News: Microelectronics
22 December 2023
ASU gains $17.5m as part of $100m state funding to boost semiconductor development in Arizona
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) has announced a $17.5m investment in Arizona State University (ASU) to expand Arizona’s advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. The expansion will enhance Arizona’s fan-out wafer-level packaging R&D and workforce training capabilities and drive the creation of a gallium nitride (GaN) manufacturing and research ecosystem in the state to enable technology of the future and make it available to more companies in the industry.
ASU will allocate the funding to purchase equipment to enhance the capabilities of ASU’s MacroTechnology Works (MTW) in Tempe. ASU plans to expand advanced packaging and GaN research to additional capabilities that support 6G, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and more. The expansion will also include workforce development initiatives such as internships and university joint research, and next-generation GaN research & development for 6G in partnership with NXP Semiconductors N.V. in Chandler, AZ.
“The expansion of ASU’s MacroTechnology Works is another important step in enhancing Arizona’s semiconductor ecosystem,” says Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. “These new capabilities enable first-of-its-kind training and R&D opportunities to strengthen the state’s workforce and support continued industry growth,” she adds.
“Today’s announcement represents another important step in ASU’s commitment as a university to contribute to advancing America’s domestic semiconductor manufacturing, research and development capabilities,” says ASU’s president Michael Crow. “Our recent creation of a Microelectronics Workforce Development Hub and our strategic focus on the university’s MacroTechnology Works facility are both in place to assist with achieving the objectives outlined today and we look forward to working with the Arizona Commerce Authority and NXP to drive success at an accelerated rate,” he adds.
“This new investment showcases Arizona’s continued commitment to advancing our semiconductor industry,” says ACA president & CEO Sandra Watson. The investment at ASU will “expand the state’s semiconductor supply chain and workforce development efforts while building on strategic efforts to establish an advanced packaging ecosystem in Arizona,” she adds.
“We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with ASU, helping train and develop the engineers of the future, who could one day contribute to the development of critical communications infrastructure benefitting both the state of Arizona and US as a whole,” comments Jim Norling, VP of product management, Radio Power, NXP Semiconductors. “This partnership will drive innovation in 6G, taking lab concepts through joint research to full-scale manufacturing.”
The expanded capabilities at MTW in Tempe will support future growth opportunities within Arizona’s semiconductor ecosystem. The ASU expansion also builds on Arizona’s efforts to establish shared semiconductor research and manufacturing facilities that complement federal investments through the CHIPS and Science Act.
The ACA’s investment is part of a $100m commitment announced last year to increase semiconductor and microelectronics development in the state. In July, ASU, Applied Materials Inc and the ACA announced plans to create the Materials-to-Fab (MTF) Center as a shared research, development and prototyping facility in the university’s MacroTechnology Works building at ASU Research Park. The MTF Center, which is supported by a $30m investment from the ACA, will be home to Applied Materials’ Center of Excellence in materials deposition technology.
In November, the University of Arizona and the ACA announced an expansion of the university’s Micro/Nano Fabrication Center (MNFC) in Tucson. The MNFC is a cleanroom facility that supports manufacturing and research efforts involving semiconductors, computer chips, optical devices and quantum computing systems. The MNFC expansion, which is supported by a $35.5m investment from the ACA, will also include additional training efforts to continue growing the state’s skilled workforce.
In September, the US Department of Defense announced that Arizona was one of eight regional hubs selected under the Department of Defense Microelectronics Commons program. The Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub proposal was led by ASU. The SWAP Hub was awarded $39.8m to advance microelectronics R&D in the focus areas of artificial intelligence hardware, 5G/6G, and Commercial Leap Ahead Technologies. The hub will help to create a GaN and advanced packaging and test ecosystem in Arizona by offering lab-to-fab capabilities including DoD technical areas.
