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Workforce Development

Next-Gen Educated-Workforce Programs

A Semiconductor Workforce Strategy for India

A technology-ready workforce is the single most critical challenge for India's emerging semiconductor ecosystem. While India has built strong capabilities in design, it lacks depth in semiconductor, package and systems technologies. World-class education is possible only when it is tightly integrated with world-class R&D, hence the creation of the 9 Strategic Research Areas (SRAs) and their associated research programs.

Faculty across participating institutions will develop new courses, curricula, and textbooks aligned with their SRA. Each institution will offer two categories of courses: (a) SRA-linked R&D courses, and (b) Hands-on laboratory courses, one focused on integrated package substrates and the other on assembly and test.

Three Complementary Program Streams

1. Hands-on DBO Courses

These "Design-Build-Operate" (DBO) courses are essential to prepare students for real manufacturing environments at BTech and MTech levels.

2. Professional Development

Specialized upskilling programs will be offered to engineers from industry to bridge gaps in advanced power modules such as materials, processes, assembly and test.

3. Research-Driven Education

Leading-edge research in the SRAs will supplement classroom teaching at the master's and doctoral levels, ensuring that India develops deep expertise.

DBO Hands-on Courses (Detailed)

Design & Fabrication of Interconnecting Substrates

Emphasizing signal and power integrity, large-area lithography, dielectric/conductor formation, and electrical test.

OSAT-Focused Assembly & Reliability

Aligned with the needs of new manufacturing units in Odisha, Gujarat and Assam. Students will gain hands-on experience in die and module design, die-attach sintering, integrated module assembly using advanced power interconnects, and reliability assessments under high-voltage and high-current conditions.

Process vs. System Manufacturing

India's path to becoming a product nation in the power sector requires large-scale manufacturing. There are two broad categories of manufacturing:

  • Electromechanical (System) Manufacturing: Assembling high-power inverters and motor controllers. This requires trained operators with vocational or undergraduate backgrounds.
  • Materials-intensive (Process) Manufacturing: Fabricating high-reliability ceramic substrates (AMB/DBC) and wide-bandgap (SiC/GaN) power dies and modules. This demands advanced expertise in materials science—from metal-ceramic bonding to precision sintering—as well as highly precise thermal management and electrical process control.

Proposed Educational Framework Numbers

Student enrollment targets across all strategic research and technology areas.

Technology Area B.Tech M.Tech Ph.D.
1. Package Design & Architectures 215 45 30
2. Design for Mech. Reliability 150 70 25
3. Power Electronics and Module Design 215 45 30
4. Materials for Comp. & Pkg. 150 70 20
5. Integrated opto-electronics 150 70 20
6. Interconnecting Substrates 180 90 20
7. IC & Board assembly and reliability 150 70 20
8. Thermal Technologies 100 75 50
9. Electrical Test 40 60 20
Total 1135 550 185

While India is rapidly developing assembly capabilities, the nation urgently needs to build deep expertise in chemical and materials-based semiconductor and package manufacturing. The proposed workforce development strategy directly addresses this gap. Fig 11 presents one of the most comprehensive educational frameworks ever proposed, either in India or globally. It outlines a structured set of programs designed to produce a large, high-quality workforce of electrical, mechanical, computer, materials and chemical engineers at the BTech, MTech and PhD levels across all eight strategic technology areas.