A. Laboratory Notebooks and Reports
One important objective of this laboratory is learning how to keep a
good lab notebook. You have undoubtedly been told in your other lab courses
the importance of keeping an accurate (and comprehensive) account of your
work, but I cannot possibly overstate this point. Anyone who works in research
and development must keep a complete notebook: many of the companies you
may someday work for will in fact require this, and will keep possession
of the notebook. Many patent decisions have been based on the worker's lab
notebook (or lack of it). Your notebook should be like a diary, recording
what you do, and why you did it. Especially in I.C. processing, you should
feel free to speculate as to the causes of process failures, of which there
will be many. You will frequently learn more from these failures, and your
attempts to correct them, than from a process that works perfectly the first
time. It is crucial, however, that your notebook accurately records everything
you did. A good test of your work is the following question: could someone
else, versed only in the general processing arts, use your notebook to repeat
your work, and obtain the same results? For that matter, could you come
back six months later, read your notes, and make sense of them? If you can
answer yes to these two questions, you are keeping a good notebook.
To make things easier, you must buy a specific lab notebook for this
class. This is a duplicate notebook with carbon paper; at the end of each
lab you will be required to tear out the duplicate pages and turn them in
to the TA for grading. The Co-Op has these notebooks (#3-0207 in Spring
89) Your notebook should be neat, but informal. There is no need to copy
information from this lab manual into your notebook, except as it reflects
what you do. Put in notes on procedures, why you do things, what you observe,
and speculations and conclusions. The following rules apply to your notebook:
1) Everything must be written in INK.
2) Date every page as you record your work.
3) All data and notes must go DIRECTLY INTO THE NOTEBOOK.The duplicate pages
will be collected at the end of each lab period. LOOSE LEAF SHEETS OR SCRAP
PAPER SHOULD NEVER BE USED, AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
4) Label all graphs and tables.
5) Write only on one side of each page. All writing should be LEGIBLE. Leave
room for comments by the TA.
6) Each student must keep her/his own lab notebook.
7) If a particular experiment has pre-lab questions, you must complete
them before the lab period begins. Record your answers in the lab notebook.
The TA's will deduct 5 points from your score if these rules are not strictly
adhered to.
Laboratory Reports
SEE UPDATES IN REPORT SECTION
In addition to your lab notebook, after completion of certain stages
in the device processing sequence (this will often take several lab periods)
you must submit a Lab Report. The Lab Report should be typed; it
is similar to your Senior Lab technical memos, but not as formal. The Lab
Report should contain the following:
1) Experiment title, dates performed, and your lab partner's name.
2) Summary of experimental objectives.
3) Experimental processing procedure: DO NOT SIMPLY RECOPY THE CONTENTS
OF THIS LAB MANUAL. A very short summary of important points
is sufficient, with emphasis on any changes to the process given in the
Lab Manual. You should attempt to explain the reasons any process changes
were made, as well as any unusual results in the actual processing. Normally
this section should not exceed about two pages, and may be shorter in later
lab reports.
4) Data: present a summary of the measurements made during the process
(originally recorded in your lab notebook) in a concise, tabular
form. Make sure you do not give numbers to any more than the proper number
of significant digits. Reference the page numbers in your notebook from
which you obtained the raw data. Include sample calculations where necessary.
Make clear the estimated accuracy of your measurements.
5) Answers to any specific questions and problems given in the lab manual.
Specify any graphs or tables from the lab manual or text book used. Write
out any equations used in calculations (but not algebraic details).
6) Brief comments on experimental results. Point out any unusual problems
or experimental observations, and explain them if you can.
Further information will be discussed in class.
SEE LAB REPORT GUIDELINES following the Processing Description, pp.19-21.
B. Grading
A significant portion of your course grade is your lab grade. Each lab
is worth ten points; each Lab Report is worth another fifty points. Grades
will be based on the following:
1) Be present at each lab ON TIME. This is VERY important. Tardiness
will be penalized. Lab work, even more than lectures or homework, cannot
be made up in a last-minute rush. Results in the fabrication lab come slowly,
and you will need every minute available to you. Arrangements may be made
to make up missed lab periods if you have an EXCELLENT excuse.
2) Be prepared before you come to lab. There will be assigned readings
from the lab manual for each experiment. You MUST COMPLETE these BEFORE
coming to lab, since they explain the operating procedures for the equipment
you will be using. We may occasionally give lab quizzes over this material,
and it will be fair game for the course exams.
3) Keep a complete lab notebook, and answer any pre-lab questions there
may be in the experimental description.
4) Lab Reports are due one lab period after you complete the experiment.
Unless you have an excellent excuse, late reports will be derated by
ten points per week they are late. See the Lab Schedule for due dates.
The lab TA's will take any equipment problems into account when grading
your lab work.
ONE FINAL WARNING: I take this lab very seriously, and will STRICTLY enforce
all the rules stated in this manual. Whatever you do, don't tell me you
didn't know simply because you failed to read this manual carefully.
Woe will indeed be unto you in those circumstances.
Policy on CHEATING:
It is expected that you will discuss your experimental procedures and
results with each other; you are, however, responsible for doing your own
written work. All lab notes and Lab Reports should be your own ORIGINAL
WORK. If you transpose data collected by your lab partner you should acknowledge
this fact in writing, as if this was a reference.
ANY EVIDENCE OF PLAGIARISM OR CHEATING WILL BE TREATED AS GROUNDS FOR
FAILURE OF THE COURSE. See the course syllabus
for more information on plagiarism.