ECS Summer School
WHEN: August 23th – August 28th, 2026
WHERE: University Residential Centre, University of Bologna, Bertinoro, Italy
Microelectronics is a wide technological sector for the development of Integrated Circuits (Chips!). Chips need to be designed, fabricated, tested and assembled. They can be further combined in electronic systems, which shall be powered and animated with the soul of software. The ability of these systems to manage or exchange information with their environment sustains the interaction between the physical and digital worlds, bringing smartness all around.
In recent years this sector has experienced incredible progress. This is the result of improved microelectronics and integration technologies that open the possibility to increase present applications and to create new ones, as well. Microelectronics provides miniaturization and production in high numbers, so electronic systems can be deployed in multiple scenarios, from inside our bodies to outer space. Some cases are related to telecom (with better communication systems), to automotive (with electric cars and autonomous driving), or to biomedical devices (supporting human weaknesses, allowing minimally invasive surgery, and more generally improving prevention and diagnosis).
Via lectures, demonstrations and interactive activities, the program will introduce some of the possibilities offered by present microelectronics devices and foreseen future applications, showing the many facets of the fascinating world of microelectronics.
The program will cover four main topics:
- Semiconductor technology
- Integrated Circuits design
- Digital systems and Embedded Intelligence
- Integration
Talks will be delivered by representatives from leading universities, research institutes and companies. Career testimonies by young engineers will complete the week.
Agenda
- 18:00 – 18:45 Ice-breaking activity (D.Enachi, V.Vlachos)
- 18:45 – 19:15 Week overview / Debate preparation (P.Cogez, AENEAS)
- 19:30 Dinner
- 09:00 – 09:15 Welcome (E.Sangiorgi, U of Bologna)
- 09:15 – 10:00 Moore’s law (F.List, ASML)
- 10:00 – 10:45 Semiconductor fabrication (Y. Le Tiec, CEA)
- 10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 – 11:45 More than Moore technologies – IR sensors (L.Rubaldo, Lynred)
- 11:45 – 12:30 Thermal sensor fabrication (ESIEE)
- 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
- 14:00 – 15:30 Clean room virtual visit and thermal sensor fabrication serious game (ESIEE)
- 15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
- 16:00 – 16:45 Steep slope transistors (L.Selmi, U. Modena)
- 16:45 – 17:30 Quantum computer (K.Gruel, Quobly)
- 17:30 – 17:45 Day 1 feedback & quiz
- 18:00 – 18:30 Computer setup for Arduino programming
- 19:30 Dinner
- 09:00 – 09:45 Digital design (V.Nardone, ST)
- 09:45 – 10:30 Open source IC design (D.Rossi, U. Bologna)
- 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 – 11:45 Power IC techno & design (M.Ostling, KTH)
- 11:45 – 12:30 Ultrasound machine for echography (G.Ricotti, ST)
- 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
- 14:00 – 16:00 Thermal sensor characterisation and programming (ESIEE)
- 16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break
- 16:30 – 17:15 MEMS technology (D. Radović & V. Morini, Bosch)
- 17:15 – 17:45 Day 2 feedback & quizz
- 18:00 Guided tour of the village
- 19:30 Dinner
- 09:00 – 09:45 ASIC design for MEMS (A.Weber, Bosch)
- 09:45 – 10:30 Bio-based devices / circular economy (T.Seeholzer – Infineon)
- 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 – 11:45 Printed Technologies (A.Krzyzanowska, DTI)
- 11:45 – 12:30 Integrated microsystems for one health (X.Munoz – IMB-CNM-CSIC)
- 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
- 14:00 – 16:00 Hands-on activity on MEMS (D. Radović & V. Morini, Bosch)
- 16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break
- 16:30 – 17:30 Demonstrators
- 17:30 – 8:00 Day 3 feedback & quiz
- 18:00 Career testimonies
- 19:30 Dinner
- 09:00 – 09:45 Introduction of the day (P.Azzoni, INSIDE-IA)
- 09:45 – 10:30 Cyber-physical Systems of Systems (M.Tauber, RSA)
- 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 – 12:30 Hands-on activity: Build your own weather station (P.Varga, BME)
- 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
- 14:00 – 15:15 Adding functionalities to the weather station (P.Varga, BME)
- 15:15 – 16:00 Connecting devices to the cloud (J.van Deventer, LTU)
- 16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break
- 16:30 – 17:15 Machine Learning at the edge with ARM (Michele Magno, ETH Zürich)
- 17:15 – 17:45 Day 4 feedback & quiz
- 18:00 Winery tour + dinner
- 09:00 – 10:30 Debate – Geopolitical environment / implications for ECS (S.Orlando, SEMI Europe)
- 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 – 11:45 Closing remarks and graduation (R.Zafalon, C.Bedran)
- 11:45 – 12:15 Student feedback
- 12:30 Lunch
Speakers
Supporting team
Selected Students
Suggested Preliminary readings
There’s no specific prerequisite for the ECS Summer School beyond being a STEM student. But if you’re coming in with no background in microelectronics — not sure what a transistor is, what it does, or how it’s made — we suggest some reading to get you started:
- Transistors, How do they work? (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ukDKVHnac4
- Working of Transistors | MOSFET (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stM8dgcY1CA
- How chips are made (video) https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/promopages/how-a-chip-is-made-video/
- Virtual Factory Tour: Explore Infineon’s Villach Fab (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJTtBV2_7jc&t=151s
- CEA start-up portfolio. The CEA is a renowned French Research and Technology Organisation, with its CEA-Leti lab being a world leader in microelectronics research. This booklet lists selected start-ups which originated from CEA and will give you an idea of the breadth of possible applications of the technologies it develops.
Organizers
Gold Sponsors
Past highlights
Co-funded by