BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics with
Second Major in Microelectronics Engineering
Undergraduate curriculum structure, interactive course prerequisite skill tree, and semiconductor career pathways from a BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics with Second Major in Microelectronics Engineering (PHME) degree from SPMS, NTU.
As Programme Coordinator for the BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics with Second Major in Microelectronics Engineering (PHME), I oversee curriculum alignment, course prerequisite structures, industry-student interaction, and student academic advising. This interdisciplinary degree bridges applied physics with semiconductor fabrication, integrated circuit design, microchip technology, and advanced electronics.
PHME Degree Structure & Academic Unit (AU) Requirements (133–138 AU)
The curriculum requires completion of 133 to 138 Academic Units (AU) depending on the choice of Final Year Project (FYP) and Industrial Attachment / Internship pathway:
| Course Category | Pathway A: Attachment & FYP |
Pathway B: Internship & FYP |
Pathway C: Internship (No FYP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics Major Core Courses | 60 AU | 60 AU | 60 AU |
|
Physics Prescribed Electives
*Elective choices with minimum AU completion thresholds |
13 AU | 13 AU | 8 AU |
| Second Major in Microelectronics Engineering (EEE) | 29 AU | 29 AU | 29 AU |
| Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) | 28 AU | 28 AU | 33 AU |
| Broadening & Deepening Electives (BDE) | 3 AU | 3 AU | 3 AU |
| Total Required Academic Units (AU) | 133 AU | 138 AU | 133 AU |
Note on PH4422 (Final Year Project): For students admitted from AY2024 onwards, the FYP is one semester long, completed in either Semester 1 or Semester 2.
Elective Courses & AU Completion Criteria
Elective Courses are optional selections from approved module lists, subject to specific degree rules:
- Prescribed Elective AU Thresholds: Students must clear at least 13 AU (for FYP pathways) or 8 AU (for non-FYP pathways) of level-3 and level-4 Physics Prescribed Electives.
- Second Major Microelectronics Requirements: 29 AU of specialized courses offered by SPMS Physics and EEE (e.g., Semiconductor Devices, Circuit Analysis, IC Design).
- Prerequisite Sequence Rules: Advanced courses require clearing foundational prerequisites first (e.g., PH1106 Electricity & Magnetism → PH2101 Quantum Mechanics I → PH3101 Solid State Physics → PH4601).
- Final Year Project (PH4422) Duration: For students admitted from AY2024 onwards, the FYP is completed within a single semester (Semester 1 or Semester 2) rather than spanning a full academic year.
Interactive Curriculum Skill Tree & Prerequisite Roadmap
Click any course node to view prerequisites (blue lines), downstream unlocked pathways (orange lines), and syllabi. Drag canvas to pan; scroll or use controls to zoom.
Singapore Semiconductor Industry Ecosystem
Singapore accounts for over 11% of the global semiconductor market share and roughly 20% of the world's semiconductor equipment manufacturing. The microelectronics ecosystem in Singapore spans the full technological value chain, from front-end wafer fabrication and fabless IC design to outsourced assembly, testing, advanced packaging, and precision capital equipment engineering. Graduates of the BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics with Second Major in Microelectronics Engineering are positioned for specialized engineering and R&D roles across all key sectors:
1. Foundries & Wafer Fabrication (Fabs)
Wafer fabrication facilities (fabs) perform front-end semiconductor manufacturing, printing nanometer-scale integrated circuits onto silicon wafers through hundreds of sequential photolithography, etching, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and ion implantation cycles. Singapore is home to multi-billion-dollar cleanroom operations producing memory, RF, logic, automotive, and specialty power chips.
GlobalFoundries Singapore
Operates advanced 300mm and 200mm fabrication campuses in Woodlands, manufacturing specialized silicon for automotive, 5G, and IoT systems.
Micron Technology Singapore
Operates a state-of-the-art 3D NAND Flash fabrication mega-fab and R&D center in Woodlands, powering AI data centers and mobile memory.
Systems on Silicon (SSMC)
Joint venture foundry between TSMC and NXP in Pasir Ris, fabricating automotive, mixed-signal, and microcontroller silicon.
Siltronic Singapore
Produces hyper-pure, dislocation-free single-crystal 300mm silicon wafers at its newly expanded manufacturing mega-fab in Tampines.
STMicroelectronics Singapore
Operates front-end wafer fabrication and testing facilities in Ang Mo Kio, producing advanced power semiconductors and microcontrollers.
Vanguard (VIS) / VSMC
Operates 200mm foundries in Pasir Ris and is currently building the new $7.8B VSMC 300mm joint venture fab in Singapore with NXP.
2. Fabless IC Design & Semiconductor Architecture
Fabless semiconductor enterprises specialize in microchip architecture, integrated circuit (IC) design, digital logic synthesis, analog/RF modeling, and firmware development, outsourcing capital-intensive physical manufacturing to foundries. Design teams in Singapore develop cutting-edge silicon for wireless communication, edge AI accelerators, display processors, and power management.
MediaTek Singapore
Advanced IC design and software center developing cellular modem processors, smart device SoCs, and edge AI chipsets.
Realtek Singapore
Engineering design center creating high-speed network interface controllers, audio codecs, and multimedia communication ICs.
Marvell Technology Singapore
Designs cloud data center infrastructure silicon, high-bandwidth optical interconnects, and storage controller microchips.
Broadcom Singapore
Develops wireless connectivity chips, enterprise networking ASICs, and RF front-end modules for global mobile devices.
Qualcomm Singapore
Advanced R&D and design center supporting Snapdragon mobile platforms, Wi-Fi 7 silicon, and automotive telematics.
Silicon Labs Singapore
Specializes in ultra-low-power microcontrollers, mixed-signal ICs, and wireless mesh networking solutions for IoT.
3. Advanced Packaging, Assembly & Test (OSAT & Heterogeneous Integration)
Back-end manufacturing encompasses wafer dicing, die attach, wire bonding, flip-chip bumping, heterogeneous multi-die integration (chiplets), and automated electrical testing. As conventional transistor scaling nears physical limits, advanced 2.5D/3D packaging in Singapore has become a primary driver of compute performance and energy efficiency.
Silicon Box
Operates a state-of-the-art $2B sub-micron chiplet packaging and heterogeneous integration fabrication facility in Tampines.
UTAC Group
Singapore-headquartered global OSAT leader providing assembly and testing for automotive, analog, and mixed-signal semiconductors.
ASE Group Singapore
Leading semiconductor assembly and testing provider delivering flip-chip, wafer-level, and System-in-Package (SiP) solutions.
JCET / STATS ChipPAC
Advanced backend packaging provider specializing in wafer-level chip scale packaging (WLCSP) and high-density SiP modules.
4. Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, Materials & EDA
Equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software vendors provide the critical infrastructure that makes microchip fabrication possible. Singapore manufactures roughly one-fifth of the world's semiconductor capital equipment and serves as a regional hub for leading wafer inspection, etching, and EDA software tools.
Applied Materials Singapore
Global leader in materials engineering solutions, operating major equipment manufacturing and precision engineering facilities in Tampines.
ASMPT
Global headquarters and advanced R&D center in Singapore for semiconductor packaging equipment and surface mount technology (SMT).
Lam Research Singapore
Supplies critical plasma etch and thin-film deposition systems used by leading memory and logic fabs worldwide.
KLA Corporation Singapore
Develops industry-leading optical inspection, metrology, and defect-review systems essential to semiconductor yield management.
Synopsys & Cadence
Global leaders in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software, IC physical synthesis, and semiconductor IP design services.
5. Translational R&D & Research Institutes
Singapore's national research ecosystem connects academic discovery in physics and materials science with industrial commercialization. These institutions operate cleanrooms and prototyping lines for wide-bandgap semiconductors (GaN, SiC), silicon photonics, MEMS, and quantum microelectronics.
A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
National research institute advancing heterogeneous integration, millimeter-wave silicon, silicon photonics, and bio-MEMS.
A*STAR SIMTech
Specializes in ultra-precision machining, microfluidics, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly technologies.
NTU CDPT (Photonics)
Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies pioneering nanophotonics, optical compute, and metamaterial devices.
Academic Advising & Student Consultation
For current and prospective students seeking guidance on course selection, prerequisite waivers, credit transfers, or FYP allocations in the PHME degree, academic consultation is available.