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This course, fully funded by the Taiwanese side, allowed participants to enhance their professional knowledge and get acquainted with Taiwanese culture and the local approach to technology.

The courses were divided into four thematic areas focusing on the design of digital circuits using standard cells, MEMS circuits, analog and photonic circuits. Students Martin Klimeš and Vojtěch Szotkowski chose the topic of digital circuit design, while Jan Král focused on MEMS circuit design. "The entire event took place in July as an intensive four-week course, with one or two weeks, depending on the topic, dedicated to a project," said Jan Král.

Martin Klimeš and Vojtěch Szotkowski were tasked with designing and simulating an accelerator for enlarging digital images using bicubic interpolation. This meant optimizing computing performance, chip size, and energy consumption. "The assignment was very well-structured and allowed for optimization on several levels, while also being quite challenging to master," explained Jan Král. It is worth noting that both students successfully completed the task and were the only participants to meet all the required parameters.

On the other hand, Dr. Král worked on the design of a MEMS oscillator, which he described as "essentially a very small weight vibrating on springs." The project's goal was to design and simulate the behavior of this oscillator, with the weight size, including the springs, being approximately 100 x 100 μm. The weight was set in motion using electrostatic forces generated through a capacitor.

Unfortunately, both projects were disrupted in their final phase by Typhoon Gaemi, which led to the announcement of typhoon holidays for the last two days of the course. "We could not complete the projects to the state we had envisioned," added Král.

In addition to the professional work, participants had the opportunity to experience local culture and mentality. While the Czech participants were warmly welcomed, there were also some challenges. "We were surprised that many Taiwanese people are familiar with Europe and the Czech Republic or have even been there. On the other hand, English is not very common, and if you don't know traditional Chinese, ordering food in restaurants, even with smartphone translators, often leads to surprises," Král shared with a smile.

One of the surprises was a visit to local companies, where businesses were very protective of their know-how. Participants encountered presentations in lecture halls but could not view the production facilities.

All participants said the Taiwan course was well-organized and offered invaluable experiences. "We can only recommend it to future applicants. Not only can you gain knowledge on a professional level, but you can also get to know Taiwanese mentality and culture," concluded Král.

This course is a clear example that combining theoretical knowledge with practical projects in an international environment is the key to developing innovative technologies that can significantly influence future advancements in microelectronics. Congratulations to both students and Dr. Jan Král on their successful projects, and we wish them continued success in the future.