Over the past decade, microfabrication has been combined with nanofabrication, and it is estimated that the United States will need between 800,000 and 1 million new nanofabrication workers in the next 10 years. Several industry sectors are driving this workforce need. First are the established industries that traditionally use micro- and nanotechnology, such as microelectronics, information storage, optoelectronics, and others. Second are industries that have been newly created by this technology, such the MEMS, NEMs, nanobiotechnology, and nanoelectronics start-ups. A third driving sector is composed of existing major industries that previously have never used micro- and nanotechnology but are now actively embracing it. Among these are giants such as the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, and even more traditional industries like clay and glass.
Employees with skills in micro- and nanofabrication are needed at all levels. At the more advanced levels (engineers and above), workers are needed with specialized skills. At the technician level, however, where the majority of new nanofabrication jobs will be, a generic skill set is needed. The skill set needed at the technician level is identical for companies using micro- and nanotechnology whether they are producing electronic, electromechanical, biological, chemical, or any other kind of system. With this single skill set approach, students are given a background that allows them to move back and forth across industry sectors, as micro- and nanotechnology evolves and new opportunities arise. By educating students across the broad spectrum of nanofabrication applications, we develop a workforce that is more versatile and less vulnerable to the business cycles of specific industries.
Curriculum addressing the generic skill set needed for technician-level micro- and nanofabrication workers has already been developed and is being continuously improved by the existing NSF Regional Center for Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication. This hands-on curriculum leverages the Penn State site of the NSF NNUN to support the nation's first associate degree programs in nanofabrication offered at community colleges and other institutions across Pennsylvania, as well as professional development workshops for educators and industry personnel, and summer chip camps for secondary schools students.
The purpose of this planning project is to explore the feasibility of leveraging the existing NSF Regional Center for Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication and other programs and resources to establish a national ATE center for micro-and nanofabrication duration. The project is identifying and engaging industry partners, educational institutions and resources, and micro- and nanofabrication user facilities interested in such a national effort, identifying best practice alternatives to the centralized facility approach to nanofabrication technician education, and assessing the feasibility of one, unifying national center addressing micro- and nanofabrication skills.
