About a course - Should I take it?

[physiker99]

Hello,
I have interest on a course and I would like your opinions. I don't have much of an electronics lab experience except for freshman physics labs. I just finished my sophomore year.

I'd like to take an Intro to MEMS course, whose syllabus is as below:
Fundamentals of microelectromechanical systems including design, fabrication of microstructures; surface-micromachining, bulk-micromachining, LIGA, and other micro machining processes; fabrication principles of integrated circuit device and their applications for making MEMS devices; high-aspect-ratio microstructures; scaling issues in the micro scale (heat transfer, fluid mechanics and solid mechanics); device design, analysis, and mask layout.



As prerequisites, it requires a another class called Electronic Techniques for Engineers:
This course serves as an introduction to the principles of electrical engineering, starting from the basic concepts of voltage and current and circuit elements of resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Circuit analysis is taught using Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws with Thevenin and Norton equivalents. Operational amplifiers with feedback are introduced as basic building blocks for amplification and filtering. Semiconductor devices including diodes and MOSFETS and their IV characteristics are covered. Applications of diodes for rectification, and design of MOSFETs in common source amplifiers are taught. Digital logic gates and design using CMOS as well as simple flip-flops are introduced. Speed and scaling issues for CMOS are considered. The course includes as motivating examples designs of high level applications including logic circuits, amplifiers, power supplies, and communication links.

I definitely have no idea about Thevenin, MOSFETS CMOS etc. Do you think I should take it?

 

[physiker_192]

Hi,


if you are really interested in the topic then go for it.
MEMS is rather interdisciplinary, so basically the concepts would be introduced from the beginnings. I found my MEMS lecture to be fun.

What you should be familiar with (you can read it up,, nothing difficult):

-MOS transistor : aka MOSFET, basis of the CMOS
-Fabrication Technology: How MOSFETs are made
-Very basic circuit theory

The standard books for semiconductor devices are by Simon Sze, but you won't need these.
If you would like reading suggestions that are more suitable for you then let me know, so I can look further into my book shelf.