Students visit two local semiconductor companies in the Fall ECE Expeditions

Catharine June • December 1, 2024
Local semiconductor companies, one established and one an ECE alumni startup, gave students an insider's perspective on life working in their companies.

15 ECE undergraduate and graduate students gained insights into the inner workings of two semiconductor companies during their October 2024 Fall Break, without having to leave Ann Arbor, MI. They were part of the Fall 2024 ECE Expeditions program, which was created to provide ECE students the opportunity to learn more about the day-to-day life of an ECE alumnus in industry.

“I really enjoyed talking to the engineers directly about their work,” said one student. 

The students said their favorite parts of the day were interacting with people in the industry, the lab tours, and learning about what goes on in the companies.

SiTime

They started their day at SiTime. SiTime is an analog and semiconductor company specializing in silicon MEMS timing. Based in Santa Clara, CA, they have an office in Ann Arbor, MI. ECE alum Piyush Sevalia (MSE EE) is SiTime’s Executive VP for Marketing, and alum Jay Mitchell (PhD Mechanical Engineering) provided an overview of the company to the students.

SiTime was named twice to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ List, which honors the most innovative and fastest-growing companies across North America over a three-year period. It also received the “Big Idea” accolade across all categories at the 2023 IDEA Awards, and was a co-winner of the 2023 Product of the Year Awards along with Analog Devices, Inc. 

ECE Expeditions students in a SiTime lab.
ECE Expeditions students tour a SiTime lab. Photo: Silvia Cardarelli
Students holding an ECE sign at Si Time
ECE Expeditions students pose with the ECE banner at the entrance to SiTime. Photo: Silvia Cardarelli

Movellus

The students spent the rest of the day at Movellus. Movellus is an infrastructure IP partner for high-performance, energy-efficient silicon. They provide solutions for clocking, droop detection, and power. The company was founded in 2014 by ECE alum and CEO Mo Faisal (PhD EE), and Jeff Fredenburg; the founder’s advisor Prof. David Wentzloff is a board member.

Students enjoyed interacting with Faisal and four other staff and ECE alums at the company: Fish Yu Huang (Digital Design Engineer), David Moore (Timing Products Staff Engineer and Founding Team Member), Zeqi Han (Physical Design Engineer), Fred Buhler (Post Silicon Validation Engineer), and Qianxu Li (Post Silicon Design Engineer).

Faisal was on campus recently to receive the 2023 ECE Rising Star Alumni Award. Learn more about his career and watch his talk.

Four ECE students viewing chips made at Movellus and talking to an employee.
(R) Fred Buhler (BSE EE 2014 and PhD ECE 2019) shows some of the chips designed by Movellus to a smaller group of Expeditions students. Photo: Silvia Cardarelli
students sitting around a table talking to company founder.
Q&A session with company founder Mo Faisal (right). Photo: Silvia Cardarelli
ECE Expeditions students pose with the ECE banner at Movellus. Photo: Silvia Cardarelli

Students interested in the next ECE Expeditions should watch for an email from the department, or visit the website for additional information.