$18M NSF Grant to Build National Semiconductor Fabrication Facility
Engineering researchers led by Distinguished Professor Alan Mantooth (pictured) received $17.87 million from the National Science Foundation to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility at the U of A.
“The national impact of having a fabrication facility such as this is enormous,” Mantooth said. “The country that leads the world in advancing silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication will also lead the race to market nearly all new game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”
The unique facility will fill a void in U.S. production of integrated circuits made with silicon carbide, a powerful semiconductor well suited for higher temperature environments. The NSF funding will pay for infrastructure, equipment, technology installation and enhancements to current facilities to accommodate new equipment, in addition to supporting staff.
Mantooth and other U of A electrical engineering researchers have decades of experience working with silicon carbide. They are one of only a few university research groups capable of developing integrated circuits with the powerful semiconductor.
Co-principal investigators on this project include Zhong Chen, associate professor of electrical engineering, and Shannon Davis, business and operations manager in the Department of Electrical Engineering.