Micron Technology

Denyse Carroll of Micron Technology 

Manassas, Virginia ~ BristowEnews.com met with Denyse Carroll, Education and Training Specialist at Micron Technology, Incorporation and discussed how education and reading play important roles for children and young adults as it relates to career development and competing in a global economy.

Micron Technology is one of the leading memory modules manufacturers for commercial and military applications. Micron is the last US manufacturer of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) based memory. If you run your fingers through your hair now and look at a single strand, it is not very thick -- maybe 100 microns in diameter (a micron is a millionth of a meter, so 100 microns is a tenth of a millimeter); hence the word Micron came to be.

A 300 mm Silicon Wafer, BristowEnews.com

Micron Technology currently manufactures DRAM where information is dynamic stored in the memory modules and added to devices such as a personal computer, laptop, or peripheral network devices such as routers and switches are powered down. As opposed to Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), the memory is retained and the contents are retained indefinitely as long as power supply is applied to the device. Micron also produces Flash Memory for electronic digital cameras and more recently Ipod, a portable media player used for listening and watching videos and a product designed and marketed by Apple Computers. Micron currently employees 22,000 world wide including the Manassas area, Boise Idaho, and manufacturing plants in Europe and Asia/Pacific Rim. There are about 1800 people locally employed at their plant facility in Manassas, Virginia.

Denyse showed BristowEnews.com some of the products Micron currently manufactures and produces for the market. Among them are 12 inch or 300 mm and an 8" 200 mm "Fab" as Micron calls it ~ is pre-manufactured "Silicon Wafers" used for semiconductors or chip making process. Silicon wafer as the name implies comes from and manufactured from sand. Silicon wafers comes into play when millions of tiny transistors 100 times smaller than a human hair are etched onto the wafer. Micron currently produces .078 microns which is the smallest to date. This technological break through is closely guarded by Micron. IBM which also produces and manufactures semi-conductors up to 1 micron; these semiconductors manage data by controlling the flow of electrical currents to make words, numbers, sound, images, and colors to computing devices such as Personal computers, Laptops, Cell Phone, televisions, and more advanced applications such as microwave transmissions, laser switching systems, medical diagnostics and treatment equipment, defense systems, and the NASA space shuttle. The process of transferring these transistors to a chip is through a very complex and rigorous process and requires strict quality control in terms of manufacturing process and access to this Class One Facility.

Finished DRAM Memory Modules

Micron is constantly finding new ways in developing and shrinking their products. In fact, they have small Research and Development (R&D) Group is located in the Manassas facility in addition to Boise, Idaho which houses their main R&D Group. As semi-conductors become progressively smaller their product can be placed into mobile and portable devices such as cell phone and Apple Ipods'. The company currently backs their product with a 10 year warranty or ten years of life. Denyse cannot over emphasize the quality control and testing they put in the development to the manufacturing of their memory modules. According to Denyse, each semi-conductor that comes out the assembly plant is thoroughly inspected or "Hot Test" for quality control and deficiencies. She noted each product must meet the 10-year warranty and if the memory module does not meet these stringent requirements, they are sent overseas where they are resold to toy manufacturers.

After the semi-conductors have been fully tested and found to be free from defects, they are either sent to Boise, Idaho or Lehi, Utah for final assembly. These semi-conductors which eventually become memory module and are then sold to the public not necessarily as "Micron", but other brands as well such as Dell Computers, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Apple Computers, and including the memory for the Motorola RAZR V3 cell phones. The unique identifier of the memory module is the "Micron Technology or MT" is the label found most on the top or bottom of the chip.

Micron is committed in education and learning. Micron supports Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Institute Program. A program which addresses a national need to develop a more complete understanding of how individual student occupational lines in mathematics and science are either nourished and sustained during the course of student careers in secondary and postsecondary settings. Micron participates in the K-12 Program, which supports STEM education. Their program objective is to excite students about math and science in the elementary grades (K-5), continue that excitement while challenging the middle school students, and mentor high school students in the science and technology career paths.

Micron believes education should start at an early age. Volunteers from Micron Technology regularly perform community services through the support of education in promoting technological advances. Micron employees try to excite children in Math and Sciences. Some of the endeavors Micron is currently engaged with the local schools are the Chesapeake Water Shed Program, a program designed in promoting water conservation and management and the science fair programs wherein Micron volunteers participated in judging student science projects. In 2006, over 8,000 students participated in this program and continue to growth each year. The Rube Goldberg Machine Challenge, Rube Goldberg was a famous American cartoonist infamous for drawings showing complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect and convoluted ways. The best examples of his machines have an anticipation factor, as the machine makes slow but steady progress toward its goal. A classic example is from the movie "Back to the Future" where the mad professor designed mechanical contraptions for breaking and cooking eggs over a hot skillet and serving toast at the same time. Last year, eight students won this challenge and the winners were invited to spend a day at Micron and got to dress up in white suits and had the opportunity to ask and be engineers for a day.

The object of this program is to encourage school age children to participate individually or collectively in school science projects and at the same time promotes participation among teachers and parents. It also validates the need why students need to take courses in Math such as Algebra, Calculus, and other subjects relating to math and sciences. Among the other programs Micron was involved in the past was with the Battlefield High School Robotics Team, where the local high school robotics team and with the assistance of Micron Technology participated in a competition last year in Las Vegas, Nevada. With programs like this area local students are encourage and are exposed to the importance of staying in school and potentially the gratification that students have with an associate or bachelor's degree in math or any field in sciences.

Micron foundation has corporate scholarships enabling students to win grants and scholarships and at the same token Micron has established Global Partnership with Prince William County Public Schools. This partnership allows Micron to participate with the various aspects of math and sciences curriculum.

In closing, Denyse noted that not only Micron is one of the largest employers in Prince William county. Micron deals with National and International Corporations as well; in addition, Micron is the largest tax providers in the city of Manassas. The average salary with a Bachelor's degree at Micron is $62,000 per year. Micron wants to let prospective applicants particularly with background in Engineering or Science to consider Micron of Manassas in lieu of other cities hosting technology companies like San Francisco or Chicago, Illinois.

Micron is located within the city of Manassas. The address is:

Micron Technology, Inc.
9600 Godwin Drive
Manassas, VA 20110
Tel: 703-396-1000
Fax: 703-396-1700

http://www.micron.com

 

 

 

 

Date Published: 2007-09-26 06:00:00

Section: Business, Photos: Micron Technology 04, Micron Technology 03, Micron Technology 02, Micron Technolog,