Skills in Physics and Semiconductor Devices: A Global Challenge for Digital Society

(Invited) Progressive Involvement of Thin Film Technologies in Connected Objects to Meet New Societal Challenges

“…This development involves new technological approaches including very highly integrated components and circuits (ULSI or Ultra-Large Scale-Integration) but also thin film technologies based on inorganic and organic materials. It will also require adapting the skills and know-how of technicians, engineers, doctors and researchers to overcome the technological challenges [9]. This paper will thus successively focus on a general presentation of the challenges related to the development of connected objects and the Internet of Things (IoT), which bring into play all the main functions of electronics.…”

“…The next part will focus on the different approaches envisaged and more particularly on thin-film devices, either integrated or large-area [8]. In order to complete the picture, the last part will focus on the human needs in skills and know-how by giving as an example the strategy of the French microelectronics training network carried out over the last ten years [9]. The needs are very important, the French and European companies indicated that today a shortage in skills is high [10][11] and not yet able to respond to the expected advent of the fourth industrial revolution which is coming, the industry 4.0 [12][13].…”