage to research prof • Professor’s group meetings • Research Methods • Quick assignment to research prof • Formal research project plan • Team Skills • Project teams in classes • Team Skills • Pseudo-industry engineering group • Weekly operations management seminars • Invention and innovation • Individual mentoring within research group • Invention and Innovation • Summer inventiveness workshops • Personality and learning methods mapping • Intro summer camp for all microEP students Results in • Broadened technical knowledge • Rapid acclimation to first job • Early leadership roles • Earlier significant personal success Sound technical graduate degree microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

8. Pre October 2002 Operations Seminar (4) Ethics One course from each of four core areas: photonics, microelectronics, materials & processing, commercialization Current Operations Seminar (4) Ethics Proposal Management PHYS 5774 Intro to Optical Properties of Matter ELEG 4203 Semiconductor Devices ELEG 5213 IC Fab Technology MGMT 5383 Intra and Entrepreneurship of Technology Core Curriculum microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

9. Courses Developed under microEP Influence • Commercialization of Research • MGMT Intra/Entrepreneurship of Technology (Mgmt/Physics) • Interpersonal and Management Skills • MEPH Organizational Management (Physics - 1 hour) • PHYS Research Management (Physics - 1 hour) • MEPH Proposal Writing and Management (Physics/ME - 1 hour) • MEPH Ethics for Scientists and Engineers (Physics - 1 hour – NSF REU financial) microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

10. Courses Developed under microEP Influence • Interdisciplinary Academic Subjects • MEPH Nanotech I (materials – Chemistry, Peng) • MEPH Nanotech II (devices – Physics, Salamo – FIPSE financial support) • ELEG Quantum Structures and Devices I and II (EE, Manasreh – replaces MEPH Nanotech II) • MEEG Nanotech III (manufacturing – ME, Malshe) • MEEG Introduction to MEMS (ME, Tung/Malshe) • MEEG Advanced MEMS (ME, Tung/Malshe) • MEPH Integrated Passives (ChE, Ulrich) • MEPH Numerical Modeling for Scientists and Engineers (Civil Engineering, Selvam) microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

11. MS microEP (21) 30 hours total MS in traditional Eng 24 hours total (24) PhD Eng after MS Eng 30 hours total (27) PhD microEP after MS microEP 30 hours total (30) 54 hours total (54) PhD Eng after BS Eng Proposed PhD Eng with Ent minor 60 hours total (45) Degree Course Content Comparison(No thesis or dissertation hours included) PhD microEP after BS Sci or Eng 60 hours total (48) Start 30 Hours 60 Hours Management Technical Content Entrepreneurism microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting

12. PhD microEP Graduates • Clayton Workman (Cohort 1 after BSEE) • Post Doc (TEMS) Dec 02, now RF Micro Devices Technologist in MBE • Alex Lostetter (Cohort 2 after MSEE at Va Tech) • Arkansas Power Electronics International May 03 • About $2.25 million in SBIR type funding after 1.5 years • Vahid Yazdanpanah (Cohort 3 after MS Physics) • Post Doc (MBE) Aug 03 • Chad O’Neal (Cohort 3 after MSME at UA) • Tenure track faculty Louisiana Tech May 04 • Ryan Swain (Cohort 3 after BS Physics) • Medical School at U Alabama Aug 04 microEP Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting