The development of a new microfabrication/MEMS course at the University of Louisville

This paper presents the development of a new course at the University of Louisville in the area of microfabrication and MEMS. Funding was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The course teaches general microfabrication principles with an emphasis on MEMS, instead of traditional microelectronics. In this manner, the prerequisites are kept to a minimum, allowing the course to be offered to a broad and diverse student population. This approach allows the infiltration of microfabrication and MEMS into other disciplines, which is critical for their future development and evolution. The course is divided into a lecture and lab component. A working MEMS device, such as a pressure sensor or flow sensor, is designed, fabricated, and tested in the hands-on laboratory component. All of the class material and supporting documentation for the course is placed on the Web (http://mitghmr.spd.louisville.edu) for public access and dissemination. The course has been successfully offered twice and has been very well received by a diverse student group. Details of the development and operation of the course are provided