Design Thinking Tool – Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 I work in a design engineering group .   One of my main challenges is to problem solve or find solutions to   difficult problems .   In a recent assignment , I was asked to review and recommend a method of   measuring the temperature of silicon wafers in a vacuum chamber without contacting the wafer over   range of 150 to 600 degC.   I had little experience with this kind of technology .   This is not unusual in our   group and why my role is considered “ research and design ” .   In addition to not understanding the   technology , the customer typically does not communicate all the requirements to be successful . 

 Selection 

 Once I have researched the problem and have identified some potential solutions , we go about the   process of determining where to start and how to determine the best solution .   We have found that   doing a learning launch ( often called testing or prototyping ) is the most efficient and successful method   to getting to a proper design solution .   There are far too many variables that can affect a solution many   of which are not seen until a build integration .   Therefore we often acquire / build a necessary subset of   equipment needed to test ideas or designs in our lab .   In the video , Ed Hesse refers to this as doing   experiments to test multiple hypotheses .   During the course of testing or experimenting much is learned   about the system and how a design will integrate or function .   We also typically get additional feedback   from our customer and learn more about requirements than was initially communicated .   Data   collection can also be involved to help see how things are working together over time and to document   performance .   The process is very iterative meaning many solutions or variations can be tested in a short   period .   This method allows for numerous fast failures and opportunity to prove functionality to our   customer .   This saves time so that when we commit to a final design , we know it ’s going to work .   With   few exceptions , it ’s the more economical approach . 

 Application / Insight 

 Industry solutions exist for using the electromagnetic radiation emitted from an object to determine   it ’s temperature .   They are referred to as IR Sensors or Pyrometers .   However , you also need to know   the emissivity of the object to be measured which is a value from 0 to 1 that indicates the percentage of   heat energy that an object will emit .   Unfortunately , silicon emissivity varies with temperature and since   the wafers are reflective there is no effective way to measure it .   In addition wafers are transmissive to   certain wave lengths of light ( a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ) and therefore certain   pyrometers would pick up objects radiating from behind .   Pyrometers are typically set for a specific   wavelength and temperature range which limits how they will function per application .   Once I fully   understood the physics involved , I was able to select some pyrometers which “ looked like ” they would 

 work within our project budget .   During the research phase , we cobbled together a test chamber using   some existing materials and some of our lab equipment .   I made some modifications and added some   bracketry and viewports to test a variety of pyrometers .   I acquired / borrowed some sample pyrometers   from internal sources and vendors .   We determined to calibrate the pyrometer at a temperature set   point using a test wafer fitted with thermocouples ( temperature probes ) .   This eliminated the problem   of emissivity .   Next , I was able to systematically test the pyrometers and learn what was working the   best and what our limitations would be .   The first pyrometer which should have worked was an utter   failure .   We tried another spectral range in the same brand and that did not work either .   Ultimately , I   found a very economical unit that was set for a broader spectral range 8 - 14um .   We had to experiment   outside of advice from experts to find something that would work .   During the testing we continually   shared results with our customer .   We were able to agree on performance metrics based on the testing .    The project certainly confirmed how valuable a learning launch is to finding a solution and proper design   methodology . 

 Approach 

 In this particular project it was obvious that we needed to do lots of experiments because we had very   little experience or even confidence in what could be done .   The amount of learning and information we   gathered for the project more than justified the effort to build our test stand and conduct the   experiments .   On occasion a solution may be more obvious .   We often have customers who want a quick   and dirty solution .   Sometimes they will just say all you need to do is “ this ” .   We are careful to explain to   them what the issues are if we just did as asked .   We are typically able to convince them on some level   of experimenting / testing .   Seasoned engineers know how critical the learning launch is . 

 Elements : 

 1 . Challenge : Describe your challenge , including all relevant information . 

 2 . Selection : In your own words , briefly describe the tool you selected ( e.g. , what it is and why you 

 selected it for your challenge -- including any appropriate video lecture references ) . 

 3 . Application : Describe how you applied the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , what you did 

 and how the tool was applied effectively or ineffectively ) . 

 4 . Insight : Describe the insight you gained from applying the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , 

 how an insight affected your thinking about the challenge and about design thinking more broadly ) . 

 5 . Approach : Describe what you might do differently next time -- applying the same tool you selected 

 or a different one -- and the reason(s ) why . 

 Notes : 

 The rubric also includes a score for organization . You should strive to write in a clear and compelling   way , and ensure that your descriptions flow logically . 

 Your completed reflection should be written in English and be between five and ten paragraphs in   length . When complete , you will upload your reflection ( PDF file only ) for peer review , which will   determine your grade for this assignment . After uploading your reflection , you will be prompted to   review three of your peers ' submissions . 

 To pass this assignment , your peers must score your reflection an average of two or above , based   on the rubric criteria . To successfully complete the course , you must complete your peer reviews   and pass this assignment . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Design Thinking Tool – Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 I work in a design engineering group .   One of my main challenges is to problem solve or find solutions to   difficult problems .   In a recent assignment , I was asked to review and recommend a method of   measuring the temperature of silicon wafers in a vacuum chamber without contacting the wafer over   range of 150 to 600 degC.   I had little experience with this kind of technology .   This is not unusual in our   group and why my role is considered “ research and design ” .   In addition to not understanding the   technology , the customer typically does not communicate all the requirements to be successful . 

 Selection 

 Once I have researched the problem and have identified some potential solutions , we go about the   process of determining where to start and how to determine the best solution .   We have found that   doing a learning launch ( often called testing or prototyping ) is the most efficient and successful method   to getting to a proper design solution .   There are far too many variables that can affect a solution many   of which are not seen until a build integration .   Therefore we often acquire / build a necessary subset of   equipment needed to test ideas or designs in our lab .   In the video , Ed Hesse refers to this as doing   experiments to test multiple hypotheses .   During the course of testing or experimenting much is learned   about the system and how a design will integrate or function .   We also typically get additional feedback   from our customer and learn more about requirements than was initially communicated .   Data   collection can also be involved to help see how things are working together over time and to document   performance .   The process is very iterative meaning many solutions or variations can be tested in a short   period .   This method allows for numerous fast failures and opportunity to prove functionality to our   customer .   This saves time so that when we commit to a final design , we know it ’s going to work .   With   few exceptions , it ’s the more economical approach . 

 Application / Insight 

 Industry solutions exist for using the electromagnetic radiation emitted from an object to determine   it ’s temperature .   They are referred to as IR Sensors or Pyrometers .   However , you also need to know   the emissivity of the object to be measured which is a value from 0 to 1 that indicates the percentage of   heat energy that an object will emit .   Unfortunately , silicon emissivity varies with temperature and since   the wafers are reflective there is no effective way to measure it .   In addition wafers are transmissive to   certain wave lengths of light ( a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ) and therefore certain   pyrometers would pick up objects radiating from behind .   Pyrometers are typically set for a specific   wavelength and temperature range which limits how they will function per application .   Once I fully   understood the physics involved , I was able to select some pyrometers which “ looked like ” they would 

 work within our project budget .   During the research phase , we cobbled together a test chamber using   some existing materials and some of our lab equipment .   I made some modifications and added some   bracketry and viewports to test a variety of pyrometers .   I acquired / borrowed some sample pyrometers   from internal sources and vendors .   We determined to calibrate the pyrometer at a temperature set   point using a test wafer fitted with thermocouples ( temperature probes ) .   This eliminated the problem   of emissivity .   Next , I was able to systematically test the pyrometers and learn what was working the   best and what our limitations would be .   The first pyrometer which should have worked was an utter   failure .   We tried another spectral range in the same brand and that did not work either .   Ultimately , I   found a very economical unit that was set for a broader spectral range 8 - 14um .   We had to experiment   outside of advice from experts to find something that would work .   During the testing we continually   shared results with our customer .   We were able to agree on performance metrics based on the testing .    The project certainly confirmed how valuable a learning launch is to finding a solution and proper design   methodology . 

 Approach 

 In this particular project it was obvious that we needed to do lots of experiments because we had very   little experience or even confidence in what could be done .   The amount of learning and information we   gathered for the project more than justified the effort to build our test stand and conduct the   experiments .   On occasion a solution may be more obvious .   We often have customers who want a quick   and dirty solution .   Sometimes they will just say all you need to do is “ this ” .   We are careful to explain to   them what the issues are if we just did as asked .   We are typically able to convince them on some level   of experimenting / testing .   Seasoned engineers know how critical the learning launch is . 

 Elements : 

 1 . Challenge : Describe your challenge , including all relevant information . 

 2 . Selection : In your own words , briefly describe the tool you selected ( e.g. , what it is and why you 

 selected it for your challenge -- including any appropriate video lecture references ) . 

 3 . Application : Describe how you applied the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , what you did 

 and how the tool was applied effectively or ineffectively ) . 

 4 . Insight : Describe the insight you gained from applying the tool you selected to your challenge ( e.g. , 

 how an insight affected your thinking about the challenge and about design thinking more broadly ) . 

 5 . Approach : Describe what you might do differently next time -- applying the same tool you selected 

 or a different one -- and the reason(s ) why . 

 Notes : 

 The rubric also includes a score for organization . You should strive to write in a clear and compelling   way , and ensure that your descriptions flow logically . 

 Your completed reflection should be written in English and be between five and ten paragraphs in   length . When complete , you will upload your reflection ( PDF file only ) for peer review , which will   determine your grade for this assignment . After uploading your reflection , you will be prompted to   review three of your peers ' submissions . 

 To pass this assignment , your peers must score your reflection an average of two or above , based   on the rubric criteria . To successfully complete the course , you must complete your peer reviews   and pass this assignment .
### Output: 