Program overview
Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, simply put, is about how to pack billions of transistors into a fingernail-sized chip and make them work efficiently. This major covers the entire chain from design, manufacturing, to packaging and testing. Core courses include semiconductor physics (understanding material properties), digital/analog integrated circuit design (drawing circuit diagrams), EDA tool usage (computer-aided design), process technology (lithography, etching, etc.), and packaging and testing (assembling chips and checking for defects). If you are interested in physics, electronics, and computers, and enjoy both hands-on and intellectual work, this major is a great fit. Chinese universities have unique strengths in this field, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They not only offer solid curricula but also have deep collaborations with companies like Huawei and SMIC, giving you access to cutting-edge industry projects.