04 / The Academy

The full climb — design to fab to test.

Six disciplines spanning the entire semiconductor value chain, drawn from a real 20-course curriculum — 194+ lessons, beginner to advanced, online to cleanroom, each course mapped to a job being hired today. Open any course to see exactly what's inside. ChipReady AI sequences the right path for you.

Find your trajectory → For founding partners →
6 +3Disciplines & frontiers
20Industry courses
194+Mapped lessons
20+Job roles mapped
D-01

Semiconductor Foundations

The literacy every role is built on — how the industry, the device, and the chip actually work. Where the complete beginner starts.

3 courses
Introduction to the world of semiconductor Beginner 2 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. The Semiconductor Industry at a Glance (15 min)
  2. Introduction to Semiconductor (15 min)
  3. Semiconductor devices and models (15 min)
  4. Engineering Design Process (30 min)
  5. Component matching issues and current minor (15 min)
  6. Microchips and Solar Chips (30 min)
Leads toJunior Semiconductor Engineer · Semiconductor Technician
ForGraduate and Undergraduate Students
Value chainEducational and preparatory stage → System companies → Chip design and prototyping phase → End-use manufacturing stage
Fundamentals of Semiconductor Beginner 2 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. Major Semiconductor Terminologies (15 min)
  2. Common Semiconductor Devices and Their Applications (15 min)
  3. Types of Metal Oxide Semiconductors (MOSs) (30 min)
  4. Segments of Integrated Circuits (ICs) and Advancements (30 min)
  5. Moore's Law and Technology Nodes (30 min)
Leads toJunior Semiconductor Process Engineer · New-entry IC Design Technician
ForGraduate and Undergraduate Students
Value chainEducational and preparatory stage → Chip design and process innovation phase
IC Packaging Entry-Level Certification Beginner 3 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction concepts of IC packaging. (15 min)
  2. Fundamentals concepts of PCB, board assembly, soldering, and leadframe and substrate package assembly. (15 min)
  3. Types of IC packages and Various IC assembly processes (30 min)
  4. Material selection in IC packaging (30 min)
  5. Performance and Reliability Testing for IC Packages (30 min)
  6. Theoretical Assessment : This exam will consist of 100 questions. A passing score of 75% is required. (1 hr)
Leads toPackaging Technician · PCB Assembly Engineer
ForGraduate and Undergraduate Students
ToolsHardware: 1. SE-013 PR Strip & Wet Etching Chemical Hood 2. HITACHI S920A CD SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) Software: 1. Altium Designer 2. Eagle 3. KiCad
Value chainEducational and preparatory stage → IC Assembly & Test phase
D-02

Fabless & IC Design

RTL to tapeout — analog, digital, mixed-signal, VLSI and system-on-chip, on the EDA tools the industry actually runs.

3 courses
IC Design Advanced Certification Advanced 5 months Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction to IC design, Verilog synthesis, physical implementation, and CMOS MEMS design (1 week)
  2. Analog IC design: operational amplifier, noise analysis and modeling, comparators, sample and hold, system consideration, data converter fundamentals, A/D converters, ADC Measurement (1 week)
  3. VLSI Design and Filter: Fundamentals of filter, high-order active RC filters, switched capacitor filters, monolithic continuous-time filters (1 week)
  4. Multi-stage MOS Amplifier (1 week)
  5. CMOS fabrication and layout rule, CMOS static logic design, CMOS physical design style (1 week)
  6. Digital IC design: Semi-custom design flow, RTL Coding, Digital system design, control unit, datapath, system on chip (1 week)
  7. Verilog basics, verilog for combination blocks, Verilog for sequential blocks and memory, Verilog for FSM and mini system (1 week)
  8. Hands-on experiment + report preparation:
  9. Instrument introduction: power supply, digital meter, IC tester (2 weeks)
  10. Decoders, encoders, and multiplexers (2 weeks)
  11. Flip-flop and sequential circuit (2 weeks)
  12. Verilog syntax and testbench testing (2 weeks)
  13. Theoretical exam :
  14. This test will examine participant's understanding of analog IC design, digital IC design, VLSI design and Filter, CMOS, various logic gates, adders, subtractors, multipliers, and comparators (1 hr)
  15. Practical certification :
  16. Design and implement a mixed-signal IC prototype that includes both analog and digital components, using CMOS technology. (5 weeks)
Leads toMixed-Signal IC Design Engineer · VLSI Design Engineer
ForGraduate students or industry professionals.
PrerequisitesBackground in electrical engineering or related fields
ToolsHardware: 1. FPGA Development Boards. 2. Oscilloscopes/Logic Analyzers 3. Power supply, digital multimeter, IC tester for post-fabrication testing Software: 1. Synopsys Design Compiler 2. Cadence Genus.
Value chainSystem Specification phase → Architectural IC Design phase → Functional Design and Logic Design phase → Circuit Design phase
Advanced Semiconductor Design and Implementation Intermediate 2 weeks Online
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of Semiconductor Fabless Design Models (1 hr)
  2. Power Management (1 hr)
  3. Analog buck converter design (1 week)
  4. Digital buck converter design (1 week)
  5. Digital Hardware (2 hr)
  6. Digital charge balance control (2 hr)
  7. L, C, BW Design Flow (2 hr)
  8. Multiphase buck converter with current/thermal balance (2 hr)
  9. Analog/digital non-inverting buck booster converter (2 hr)
  10. Analog/digital PFC (2 hr)
  11. Digital LDO (2 hr)
Leads toPower Management IC Design Engineer · Power Electronics Engineer
ForGraduate students in electrical engineering or materials science, Technicians working in semiconductor fabrication, Materials scientists
PrerequisitesBasic knowledge of digital logic design and digital system
ToolsHardware: 1. Oscilloscopes, Analog IC design tools, Multimeters, Power supplies. 2. FPGA/ASIC 3. Arduino, Raspberry Pi 4. LCR meter Software: 1. Synopsys Design Compiler, Cadence RTL Compiler. 2. LTspice 3. VHDL/Verilog
Value chainEducational and preparatory stage → IC design by fabless companies phase → Analog design and semiconductor development process → Digital circuit design and development process
Single on Chip Design and Application Advanced 1.5 months Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of System-on-Chip (SoC) Design and Integration (1 hr)
  2. Introduction of embedded systems (1 hr)
  3. Arduino : marque, button, and multiplex seven-segment display, pedometer, SPI、Bluetooth, calculator, ultrasonic ranger, stepper motor, self-propelled car, Timer (2 weeks)
  4. Introduction of Mbed platform (1 hr)
  5. STM 32 RTOS and STM32 USB (1 week)
  6. Multimedia SoC Design : SoC architecture design, processor, Bus/AMBA, peripherals and interfacing, memory, hardware accelerator design, hardware/software verification, low-power design (3 weeks)
Leads toEmbedded Systems Engineer · SoC Design Engineer
ForSemiconductor Design Professionals Graduate and Postgraduate Students
PrerequisitesKnowledge of digital and analog IC design Experience with EDA tools
ToolsHardware: 1. Arduino, STM32 2. FPGA Development Boards Software: 1. Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys IC Validator 2. VHDL/Verilog
Value chainEducational and preparatory stage → Chip Design phase → Physical Design step → Physical Verification and Signoff step → End-use manufacturing phase
D-03

Foundry & Fabrication

The cleanroom craft — crystal growth, lithography, deposition, etch, CMP and wafer processing, hands-on with real fab tools.

3 courses
Wafer Processing Technician Certification Advanced 3.5 months Onsite
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of Semiconductor Foundry (1 hr)
  2. Supply chain in wafer production (1 hr)
  3. Review of wafer thinning, wafer cleaning, and final inspection (1 week)
  4. Differences between Si and non-Si wafer materials (SiC, GaAs) (2 hr)
  5. Detailed process of crystal growth (Czochralski method), slicing, lapping, etching, and polishing (1 week)
  6. Wafer bonding techniques, SOI, and wafer-level packaging (1 week)
  7. Dicing methods: mechanical vs. laser-based (1 week)
  8. Challenges in dicing and handling GaAs wafers (2 hr)
  9. The methods used to deposit thin films onto wafer, or substrate (1 week)
  10. Wafer Acceptance Test (WAT) analysis: parameters affecting yield and performance (1 week)
  11. Tools for WAT data interpretation (SPC, process windows) (2 hr)
  12. Wafer-level simulations for process optimization (1 week)
  13. Hands-on experiment + report preparation:
  14. wafer cleaning, dicing, bonding, and testing in a semiconductor lab environment (2 weeks)
  15. Theoretical Certification:
  16. At the end of the training, the learner can enroll in a certification exam. The learner will have three attempts to pass the exam. A passing score of 75% is required. (1.5 hr)
  17. Key Wafer Fabrication Processes Practical Certification:
  18. Participants must show their ability to handle wafer materials, execute precision dicing and bonding, and conduct wafer-level testing and analysis to meet industry standards. (5 weeks)
Leads toWafer Fabrication Engineer · Process Engineer
ForNew hires engineers, engineers, technicians, or any individual already working in semiconductor manufacturing
Prerequisites1. Basic understanding of semiconductor materials and manufacturing 2. A degree or diploma in electrical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, or a related technical field 3. Experience with laboratory equipment, basic material handling, and data analysis tools
ToolsHardware: 1. Wafer precision cutting machine 2. Ultrasonic cleaner 3. HITACHI S-6280H In-line Electron Microscope (In-line SEM) 4. PANalytical X'Pert Pro (MRD) X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 5. C2W wafer alignment bonding machine Chip To Wafer Bonder 6. EVG 501&610 W2W wafer alignment bonding machine 7. MCVD Centura WxZ WCVD (tungsten chemical vapor deposition) 8. 100 PECVD cassette system CF-T19 Oxford PECVD 9. PICOSUN R-200 Atomic layer deposition (ALD) 10. Disco / DAD3221 Dicing Saw (wafer dicing) 11. Lam Research TCP 9400 (wafer etching) Software: 1. SAP, Oracle SCM Cloud (supply chain) 2. Minitab, JMP (SPC, process windows) 2. TCAD
Value chainWafer fabrication process phase → Wafer processing and packaging phase
CVD and Dielectric Thin Film Advanced 2 months Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction (30 min)
  2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): CVD Oxide, Grown Oxide, deposition process, APCVD/LPCVD/PECVD, TEOS molecule, Injection system (1 week)
  3. Applications of Dielectric Thin Film: multilevel metal interconnection, CVD and COG plus CVD dielectrics, Shallow trench isolation, Sidewall spacer for salicide, the passivation dielectrics, inter layer dielectric, premetal dielectric, intermetal dielectric (1 week)
  4. Dielectric Thin Film Characteristics : Refractive index, thickness, uniformity, stress, particle (1 day)
  5. Dielectric CVD Processes : thermal silane/thermal TEOS CVD process, PECVD silane/TEOS processes, dielectric etchback processes, O3-TEOS processes, high density plasma CVD, PECVD low-k dielectric, spin-on dielectric (1 week)
  6. Spin-on Glass (SOG) :Silicate, Siloxane (1 day)
  7. High-Density Plasma CVD : inductively coupled plasma chamber, ECR chamber, HDP-CVD-IMD application, HDP-CVD-deposition, PE-TEOS deposition, oxide CMP (1 week)
  8. Dielectric CVD Chamber Clean : RF plasma clean, RF clean chemistry, polymerization, teflon deposition, remote plasma clean (1 week)
  9. Process Trends and Troubleshooting: low-k dielectric (1 day)
  10. Recent Development (1 day)
  11. Hands-on experiment 1: depositing dielectric thin films using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) (2 weeks)
  12. Hands-on experiment 2: practice high-density plasma CVD (HDP-CVD) techniques for depositing dielectric films and performing a dielectric CVD chamber clean (2 weeks)
Leads toCVD Process Engineer · Thin Film Process Engineer
ForGraduate students in electrical engineering or materials science, Technicians working in semiconductor fabrication, Materials scientists
Prerequisites1. Basic knowledge of semiconductor materials and fabrication processes 2. Understanding of thin film deposition techniques 3. Experience in a lab environment or hands-on fabrication
ToolsHardware: 1. 100 PECVD cassette system CF-T19 Oxford PECVD 2. MCVD Centura WxZ WCVD (tungsten chemical vapor deposition) 3. Oxford Plasmalab System 100 from the United Kingdom (PECVD & ICP) 4. M2000 Ellipsometric Thickness Gauge 5. Manual Spin Coater 6. Deep-Si ICP Etcher 7. IPEC 372M Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) 8. CB Technology RF Sputter 9. PICOSUN R-200 Atomic layer deposition (ALD) 10. CAMECA IMS 7F Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer - SIMS Software: 1. TCAD 2. COMSOL 3. SPC (Statistical Process Control) 4. Synopsys Sentaurus 5. Silvaco
Value chainFoundries (Fabrication) stage → IC manufacturing phase → Equipment manufacturing stage
Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) Techniques and Applications Intermediate 2 weeks Online
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction : wafer process flow, CMOS IC, dielectric layers, advanced CMOS IC Chip with gate-last HKMG, planarization, as deposited, etch back, CVD USG, photoresist etchback, photoresist coating and baking, SOG etchback, CMP application in DRAM, CMP application in Cu metallization, HDP CVD PSG, CMP PSG, PEB, etch PSG, strip photoresist, tungsten CVD (1 week)
  2. CMP Hardware : polishing pad, wafer carrier, slurry dispenser (3 hr)
  3. CMP Slurries : slurry delivery, slurry flow, oxide flurry, fumed silica, metal polishing slurry, tungsten slurry, aluminium slurry, copper slurry (1 week)
  4. CMP Basics : removal rate, uniformity, selectivity, defects (2 hr)
  5. CMP Processes : oxide removal mechanism, metal removal mechanism, endpoint methods (2 hr)
  6. Recent Developments : low-k dielectric CMP, DRAM application (2 hr)
Leads toCMP Process Engineer · CMP Technician
ForGraduate students in semiconductor, materials science, or mechanical engineering, Engineers and technicians working in wafer fabrication
Prerequisites1. Basic understanding of semiconductor manufacturing processes 2. Fundamental knowledge in materials science and physics
ToolsHardware: 1. Speedfam BSG-V Wafer thinning system (Grinder) 2. IPEC 372M Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) 3. EVG 501&610 (W2W wafer alignment bonding machine) Software: 1. Synopsys Sentaurus, 2. Silvaco, 3. TCAD
Value chainSemiconductor Fabrication Equipment stage → Semiconductor Processes phase
D-04

Integrated Device Manufacturing

Process integration at scale — CMOS and FinFET flows, device scaling, and the operations that run a working IDM.

3 courses
Process Integration Intermediate 5 days Online
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction : CMOS processes (front-end and back-end) (1 hr)
  2. Wafer Preparation : NMOS and CMOS processes, epitaxy silicon layer, wafer used for IC fabrication (2 hr)
  3. Isolations : blanket field oxide, local oxide of silicon, shallow trench isolation (2 hr)
  4. Well Formation : N-well formation, CMOS with P-well, CMOS with N-well, self aligned twin well, twin twell (5 hr)
  5. Transistor Making : metal gate, self-aligned gate, lightly doped drain, threshold adjustment, anti punch-through, metal and high-k gate MOS (2 days)
  6. MOSFET with High-k and Metal Gate : traditional process, etch metal and strip photoresist, ALD cap layer, hard mask deposition, HKMG gate last process (2 days)
  7. Interconnection : making transistor (front-end), interconnection (back-end), multimetal layers with dielectric in between, local interconnection, PMD, IMD ( 5 hr)
  8. Passivation : metal anneal, PECVD oxide, PECVD nitride, photoresist coating, bonding pad mask exposure (2 hr)
Leads toCMOS Process Technician · Wafer Fabrication Technician
ForIndividuals pursuing degrees in Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, or related fields, new hiring engineers or technicians
Prerequisites1. Understanding the fundamental concepts of semiconductor materials and electronic devices 2. Understanding basic electrical engineering principles
ToolsHardware: 1. wet bench (front-end chemical cleaning and etching workstation 2. Oxidation & Diffusion furnaces 3. IPEC 372M Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) 4. Oxidation & Diffusion furnaces 5. PICOSUN R-200 Atomic layer deposition (ALD) 6. wet bench (front-end chemical cleaning and etching workstation) 7. 100 PECVD cassette system CF-T19 Oxford PECVD 8. Track (automated photoresist coating and development system) Software: 1. Synopsys Sentaurus 2. Silvaco TCAD
Value chainWafer Fabrication stage → Back-end Processing stage
CMOS Technology Skill Test Certification Advanced 2.5 months Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of CMOS Technology and Semiconductor Foundries (1 hr)
  2. CMOS Circuit Design Process and Processing Technologies (2 hr)
  3. Oxidation, lithography, etching, and deposition in CMOS technology (2 days)
  4. CMOS Transistor Design: nMOS and pMOS (1 hr)
  5. Introduction to FinFET Technology (1 hr)
  6. Device scaling: Moore’s Law and beyond (1 hr)
  7. CMOS scaling challenges and solutions (1 hr)
  8. Understanding BiCMOS and Bipolar technologies (1 hr)
  9. Constructing and evaluating new CMOS, BiCMOS, and bipolar technologies (2 hr)
  10. Tools for CMOS design: SPICE simulations and layout editors (1 days)
  11. Low-power CMOS design for IoT and mobile applications (1 hr)
  12. Use of TCAD and SPICE for device modeling and circuit simulation (2 days)
  13. CMOS Interconnect (2 hr)
  14. CMOS Fabrication (2 hr)
  15. Lab work 1 + report preparation: Design a CMOS circuit using SPICE (2 weeks)
  16. Lab work 2 + report preparation: Construct and evaluate FinFET and BiCMOS devices (2 weeks)
  17. At the end of the training, the learner can enroll in a certification exam. The learner will have three attempts to pass the exam. A passing score of 75% is required. (1.5 hr)
  18. Practical certifications : Participants will be required to design a CMOS circuit using SPICE and perform detailed simulations + Participants will construct FinFET and BiCMOS devices and perform electrical testing (5 weeks)
Leads toCMOS Design Engineer · Device Engineer
ForStudents with a background in semiconductor technology, circuit design, and CMOS technology, engineers, those who seeking to work in semiconductor manufacturing
Prerequisites1. Knowledge of fundamental electronic components and circuit theory. 2. Proficiency in mathematics, including calculus and algebra 3. Familiarity with programming can be helpful for working with SPICE and TCAD
ToolsHardware: 1. Oxidation & Diffusion furnaces 2. EVG/620NT Exposure machine (EVG) 3. FSE Cluster PVD (multi-layer metal sputtering system) 4. Jandel HM21 Four point probe 5. LAM Research 2300 (construct FinFet) 6. PICOSUN R-200 Atomic layer deposition (ALD) Software: 1. SPICE Simulation 2. TCAD software, 3. Cadence Virtuoso®
Value chainCMOS circuit design phase → Wafer fabrication phase/CMOS fabrication phase → CMOS testing and quality control stage
Supply Chain and Operations Management in IDM Beginner 6 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of Supply Chain and Operations Management in IDM (1 hr)
  2. Summarize past and current supply chain issues (1 hr)
  3. Costs over the last decades, process yield costs, and past and current supply chain issues (2 hr)
  4. SCM software utilization (2 hr)
Leads toSupply Chain Analyst · Operations Manager
ForSupply Chain Managers, Operations Managers, Engineers
PrerequisitesBasic knowledge of supply chain management and semiconductor processes
ToolsHardware: N/A Software: 1. SCM (ERP, SAP, Oracle) 2. AnyLogic 3. Arena Simulation 4. SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference)
Value chainIntegrated Device Manufacturers (design, manufacture, sell) stage
D-05

Assembly, Test & Packaging

OSAT — die and wire bonding, flip-chip, 2.5D/3D advanced packaging, device test, failure analysis and yield optimization.

7 courses
Advanced Semiconductor Packaging and OSAT Technologies Advanced 3 weeks Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Fundamentals of OSAT Operations and role of OSAT companies in the semiconductor supply chain (1 hr)
  2. Basic principles of semiconductor packaging (1 hr)
  3. Packaging technologies for integrated circuits (3 hr)
  4. PCB (Printed Circuit Board) component packages (2 hr)
  5. Types of component packages available in the industry, including Through-Hole Devices (THD) and Surface-Mounted Devices (SMD) (3 hr)
  6. Introduction to Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and Solid-State Lighting (SSL) technologies and their specific packaging requirements (2 hr)
  7. MEMS technology, including thermal and mechanical simulations for MEMS packages (3 hr)
  8. 2.5D and 3D packaging as advanced packaging techniques (2 hr)
  9. Key issues related to the success of semiconductor packaging (1 hr)
  10. How packaging processes, release techniques, and packaging technologies (3 days)
  11. Hands-on experiments + report preparation :
  12. Design a simple semiconductor package for an integrated circuit (IC) (2 weeks)
Leads toPackaging Engineer · Test Engineer
ForGraduate students in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related fields, Junior IC Packaging Integration Engineers, Junior Process Engineers, and Technicians
Prerequisites1. Knowledge of electronic components and their functions (e.g., ICs, PCBs) 2. Basic understanding of semiconductor materials and devices 3. Background in materials science or electrical engineering principles 4. Understanding general semiconductor manufacturing process
ToolsHardware: 1. PCB Milling Machine (LPKF ProtoMat S63) 2. Thermo Fisher Scientific Theta Probe (XPS) 3. Digital multimeter Fluke 87V 4. Oscilloscope 5. SE-024 Chip To Wafer Bonder (C2W) software : 1. Ansys HFSS 2. Autodesk Eagle 3. Synopsys TCAD 4. COMSOL Multiphysics
Value chainIC Assembly and Testing stage → , IC Packaging stage
Semiconductor Assembly Processes in OSAT Beginner 9.5 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. Standard assembly processes used in OSAT (2 hr)
  2. Die bonding (2 hr)
  3. Wire bonding (2 hr)
  4. Flip-Chip bonding (2 hr)
  5. How assembly processes impact semiconductor's performance metrics (1 hr)
  6. Current Issues in semiconductor assembly (30 min)
Leads toAssembly Process Engineer · Packaging Engineer
ForBachelor's/Master's degree in engineering who passionate about semiconductor assembly processes
PrerequisitesUnderstanding of electrical engineering principles, materials science, and mechanical concepts relevant to semiconductor assembly
ToolsHardware : 1. ASM AD8930 Die Bonder 2. IBOND5000-DUAL WIRE BONDER 3. HL-640 Die Bond/Wire Bond Inspection System 4.PANalytical X'Pert Pro (MRD) X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 5. Wet bench (front-end chemical cleaning and etching workstation Software: 1. ANSYS 2. COMSOL
Value chainChip assembly phase
Semiconductor Testing Techniques in OSAT Advanced 1 month Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of common failure mechanisms in semiconductor devices (1 hr)
  2. Basic testing techniques used in OSAT (2 hr)
  3. Performance and reliability assessment (2 hr)
  4. Test structures, equipment, and methods for high-reliability components (1 day)
  5. Digital system testing (1 day)
  6. Testing techniques for LEDs, laser diodes, and VCSELs (3 days)
  7. Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) failure mechanisms, test structures, equipment, and methodologies (2 hr)
  8. Wafer acceptance testing parameters, yield, performance, power (2 hr)
  9. Hands-on experiments + report preparation :
  10. - Practical inspection and analysis to identify common failure mechanisms (1.5 weeks)
  11. - Perform acceptance testing to evaluate wafer quality (1.5 weeks)
Leads toTest Engineer
ForAdvanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science major Entry-level engineers
PrerequisitesBasic understanding of semiconductor devices, knowledge of optical semiconductors, basic electronics knowledge, semiconductor manufacturing knowledge
ToolsHardware : 1. Optical microscope 2. Bruker Dimension Icon Scanning Probe Microscope (ICON) 3. JOEL JSM 6500-F Thermal Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (TFSEM) 4. EVG 501&610 (W2W wafer alignment bonding machine) 5. KLA-Tencor (Wafer inspection system) 6. Keysight B1500A (parameter analyzer) Software : 1. AMOS 2. LISREL 3. Stata
Value chainSemiconductor assembly stage → Semiconductor testing and quality control stage
Semiconductor Quality Assurance and Yield Optimization Certification Advanced 1 months Onsite
What you'll learn
  1. Quality Control in Microelectronics (1 hr)
  2. Overview of quality parameters (1 hr)
  3. Techniques for identifying and resolving yield issues (2 hr)
  4. Tools, techniques, and processes used in failure and yield analysis (3 day)
  5. Basic principles of quality statistics used in the semiconductor industry (1 hr)
  6. Criteria for success in the semiconductor qualification (1 hr)
  7. Hands-On Experiments + report preparation : Yield data analysis, identify issues, and implement improvement techniques (2 weeks)
  8. Theory Examination : Key principles and practices in quality control specific to microelectronics, various quality parameters in semiconductor manufacturing, techniques and methodologies for yield improvement, Success criteria for semiconductor qualification (1 hr)
  9. Practical Certification Task : Perform the ability to use quality tools and techniques to analyze yield data (2 weeks)
Leads toQuality Assurance Engineer · Test Engineer
ForBachelor’s degree in science and engineering major Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science major
PrerequisitesBasic knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing processes and statistics, basic understanding on defect mechanism and yield impact in semiconductor
ToolsHardware: 1. Karl Suss PM8 (Wafer prober) 2. Keysight B1500A 3. Advantest T2000 (test system) 4. KLA-Tencor Software: 1. InfinityQS 2. DFSS Toolkit, 3. SigmaXL 4. MATLAB
Value chainSemiconductor testing and quality assurance phase
Advanced Materials for High-Performance Semiconductors Certification Advanced 6 months Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Integration of advanced materials in semiconductor devices (2 days)
  2. Wide-bandgap semiconductors in power electronics devices (2 hr)
  3. Basic material features on electronic components and boards (1 hr)
  4. Materials used in making a single-sided PCB and a multi-layer PCB (2 hr)
  5. Approach to sectioning a sample based on material type (1 day)
  6. Material deposition techniques (1 day)
  7. Emerging materials for future technologies (2 hr)
  8. Lab work 1 + report preparation: Performing various deposition techniques (PVD & CVD) (2 weeks)
  9. Lab work 2 + report preparation: Demonstrating how to characterize the deposited materials to determine their properties and performance (3 weeks)
  10. Theoretical Examination (1.5 hr)
  11. Practical Certification:
  12. - Identify new materials that could be used in advanced semiconductor (6 weeks)
  13. - Use the PVD/CVD system to deposit thin films (6 weeks)
  14. - Interpret characterization data (3 weeks)
  15. - Assess the performance of the new materials (3 weeks)
  16. Excellent grades will be given for participants who successful demonstrate a material with superior performance, meet all criteria, and show potential for advanced semiconductor applications
Leads toMaterials Engineer · Semiconductor Process Engineer
ForGraduate students, researchers, and engineers in materials science, electrical engineering, and semiconductor technology. engineers working in semiconductor materials R&D
Prerequisites1. Basic understanding of semiconductor physics and electronics 2. Understanding of materials science, particularly with properties of electronic materials 3. Experience with laboratory work related to materials testing is preferable
ToolsHardware: 1. CB Technology RF Sputter 2. MCVD Centura WxZ WCVD (tungsten chemical vapor deposition) 3. Bruker Dimension Icon Scanning Probe Microscope (ICON) 4. JOEL JSM 6500-F Thermal Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (TFSEM) 5. PANalytical X'Pert Pro (MRD) X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 6. Thermo Fisher Scientific Theta Probe (XPS) 7. CAMECA IMS 7F Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer - SIMS Software: 1. Synopsys Sentaurus 2. Silvaco TCAD
Value chainRaw material supply stage → Chip design stage → Physical design stage
Metallization Techniques in Semiconductor Fabrication Intermediate 8 days Online
What you'll learn
  1. Introduction: definition, application, PVD vs CVD, methods, vacuum, metals, processes, future trends (2 hr)
  2. Conducting Thin Films: polysilicon, silicides, aluminum alloy, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, copper, tantalum (1 day)
  3. Metal Thin Film Characteristics: thickness, stress, reflectivity, sheet resistance (2 hr)
  4. Metal CVD: chamber, process steps, chamber clean steps, tungsten CVD basics, typical W CVD process, W CVD reactions, tungsten silicide, CVD TiN, Aluminium CVD/PVD (2 days)
  5. Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) : vaporizing solid materials, heating or sputtering, condensing vapor on the substrate surface, an important part of metallization, thermal evaporator, electron beam evaporator, sputtering, PVD chamber with shield, contact/via process (3 days)
  6. Copper Metallization: copper seed layer deposition, electrochemical plating copper, cmp copper and tantalum, pre-clean, via and trench fill, electrodeless plating (2 days)
Leads toThin Film Process Engineer · Materials Engineer
ForSemiconductor fabrication engineers, materials scientists, and advanced students in semiconductor processing.
PrerequisitesBasic knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing processes and materials science
ToolsHardware: 1. Profilometer 2. PANalytical X'Pert Pro (MRD) X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 3. Electron Beam & Thermal Evaporation Deposition System 4. CB Technology RF Sputter 5. FSE Cluster PVD (multi-layer metal sputtering system) Software: 1. COMSOL Multiphysics 2. Sentaurus Process
Value chainRaw material supply stage → Semiconductor equipment manufacturing phase → Semiconductor fabrication phase
Optical Properties of Materials in Semiconductor Fabrication Intermediate 2 weeks Hybrid
What you'll learn
  1. Basics of optical physics and interaction of light with materials (1 hr)
  2. Optical physics and interband absorption (2 hr)
  3. Types of luminescence and their mechanism (2 hr)
  4. Principles of Surface Plamon Resonance and its application in semiconductor technology (2 hr)
  5. Applications of metamaterials in photonics and electronics (2 hr)
  6. Spectrum measurement and analysis (1 day)
  7. Spectroscopic tools and their applications in semiconductor testing (1 day)
  8. Optoelectronic materials and devices (2 hr)
  9. Various processing techniques for optoelectronic devices, sensors, LEDs, and integration techniques onto silicon ICs (4 hr)
  10. Basic technology features on silicon photonics ICs (2 hr)
  11. Hands-on experiments+report preparation:
  12. Experiments on light absorption, luminescence, and spectrum analysis (2 weeks)
Leads toOptoelectronics Engineer · Photonics Engineer
ForGraduate students in Electrical Engineering, Material Science, or Physics, Optoelectronics Engineers, Material Engineers, and Researchers with basic knowledge of semiconductor materials
Prerequisites1. Basic understanding of semiconductor device physics 2. Basic understanding of optical physics and electronics
ToolsHardware : 1. PANalytical X'Pert Pro (MRD) X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 2. CAMECA IMS 7F Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer - SIMS 3. Microfluorescence spectrometer 4. High-Resolution Cold Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope & Energy Dispersive Spectrometer 5. SÜSS MicroTec MA/BA Gen6 Mask Aligner 6. Oxford Plasmalab System 100 from the United Kingdom (PECVD & ICP) Software: 1. SignalVu-PC RF Spectrum Analyzer Software
Value chainChip design stage → Physical design phase → Testing phase
D-06

Materials & Metrology

Thin films, metallization, optical and high-performance materials, and the instruments that characterize every wafer.

1 course
Materials Used in Semiconductor Fabrication Beginner 12 hours Online
What you'll learn
  1. Overview of semiconductor materials & fabrication techniques (1 hr)
  2. Fundamentals of lithography, including photomasks and photoresist application (2 hr)
  3. Deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) in advanced lithography (2 hr)
  4. Doping and ion implantation techniques for modifying the electrical properties (2 hr)
  5. Thermal oxidation processes (2 hr)
  6. Material characterization (3 hr)
Leads toSemiconductor Process Technician · Material Scientist
ForBachelor's degree in engineering, material science, applied physics or similiarly related discipline
PrerequisitesBasic understanding of material science
ToolsHardware : 1. EVG/620NT Exposure machine (EVG) 2. Double Side Mask Aligner 3. CB Technology RF Sputter 4. Varian VIISta 80/100 (Ion Implanter) 5. JOEL JSM 6500-F Thermal Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (TFSEM) 6. X-ray Diffractometer - XRD 7. Thermo Fisher Scientific Theta Probe (XPS) 8. Bruker Dimension Icon Scanning Probe Microscope (ICON) Software: 1. Synopsys Sentaurus 2. Silvaco TCAD
Value chainRaw material supply stage → Chip design stage → Physical design stage
↗ / The role ladder

Every course points to a paycheck.

Modules stack into recognized roles and credentials — from vocational certificates to advanced degrees. Here is where you start for each.

Role
Typical credential
Where you start
Semiconductor Technician
Vocational cert
Intro to Semiconductor · IC Packaging Entry-Level
Process Engineer
Associate / Bachelor's
Process Integration · CMP · CVD & Thin Film
Design Engineer
Master's
IC Design Advanced · Advanced Semiconductor Design
Packaging Engineer
Bachelor's
IC Packaging · Advanced Packaging & OSAT
Materials Engineer
Bachelor's / Ph.D.
Materials in Fabrication · Advanced Materials
Test / Quality Engineer
Bachelor's
Testing Techniques · QA & Yield Optimization
⌗ / Hands-on

Not just slides. Real tools.

Advanced modules run in fabrication and measurement labs on production-grade equipment — virtual cleanroom simulations, then the real thing through our coalition's facilities.

Fabrication lab

Photolithography & mask alignment · Chemical & physical vapor deposition (PECVD, sputter, ALD) · Plasma & wet etch (Lam Research) · Oxidation/diffusion furnaces · Ion implantation · Chemical-mechanical polishing · Wafer bonding & dicing.

Measurement lab

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) · Atomic force microscopy (AFM) · X-ray diffraction (XRD) · Ellipsometry & profilometry · Electrical characterization (parameter analyzers, probers) · Spectroscopy (SIMS, XPS) · Automated wafer inspection (KLA-Tencor).

→ / Frontier horizons

What opens next.

Opening

AI Hardware

Accelerators and the silicon behind the models — where the next decade of demand concentrates.

Opening

Robotics & Automation

The machines that build the machines — embedded systems, control, and the automated fab.

Opening

Quantum

The next substrate — and the engineers who will be ready before the rest of the world is.

◆ ChipReady AI

Don't pick modules. Let us compose your path.

Answer three questions. ChipReady AI sequences the exact modules to take you from where you are to the job you want.

Find your trajectory → See the 7 levels →