The purpose of this workshop is (1) to provide guidance to the National Science Foundation on appropriate uses of the MOSIS integrated circuit fabrication service by undergraduate students nationwide; (2) to identify design and test software, curriculum plans and texts and other support functions needed to implement an efficient undergraduate education program in VLSI design; and (3) identify rules, guidelines, and fiscal policies for requesting, executing, and maintaining a continuing undergraduate VLSI education program which is tightly coupled to the needs of industry and government. The workshop will be attended by key, motivated educators, industrial supporters, and government officials with oversight and general guidance provided by a select steering committee. VLSI design has become an important component of electrical and computer engineering, both in practice and research. The MOSIS fabrication service, supported by NSF and DARPA, has demonstrated high value in VLSI teaching and research. It is the major national resource by which students can get their designs implemented so that they can directly observe through test procedures the success and shortcomings of their efforts. The MOSIS service has been used primarily by graduate students. Because of the broad need for VLSI design skills, it is important that more undergraduate exposure to VLSI design take place. Toward this end, the proposed workshop will plan and delineate steps to increase undergraduate course usage of MOSIS fabrication and to encourage the introduction of VLSI design courses in primarily undergraduate institutions. The workshop will also compile pertinent resources that are available for VLSI design courses and plan the transfer of experience to faculty that has no previous experience with VLSI foundry service.
