Research on the web turns out quite a substantial number of semiconductor applets, with a fair few used in educational institutions for research or teaching purposes. Most institutions develop in- house applets for specific teaching purposes, and as earlier mentioned, have specific components and theories that are explained through the software. Most of these applets are as such usually posted online on the course web-pages and/or only circulated within the college.
The Educational Java Applet Service platform designed by the University of Buffalo, henceforth referred to as JAS, is widely used and accessible to the general public. It is quoted and referred to by many other universities as part of teaching material, such as by the UPPSALA Universitet in Northern Europe has a worksheet of exercises based on the JAS website. The applets are also mentioned in books, such as the Modern Semiconductor Devices for Integrated Circuits by Chenming Calvin Hu.
With a listing of 51 clients with licenses to use the applets for educational purposes, JAS is clearly seen as an effective and convenient system that is usable for many different applications. Although these licenses cost a one-time fee, there is an online version that is free and fully accessible. It is a non-specific platform with different applets for varied purposes, and as such expounds the different functions of semiconductor devices and will prove useful as an educational device particularly in the field of semiconductor devices.
A discussion on economic viability raises the following questions:
After considering the various applets and software online, we have come to the conclusion that it would be very difficult to create a successful platform that will stand up to all those available online. Even if it does manage to compile all those functions into a single platform, it is unlikely that much profit will be generated this way if there are already websites offering unlimited use of free applets online that will render the same results.
Demand in itself is also difficult to estimate. Most colleges can develop their own applets to cater to their specific syllabi, or refer to free versions that provide sufficient information for the students to learn what is important. With a competitor like the JAS that has been available for such a long time and which has a wide range of applets, the demand for usage rights of the new platform is predicted to be weak.
Thus far, about GBP 10,000 has been spent on the project, resulting in the simulation of only one device, even though the entire skeleton and platform are up and running and so further applications would presumably be less tedious to implement. Since we consider demand and the generation of profits from there as difficult, it is necessary to conduct a cost benefit analysis comparing the benefits of financial expenditure versus the benefits of education reaped from the system. A good way to ensure that the system is relevant and useful would be to continue developing it along the coursework of the Devices course, and also to look at incorporating it with student projects such as the Final Year Projects (FYP) and the third-year design and build projects. This will allow concurrent, up-to-date in-house development which remains relevant to the coursework, and also achieving such updates at low cost, allowing a win-win situation for both the students and the department. However, it is our opinion that this project should remain in the hands of a supervisor to ensure that the platform does not lose focus, and this will also uphold the quality of the system.