Before a chip finds its way into a mobile phone or car, it undertakes a long and complicated journey through the hands of many engineers. And at the beginning, there are usually physicists, such as those from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT. Their knowledge is essential to understand and control the physical processes that take place in chips, and their role covers a substantial part of the production chain: from material selection to testing and optimisation.

Solid State Physics, Physical Principles of Semiconductor Production Technology, Nanoelectronics... These and other subjects that are closely related to semiconductors are encountered by students of the Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology program at FME. "But quantum physics or thermodynamics are also important, and they also need to be known in order for chips to work at all," points out Tomáš Šikola, Director of the Institute of Physical Engineering, the Faculty workplace that is naturally closest to semiconductor technologies.

Chips are being talked about more and more in the public space, and their basis – semiconductor materials and nanostructures – is a domain that the Institute’s team master thoroughly. "Our students have been encountering semiconductors since their bachelor's studies. It is a natural part of our research and teaching," assures Šikola, adding that while the expertise of physicists is mainly related to materials, the design and production of chips as final components is the domain of colleagues from the neighbouring FEEC.

For years, the institute has been working closely with domestic semiconductor industry leaders, led by onsemi. "At least half of our students do research in the field of semiconductors: from bachelor's theses and master's theses to doctoral theses. In terms of interest, for example, to work in the aforementioned onsemi (bulk of the company is based in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, editor's note), unfortunately, this is influenced by the fact that many graduates want to stay in Brno after graduation and therefore choose a career in electron microscopy. But that doesn't mean that those who go to work for electron microscope manufacturers won't encounter semiconductors anymore; for example, Thermo Fisher Scientific has a division directly focused on the development of equipment for the study of semiconductor materials. It is a multidisciplinary area, and therefore it is very intertwined," says Šikola.

Together with MUNI and onsemi, the Institute also has a system of internal grants that students can apply for. "We are trying to go further than solve practical problems in production. We prefer research, for example, in the field of new materials and their characterisation," explains Šikola. His institute is scientifically strong, for example, in the field of photonics and nanophotography, which explores the possibilities of manipulating light as an information or energy carrier. "We are also interested in 2D materials, i.e. monolayers of atoms that form surfaces with certain properties," he adds.

Thanks to the combination of theory and practice, students come into contact with cutting-edge technologies, including clean rooms and vacuum apparatuses, during their studies. "We don't hide expensive equipment from students. On the contrary, they work with top-notch technology during their studies, right after thorough training. And they are often less dangerous than professors," Šikola comments with exaggeration.

The market for specialists, such as physics graduates, is relatively exploited. According to Šikola, this will also be the limit that efforts to make the Czech Republic and Europe more self-sufficient in chips and semiconductors are still facing. "Twenty or twenty-five graduates complete their studies in our field every year. And not everyone ends up in semiconductors, of course," he points out. Projects such as Chips for Europe, which include popularisation activities, are intended to change this. However, we will have to wait and see their effect in the form of a larger number of STEM graduates. "Necessity is the mother of invention, and until now we have relied on the global market, but when we see how the global situation is deteriorating, it makes sense to strengthen our own capacities and thus contribute to improving the situation in the European semiconductor industry," adds Šikola.

The basis is quality teaching of mathematics and physics at primary and secondary schools. According to Šikola, this is still rather unsuccessful. "There are a number of excellent teachers who do it well. But I am afraid that there are still many who discourage children from physics rather than attract them to study it. I also wouldn't like to be taught in physics mainly about measurement systems and unit conversions... These are important for us as professional physicists, but less so for children. The main thing is not to discourage and to engage. Children do not need to know the exact formulas, but to see what physics is for and that it can be understood. For example, everyone knows LEDs, which are actually components made of semiconductor materials, a beautiful example of basic research that has become a useful invention, big business and has even been awarded the Nobel Prize. Semiconductors have the amazing advantage of being all around us. We should base the popularisation efforts on this fact," concludes Šikola.