IISc Partnership with Lam Research for Pilot program

BENGALURU- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) announced the successful completion of its pilot program aimed at enhancing engineers’ expertise in semiconductor fabrication technology. IISc collaboration with Lam Research during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, D.C., in July 2023, the initiative utilized Lam's Semiverse Solutions portfolio to train 32 MTech and PhD students at IISc's Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE).

Three students from the cohort along with Lam Research have received job offers from top global semiconductor manufacturing companies. Previous year, IISc and Lam Research developed customized courses for Indian universities, utilizing Lam’s Semiverse Solutions virtual fabrication software. After successful completion of pilot, MoU was signed between IISc, Lam Research, and the India Semiconductor Mission to extend the program nationally. This program aim is to upskill 60,000 engineers over the next decade by implementing Semiverse Solutions on a large scale.

Professor Srinivasan Raghavan, Chair of the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering at IISc, said, With three of the pilot’s participants already placed in a global tier-1 semiconductor manufacturing companies, we are confident about the broad rollout of the course and its impact.  

During the pilot phase, students trained on SEMulator3D, an advanced 3D semiconductor process and integration modelling software integrated into the Semiverse Solutions platform. This software is utilized by major semiconductor manufacturer companies to simulate entire process flows and predict the difficulties of process changes, eliminating the need for costly build-and-test cycles in the fabrication facilities. Using SEMulator3D helped students learn to develop process flows and perform automated virtual experiments not feasible in the actual fabrication at significantly lower cost, and environmental impact.

Mr. Rangesh Raghavan, Corporate Vice President and General Manager at Lam Research India, said, A successful pilot lays the foundation for further expansion of the Semiverse learning platform across the country. We believe in the democratization of specialized semiconductor knowledge and are excited to support the scaling of the semiconductor industry in India.

Since 2014, Lam India has been an active participant in CeNSE's Industry Affiliate Program (IAP), consistently collaborating with the center on various innovative projects aimed at advancing semiconductor technologies.