MSc Nanoelectronics: The University of Manchester

Course description

The Microelectronics and Nanostructures group in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is offering a 12 month MSc course in Nanoelectronics, a field that merges semiconductor based Nanotechnology with the need for ever smaller electronic devices.

For more than forty years electronics has experienced growth at an unprecedented rate. During this period silicon integrated circuit technology has been developed to the point where complex VLSI systems containing billions of transistors can be constructed on a sliver of silicon with an area of a few square centimetres. These phenomenal increases in capacity and performance have been reflected in Moore’s Law which predicts that the number of transistors integrated onto a silicon chip will double every eighteen months.

Starting from the fundamentals of Inorganic and Organic Semiconductors, the course is designed to lead to a comprehensive knowledge of the state of the art in experimental techniques and theoretical methods for quantum and nanoscale electronic devices. The  course encompasses techniques for full fabrication processes of nanoelectronic components, from materials growth and processing to assessment, characterisation and computer modelling, to complete device fabrication. Examplar applications will include Semiconductor Self Assembled Quantum Dots Light Emitting Diodes, Organic Thin Film devices and Quantum Cascade Lasers. The key distinguishing features of this course are thus the strong emphasis on materials and their use in a variety of advanced electronic and photonic devices.

The aims of the Programme are to:

• Provide an advanced education in modern Organic and Inorganic Semiconductor engineering, emphasising the physical principles and their practical application
• Provide practical training into the different stages of the fabrication of nanoelectronic component, from synthesis of the raw material to processing and fabrication of the final device, experiencing all the different stages of assessment
• Enable students to gain comprehensive theoretical and practical transferable knowledge in a rapidly expanding field  through a carefully balanced mix of lectures, the use of modelling software packages and laboratory exercises

Module details

• Semiconductor Physics
• Electronic Materials and Nanometrology
• Microelectronic and Nanoelectronic Process Technologies
• Photonic Devices
• Electronic Devices
• Terahertz Electronic Devices, Materials and Systems

Career opportunities

Graduates from the Programme will find easy employment opportunities in a variety of industries, including the Nano- and Opto-Electronics sectors, Inorganic and Organic Semiconductor Research & Development centres, Nanotechnology Companies and the Scientific Equipment Manufacturing industries. Recent strong demand for Organic Electronic engineers in the field of Consumer Electronics is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.  More generally engineers with Nanotechnology expertise play an important part in an ever widening range of high tech applications particularly in the Asian Economies (China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia).

The MSc can also be used as a spring board for postgraduate research.  Every academic year the Microelectronics and Nanostructures group recruits around 7 new PhD students to work on a variety of internationally recognised research projects.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview: The standard academic entry requirements for a master's course will be an upper second class UK honours degree, or international equivalent, in an Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or Material Science discipline. A suitable background in solid state or semiconductor physics is highly preferable.

English language: Students will need to be able to demonstrate competency in the English language and students who do not already possess a recognised English Language qualification will need to take a test such as IELTS or TOEFL and attain a minimum of IELTS 6.5 (with no sub test < 5.5), TOEFL 570 with 5.0 in the TWE (Test of Written English) or CBTOEFL 230 with 5.0 in the TWE.

If you do not currently have an English Language qualification at the required level then it may be possible to arrange a pre-sessional course, the duration of which will depend on your current English language qualification.