Post-Learning Journey Reflections

The visit to Applied Materials was truly an eye-opener. Not only did we get to tour the Applied Materials building, we also got a peek into some engineers' minds and what makes them tick.

First we had a talk from several engineers like Naz, Dr Wond, Mr Leong and Mr Birdsell, and their manager Mr Avi (apologies if I spell any names wrong here - do clarify if you spot any). They talked about managing a team, and how the engineers had to work as a team to get things done, no one-man shows allowed. Each engineer also presented the different aspects which Applied Materials specialises in and some also showed us their products, like the Endura or the array of solar panels.

We also got to visit their factory, which meant we had to suit up in suits, masks and all to ensure we did not contaminate the place. It was my first time in a clean room of this size and it was pretty cool to actually enter a factory like that and learn what processes Applied Materials has to create and test products.

I learnt quite a bit during our visit there, like how the prices of transistors have fallen drastically. An iPod created with transistor prices from 30 years ago would cost $3 billion, but it costs only hundreds now, showing the improvements in technology over this period of time.

I also learnt about what and who makes a factory floor work at optimum efficiency. I always thought that you only needed engineers to design the products, technicians to make the products and QC staff to check the products. Apparently not. Other than those I just listed, there are more than 10 other different groups of people needed to design the product to suit clientele needs, to make sure everything in the factory goes like clockwork, to ship the products among others.

A lot of the things we learnt at Applied Materials ultimately starts from what we learn at school. We know that metals like copper are good conductors of electricity and it is copper that forms the gate in a transistor. We also know that black colours absorb the most light and heat, and that is also applied in solar panels. What we learn in school forms the foundations of what you will do if you work in a company like Applied Materials and it would be good if you get the basics right in order to get the more advanced stuff on track.

An engineer can specialise in different fields, but the one thing that unites all engineers is that they see the problems and they fix it before you even know there's a problem. That summarises (oversummarises?) what an engineer does: fixing future problems.

In the end, this has been a very enriching experience and I would like to thank everyone who made this experience possible.