Sequence of Courses on Particle Transport, Deposition and Removal and Engineering of Nano/Micro-Scale Systems

Abstract

Small (nano-/micro-scale) particle transport, deposition and removal are of critical importance in many industries including semiconductor manufacturing, imaging, pharmaceutical and food processing. In addition, numerous environmental processes involve particle transport, deposition and removal. In the last decade, significant research progress in the areas of nano- and micro-particle transport, deposition and removal has been made. In this project, a series of courses was developed to make these class of new important research findings available to seniors and graduate students in engineering through developing and offering of specialized curricula at Clarkson University. The project involved integration of particle transport, deposition and removal numerical simulations and experiments in the developed courses. The course materials are mostly made available on the web and some courses have been taught at Clarkson University and Syracuse University campuses simultaneously. Based on the course materials, a series of short courses was also offered at several countries. The first two courses on particle transport, deposition and removal are composed of four modules: (i) fundamental of particle transport, dispersion, deposition and removal, (ii) computational modeling of particle transport, deposition and removal, (iii) experimental study of particle transport, deposition and removal, and (iv) industrial applications of particle transport, deposition and removal. Based on this course development experience, more recently, a new undergraduate course (Nano/Micro-scale Systems Engineering) was developed. The course development and implementation was supported a grant from NSF under the Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education program following an initial grant from Clarkson University. The chief instructional objective of the new course is to familiarize the students to the design, analysis, simulation and implementation/fabrication of nano/micro-scale engineering systems. This nanotechnology course consists of three main components to address a set of its well-defined educational objectives: (i) lectures developed and delivered by a multidisciplinary team at Clarkson University, (ii) instructions on computational design/analysis and simulation tools, and (iii) a hands-on workshop for gaining experience with cleanroom procedures and fabrication facilities. The second component has been developed with help of a software company. The third component is being realized through collaboration with the NNIN supported CNF facility at Cornell University as a hands-on workshop for the Clarkson students. An outline of this ongoing course development activity has been given and main features of the course has been discussed.