Students from Purdue University joined the nation’s top semiconductor scholars and industry leaders to share their research at the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s (SRC) 16th annual TECHCON conference. The conference, held Sept. 7-9 in Austin, Texas, showcased the forefront of semiconductor research and recognized professional and university participants for their contributions to the industry.

Four undergraduate students from Purdue University were among the 250 undergraduate and graduate students invited from top-flight universities across the country to present their research at the conference. Through SRC’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO) program, students receive hands-on research experience and mentorship to attract them to semiconductor industry careers. Their attendance at the conference was made possible through the support of Intel Corporation and SRC Education Alliance.

The following undergraduate students from Purdue University presented their research at the conference:

• Isabella Ramirez, Materials Science Engineering, “Layer by Layer Construction of Amperometric Lactate Biosensors Using Polyelectrolyte-Enzyme Interaction”
• Branden Burns, Physics, “Removing Metallic Samples to Yield Pure Semiconductor Carbon Nanotubes and Test Their Effectiveness”
• Manuel Gutierrez, Electrical Engineering, “Energy Harvesting from Human Motion for Powering of Wearable Electronics”
• Rebecca Schumm, Mechanical Engineering, “Interface/Bulk Crack Path Selection in IMC-rich Solder Joints”

The papers selected for presentation at TECHCON represent a summary of the best research in SRC’s portfolio across all of the organization’s research programs. To be invited, students submitted an abstract of a research project for review by an SRC-coordinated committee, which selected projects based on rigorous and competitive criteria.

At the conference, students presented their papers during sessions organized by technical area of interest. They also made a poster presentation during a TechFair session where they could discuss their research one-on-one with other attendees. Industry experts, including Gil Vandentop, Executive Director, STARnet, Semiconductor Research Corporation; Shameeka Emanuel, Diversity Scholar Program Manager, Intel Corporation; and Kristen Parrish, Design Engineer, Texas Instruments, judged each session and recognized the best undergraduate posters with awards.

TECHCON brings university students from a variety of science and engineering majors together with scholars and leaders from the semiconductor industry to explore cutting-edge silicon-based research and network with other students and professionals. Altogether, more than 436 attendees participated in the 2014 conference.

Invited speakers from both the industry and academia provided a glimpse of an exciting future for the semiconductor industry. Executive leader and entrepreneur Dr. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, delivered an opening keynote address on “Communication and Connecting in a Technical Environment”. Ajit Manocha, senior strategic advisor and retired CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, provided the banquet keynote titled “From Class Room to Clean Room to Board Room.”

“TECHCON brings together the brightest minds in microelectronics research to exchange news about the progress of new materials and processes created by SRC’s network of more than 100 of the top engineering universities,” said SRC President Larry Sumney. “Students and industry leaders discuss basic research at TECHCON that is intended to accelerate advancements for both private and public entities.”