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The Packaging Specialty Area

Summary
Portable electronic devices like cell phones and ipods need to be as small as possible for convenience.  In order to obtain high performance, a large amount of complex circuitry must be put into a very small package.  Most of the circuitry in such devices consists of integrated circuit chips connected together by nearly microscopic metal film wires.  Electronic packaging is the art of packing as many integrated circuit chips as possible into a very small package and wiring them together.  In addition to saving space, packing chips close together inside a single package can improve performance by increasing speed and decreasing interference.  The High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) at the University of Arkansas is devoted to research in electronic packaging.  Click on the following Power Point presentation for an illustrated tour of electronic packaging that includes some very nice photographs.

Packaging Research at the University of Arkansas
The following Electrical Engineering faculty are doing packaging research.  Details on their research can be seen by clicking on their names.  Click on HiDEC to view information on the HiDEC center.

1. Simon Ang does research on Electronic Packaging, Microelectronics, Power Electronics, MEMs, & Mixed-Signal Design.
2. Suzan Burkett does research on packaging, microelectronic materials, and semiconductor processing.
3. Len Schaper  was the first director of HiDEC.  He has done research on advanced interconnect technologies including high temperature superconducting MCMs, diamond heat spreaders, mesh plane power distribution, MCM-D/L process development, integral passives, etc.
4. Vijay Varadan is the current director of HiDEC.  His specialties include microelectronics and high density electronics, sensors, MEMs, BioChips, Implantable Devices, Neuroelectronics, & NeuroSurgery.

Courses for the Packaging Specialty Area
Recommended Undergraduate Elective Courses
ELEG 4203  Semiconductor Devices
ELEG 4233  Introduction to Integrated Circuit Design

Additional Graduate & Undergraduate Courses
ELEG 5273  Electronic Packaging
ELEG 6273  Advanced Electronic Packaging
ELEG 5213  Integrated Circuit Fabrication
ELEG 5293L  Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory
ELEG 5253L  Integrated Circuit Design Lab I
ELEG 5263L  Integrated Circuit Design Lab II