{"id":2294,"date":"2023-10-04T09:10:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T13:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ece.ncsu.edu\/?p=262536"},"modified":"2023-10-04T09:10:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T13:10:05","slug":"nc-state-to-lead-regional-semiconductor-innovation-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/2023\/nc-state-to-lead-regional-semiconductor-innovation-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"NC State to Lead Regional Semiconductor Innovation Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

North Carolina State University has been awarded $39.4 million from the Department of Defense to serve as the leader of a regional innovation hub in wide bandgap semiconductors.<\/p>\n

The regional hub, \u201cCommercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors,\u201d or CLAWS, also includes one university partner, N.C. A&T State University, as well as six industry partners: Wolfspeed, Coherent Corp., General Electric, Bluglass, Adroit Materials and Kyma Technologies, Inc.<\/p>\n

The funding is part of $238 million invested through the \u201cCreating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act\u201d for the establishment of eight Microelectronics Commons regional innovation hubs spread across the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cNC\u00a0State is honored to lead a Microelectronics Commons regional innovation hub to use our breadth and depth of expertise to create better wide bandgap semiconductors that are so important for our nation\u2019s defense,\u201d said Chancellor Randy Woodson. \u201cWe\u2019re thankful for the work of those who developed and passed the \u2018CHIPS and Science Act\u2019 that supports these regional hubs, and for the regional partners who will collaborate on future research and discovery in this critical high-tech sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wide bandgap semiconductors offer higher voltage and temperature capacity than traditional silicon chips. They are used in power electronics, but also in RF and wireless devices for communications and radars, as well as photonic devices for sensing, communications,\u00a0artificial intelligence, and future quantum technology applications.\u00a0The hub will also explore next-generation ultra-wide bandgap materials with even greater voltage and temperature capabilities, including diamond and gallium oxide electronics.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeveraging NC\u00a0State\u2019s expertise through campus resources like\u00a0PowerAmerica<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0FREEDM Systems Center<\/a>\u00a0alongside traditional strengths in\u00a0electrical and computer engineering<\/a>\u00a0as well as\u00a0computer science<\/a>\u00a0should help make this leap ahead for wide bandgap semiconductor technology a reality,\u201d said Mladen Vouk, vice chancellor for research and innovation at NC\u00a0State.<\/p>\n

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks\u00a0announced the awards<\/a>\u00a0on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe effort is focused on \u2018lab to fab\u2019 \u2013 laboratory to fabrication \u2013 capability for wide bandgap semiconductors and is about building capability to make them\u00a0here in the U.S. and help ensure domestic supply,\u201d said\u00a0John Muth<\/a>, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the primary investigator on the award.\u00a0\u201cThe hub has a nucleus of members that are building this capability, but we will also have hub affiliates\u00a0and future partners\u00a0that will be able use the equipment and capability of the hub for Dept. of Defense-funded and commercial projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hub will also enhance the ability to perform a wide range of fundamental research that\u00a0is core to the university\u2019s science and extension mission, Muth added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technologies hold the potential to enable future electric vehicles, power grid technologies, 5G\/6G, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence applications,\u201d said\u00a0Fred Kish<\/a>, MC Dean Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the director of the new hub. \u201cThey are also important\u00a0for national security applications by providing energy efficiency, size, weight, power, and performance advantages in critical application areas including weapons systems, warfighter outfitting, position\/navigation\/timing, biotechnical and medical, materials processing, displays, and a host of additional defense needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

NC\u00a0State will work with hub partner N.C. A&T State University and community colleges to build technical expertise in semiconductors across the state, Muth added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/div>\n

NC State will use its engineering prowess to help shape domestic production of wide bandgap semiconductors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2295,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294\/revisions\/2295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.ece.ncsu.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}