CX: IC Design and Fabrication

Taqeem · January 5, 2025, 1:11pm

IC Design and Fabrication Concentration Program

Overview / نظرة عامة

This interdisciplinary concentration combines the complementary fields of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Physics, to lay the foundation for students to contribute to the development of Saudi Arabia’s emerging semiconductor sector. The Kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy have made it possible to take the initial steps towards the establishment of this sector, which intends to support the growing technological demand in key industries such as electric vehicles, IoT, smart cities and buildings, healthcare modernization, and the development of integrated circuits (ICs) for AI applications. Students who complete this concentration will have the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary to perform vital roles in the design, verification, fabrication, testing, and innovation of Integrated Circuits (ICs) for the aforementioned industries.

يركز هذا التخصص على دمج المجالات المكملة للهندسة الكهربائية، وهندسة الحاسوب، والفيزياء، لوضع الأساس اللازم لتمكين الطلاب من المساهمة في تطوير قطاع أشباه الموصلات الناشئ في المملكة العربية السعودية.

أتاحت جهود المملكة لتنويع اقتصادها اتخاذ الخطوات الأولى نحو إنشاء هذا القطاع، والذي يهدف إلى تلبية الطلب التكنولوجي المتزايد في صناعات رئيسية مثل السيارات الكهربائية، وإنترنت الأشياء، والمدن والمباني الذكية، وتحديث الرعاية الصحية، وتطوير الدوائر المتكاملة (ICs) لتطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي.

سيكتسب الطلاب الذين يكملون هذا التخصص المعرفة الأساسية والمهارات العملية اللازمة للقيام بأدوار حيوية في تصميم، والتحقق، وتصنيع، واختبار، وابتكار الدوائر المتكاملة لهذه الصناعات.

Application for the Concentration Program

Eligibility Criteria

Requirements:

Minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all BSc KFUPM students.
Students with applied major cannot enroll in concentrations.
Students who completed (79 – 115 hours).
Students who finished all junior-level courses of the specific majors are eligible to enroll in the concentration after completing the prerequisites.

Timeline:

Applications open at the end of the first semester of the Junior year ( around November ) till the middle of the following semester ( around February).
Applications are reviewed at the end of the second semester or early summer.

Hosting Department:

Electrical Engineering

For more information about concentration programs, visit the general information page.

To apply for the concentration program, please visit the official application page provided by the university.

Offered To:

Major	Pre/Co-requisites	Notes
Electrical Engineering (EE)	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236
Control & Instrumentation Engineering (CIE)	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236
Computer Engineering (COE)	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236
Physics (PHYS)	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236
Material Sciences and Engineering (MSE)	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236

Courses in the Concentration

Course	Course Title	Brief Description	Pre-requisites	Instructors
COE 461	Principles of VLSI Design	The course covers semiconductors, MOS transistors, CMOS circuits, IC design, and verification tools.	COE 202 or CIE 204 and EE 203 or EE 236
EE 425	Integrated Circuits Analysis and Design	The course covers analog IC design, device modeling, amplifiers, biasing, voltage references, and CAD tools.	EE203 or EE236	Dr. Yaqub Mahnashi, Dr. Hussam Al-Shammary, Prof. Muneer Absi
EE 436	Introduction to Micro and Nanoelectronics	Basics of microfabrication, CMOS technology, and MEMS.	EE 203, or EE 234, or EE 236	Dr. Jhonathan Rojas
PHYS 336	Physics of Semiconductor Devices	The course covers semiconductors and electronic devices.	PHYS 102	Dr. Burhan Saifaddin, Dr. Saleem Rao

Semester	Course 1	Course 2
First Semester (Fall)	PHYS 336	COE 461
Second Semester (Spring)	EE 425	EE 436

Special Benefits

Hands-on Experience:
Industry Relevance:
Additional Courses/ Short Courses/ Professional Certifications Taken or Obtained Through the Program:
Expos/ Conferences/ Competitions for individuals involved in the program:
Softwares and Applications Utilized:
Other Benefits:

Resources

For courses’ study materials click here

Instructors

Photo	Name	Courses	Office Number	Email	Telephone	Office Hours	Department	Specialization	Taqeem Post	Coordinator
Prof. Muneer Absi1151×1200 154 KB	Prof. Muneer Absi	EE 425	Building 59 Room 1090	mkulaib@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 3696	-	Electrical Engineering	Integrated Circuits and Systems	Taqeem Post	Program Coordinator
Dr. Yaqub Mahnashi635×576 50.7 KB	Dr. Yaqub Mahnashi	EE 425	Building 59 Room 1058	ymahnashi@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 8369	-	Electrical Engineering	Bio-inspired Electronics	Taqeem Post
Dr. Jhonathan Rojas633×536 67.2 KB	Dr. Jhonathan Rojas	EE 436	Building 59 Room 1069	jprojas@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 8867	-	Electrical Engineering	Electronics	Taqeem Post
Dr. Saleem Rao280×230 94.4 KB	Dr. Saleem Rao	PHYS 336	Building 6 Room 147	saleemg@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 1675	-	Physics	Quantum mechanics	Taqeem Post
Dr. Burhan Saifaddin156×200 6.1 KB	Dr. Burhan Saifaddin	PHYS 336	Building 6 Room 139	burhan.saifaddin@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 1340	-	Physics	Semiconductor Processing	Taqeem Post
	Dr. Hussam Al-Shammary	EE 425	Building 59 Room 0039	hussamsh@kfupm.edu.sa	966-13-860 2977	-	Electrical Engineering	Electronics	Taqeem Post