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Hello, my name is Stephen Hyatt. I got interested in semiconductors ever since I had my first calculator, and later in solid state physics. I have always been interested in how things work. I have a Ph.D. in Materials, I got certified by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) as a Reliability Engineer (CRE), and also as a Quality Engineer (CQE).
Process engineering entails knowledge of physics, chemistry, the different engineering disciplines, quality, and reliability. I believe that the process engineer is not a rung on a ladder, but rather is part of the fabric that constitutes the engineering function. I needed to build a structured knowledge about quality so I studied for the Quality Certification; and, later I complemented this knowledge by the Reliability Certification. In addition, I believe that the process engineer should be knowledgeable about marketing and finance. I attended an MBA Bootcamp offered by one of the local colleges in the Bay Area (California). Topics covered were: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Strategy, and Projects in entrepreneurship, business turnarounds, and international alliances. Several case studies were presented, argued, and analyzed. The MBA, in my opinion, is a risk-free environment where individuals and teams can practice making decisions on cases studied without serious repercussions. I found the Portable MBA and Fast Forward MBA series, published by Wiley, to be helpful.
I believe that certification is a conscious impetus for improved performance of both company and engineers, and enforces professional responsibility. It would be nice if an organization as the American Vacuum Society (AVS), ITRS, SEMI, or IMEC undertakes a program for the certification of process engineers. As process engineers come from different science and engineering disciplines, the Body-of-Knowledge (BOK), or principals, for certification will complement their education, and would cover topics as: best practices and theories in organizational procedures, industrial psychology, and, of course, technical topics. The BOK would encompass, for example:
- IC design verification (emulation, simulation) methods,
- IC process simulation,
- vacuum technology,
- lithography,
- plasma physics and chemistry as they impact the different processes,
- driving forces for the ITRS roadmaps,
- SEMI's standards (as SECS and GEMS implementation and protocols),
- project management, (a nice handy reference: Project Management Terms: A Working Glossary by J. LeRoy Ward)
- quality, and
- hardware and device reliabilities.
(A handy plasma reference booklet is the "NRL Plasma Formulary" published by the US Naval Research Lab; it is described as "the mini-Bible of plasma physicists for the past 25 years. It is an eclectic compilation of mathematical and scientific formulas, and contains physical parameters pertinent to a variety of plasma regimes, ranging from laboratory devices to astrophysical objects".)
The principals for certification material would be covered in a period of about 3 or 4 months - about the time spent for preparing for an ASQ certification exam. The question is: who pays? who gains? and, who suffers?
Certification adds a level of confidence executives would have in their technical personnel. On the page entitled "Best Practices", Drs. Leachman and Hodges of UC Berkeley found that the best practices of successful companies encompass cross-training of personnel in the different functional areas, that is reducing division of labor - this last point adds value to breadth of knowledge. The breadth of knowledge acquired through certification allows the engineer to be attuned to the slightest detail that may derail a heavily invested-in project. And, details after all, do matter because it is details that make a Formula-One a Formula-One; it's called in German: Gründlichkeit, that is, conscientiousness in performing all aspects of a task (no short cuts), or mindfulness - it is structure and discipline. Through certification, the engineer gets the added benefit of soundly constructing the big picture by controlling the fine details. And, regardless whether one is working on innovative technology or a commoditized product, details do matter. David F. D'Alessandro has pointed in his book "Executive Warfare: 10 Rules of Engagement for Winning Your War for Success" that a "[person may] need a license to cut hair, but not to manage and control thousands of people", wouldn't it be reasonable to have certified engineers working on or monitoring multimillion dollar tools and hundreds of thousands of dollars in products?
I hope you find the content of these pages helpful.
This site was last updated 03/01/10
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