Product category:
Design Services
News Release from: IC Mask Design
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 11 August 2006
IC layout training course draws
cosmopolitan crowd
IC Mask Design has achieved new heights of success by attracting a multitude of international engineers to its training facilities in Limerick.
IC Mask Design has achieved new heights of success by attracting a multitude of international engineers to its training facilities in Limerick The company runs IC layout training courses for the semiconductor industry, and a recent "Advanced analogue layout techniques" (AALT01) course drew engineers from some of the largest and most reputable engineering companies in the industry, who travelled considerable distances to partake in the 4-day course
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 7 May 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Among these were engineers from China, the UK and the USA, who had secured their place on the course several months ago and seemed only too happy to travel the distance to Limerick.
Chris Hill, Layout Engineer for AMI Semiconductor attended the course and commented: "The instructor Ciaran was very clear and concise in his presentation of course principles".
"The techniques presented in this course, I am sure, will prove to be an asset to me, and to those I share them with".
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"I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to strengthen there knowledge and understanding of ".
"The time and cost will be made up quickly through the time and quality of your layout".
Darragh Walsh, Senior Design Engineer for Xilinx recalled the course as being: "An invaluable addition to an engineer's skill-set".
IC Mask Design formed its training division - Master-IC Training - in early 2004 and has since carved itself a position as a global player in the area of IC layout training.
Fergal Brosnan, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer for IC Mask Design, says: "Since the company's inception, our core offering has been the provision of physical design services".
"However, three years ago, it became apparent to us that there was an obvious gap in the market for continuous and specialised layout training".
"Moreover, there were limited training providers and options available to companies who had a requirement to up-skill their engineers".
"This presented an opportunity for IC Mask Design".
"We decided to expand the business and develop a training division that would consist of a set of generic courses which could be universally applicable to semiconductor companies".
"Demand for the courses has grown tremendously over the past two years, especially at international level, surpassing all our expectations".
"Master-IC Training courses, to a great extent, compliment our design services very well and strengthen the company's position to provide a more coherent service offering to clients".
Over the past two years the company has trained over 100 engineers.
Feedback has been overwhelming; with an impressive 98% of the delegates at 2005 training courses recommending Master-IC Training to their peers in the industry.
To begin with, Ciaran Whyte, cofounder and Chief Technical Officer for IC Mask Design, developed both the analogue and advanced analogue layout courses in conjunction with the CMOS layout course.
These were soon followed with the launch of the company's RF layout and digital layout courses.
Currently, Master-IC Training covers seven fully developed courses, in addition to numerous 1-day seminars, which cover topics such as "Layout techniques for ESD structures", "Layout parasitics" and "Skill programming for the physical designer".
A contributing factor to IC Mask Design's feat is the variety of choices it offers to companies who decide to engage their training services.
Training courses are targeted at all levels of expertise, which focus on the development of physical design skills, and are independent of any EDA tool environment.
Courses run, in key geographical locations worldwide and incorporate the complete spectrum of IC layout.
Course deployment is extremely flexible.
They can be administered on-site at the client's facilities or offsite at either IC Mask Design's engineering centre in Maynooth, or at its offices in Limerick.
Alternatively, they can also be administered at an independent location requested by the client.
In addition to this, the company runs "public" courses, whereby an open invitation to participate in the course is extended to engineers from a host of different companies, or a "specific" course which is run for the benefit of one individual company.
"Our flexibility in the deployment of all our services, including our training programs, has made us an obvious partner of choice", comments John Johnson, Engineering Manager for IC Mask Design.
He goes on to say: "Our engineering expertise has distinguished us from other training providers and has given us the competitive edge we need to make this service offering the success it is today".
Value creation in engineering today is centred on people, not on hard assets.
All professional service firms rely on the strength and intellectual capital of their people, and engineering firms are no exception to this rule.
Firms that view training and development as a strategic initiative do so because it helps them reduce costs, increase speed and efficiency in design, and ultimately increase profitability.
A recent report form CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) noted that: "The half life of a college degree is growing shorter and shorter".
"Particularly with rapidly changing technology, employees must learn continuously so that their firm stays competitive".
The fact is, investing in employee development is a smart choice.
Firms that view training and development as an investment rather than a benefit pay more attention to their efforts in this area.
As innovative cycles in this field are fairly short, the application of design requires continuous training for the staff involved in this task.
With advances in technology and decreasing geometries, training in IC layout has a crucial role play in the evolution of the industry.
Gary Carroll, Director for IC Mask Design commented: "The time has come for those of us involved in industry and education to come together and embrace a crusade of practical and relevant training that will excite and motivate talented engineers".
"In return, they will be inspired and empowered to produce high-quality technological and commercially viable products and services for this dynamic industry".
Future courses are scheduled to run in Germany (Dresden and Munich), Ireland, Austria and the UK over the coming months.
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