Starting in September 2026, the University of Twente will have a Semiconductor Learning Center. This lab facility for chip technology will ultimately teach 240 students and industry professionals how to make chips annually.
The newly established Semicon Learning Center is intended to connect theory and practice, according to Joost Lötters, coordinator and professor of Microfluidic Handling Systems at the EEMCS group Integrated Devices and Systems. 'Somewhere, you need to put the theory you have learned as a student into practice. In this lab, we want students to experience all the steps involved in chip fabrication: designing, making, and then measuring. The idea is that they carry out the practical part of their current chip technology courses in this center.'
Increasing inflow and outflow
The idea behind this, according to Lötters, is: 'That we better match students and their talents with the demand from the regional business sector.' The Semicon Learning Center is part of 'Project Beethoven', the national strengthening plan for the chip technology sector. 'The main focus of this is increasing the inflow and outflow of talent at the UT programs involved in the chip tech sector,' says Lötters, who also works at high-tech company Bronkhorst. 'We do this both through our own education and with lifelong learning together with the business community. We also seek collaboration with Saxion and ROC van Twente, to serve the entire educational chain.'
However, a new, physical location for this center is not realistic – both in terms of money and infrastructure, according to Lötters. That’s why the Semicon Learning Center initially starts in the NanoLab. 'Even though there are millions available in total for Project Beethoven, our budget for these two years is about four hundred thousand. Therefore, we have to make the best possible use of existing, suitable lab spaces. Ultimately, we need a future-proof plan: if the funding from Beethoven runs out, the facility must be able to sustain itself.'
Scaling up
Another challenge lies in scaling up. After all, under the banner of Beethoven, student enrollment must increase significantly. 'At UT, we do offer practical education in the current NanoLab facilities. While about eighty students want to use them, there is currently only capacity for twenty, so they have to be selected by lottery. We want all current students to be able to do something in the chip fabrication process and eventually expand to accommodate 240 students,' says the coordinator.
That doesn’t happen overnight, he is quick to say. 'The preparations start this month. From September this year, the first students will start working in the Semicon Learning Center – that is the plan. Scaling up to a higher capacity, we will do that in small steps. Moreover, it depends on what is possible in terms of logistics and setup. And we have to wait and see how the intake develops.'
In addition to the Semicon Learning Center, there are plans for a so-called 'Experience Center.' Its location is not yet known. 'In that Experience Center, people can catch a glimpse of how chips are produced and how experts work on the machines,' said Lötters. 'We will also develop those plans further this year.'
This news item is a translation of the Dutch article in U-Today by Rense Kuipers.
