University of Arkansas’ $36M chip prototype facility to open in 2025

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

Construction has started on a first-of-its-kind semiconductor facility at the University of Arkansas, according to a Monday (Aug. 21) news release. The $36 million chip prototype fabrication facility is expected to be completed in January 2025.

UA and industry leaders and researchers broke ground Friday (Aug. 18) on the 18,660-square-foot Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility, or MUSiC. It will be built at Arkansas Research and Technology Park in south Fayetteville. Designers are Tsoi Kobus and Wittenberg Delony & Davidson Architects. The general contractor is Whiting Turner.

MUSiC will allow the federal government – through national labs – businesses and universities to develop semiconductor prototypes with silicon carbide, a capability that’s currently unavailable. Silicon carbide is a semiconductor that can outperform basic silicon chips, and silicon carbide electronics can operate in extreme environments. At the new facility, chips can go from developmental research to prototyping, testing and fabrication.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/08/university-of-arkansas-36m-chip-prototype-facility-to-open-in-2025/

Alan Mantooth speaks at the groundbreaking of the Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility.

UA researchers receive nearly $18 million to build semiconductor fabrication facility

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas engineering researchers led by distinguished professor Alan Mantooth will use a $17.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility on campus, according to a Monday (Oct. 4) news release.

“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 game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”

According to the release, the new facility will be the only openly accessible fabrication facility of its kind in the United States, meaning its facilities and services will be available to external researchers. All existing silicon carbide fabrication facilities in the United States are for internal use only, and U.S. research and development of silicon carbide integrated circuits rely on international fabrication. The new UA facility will provide domestic opportunities for prototyping, proof-of-principle demonstrations and device design.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/ua-researchers-receive-nearly-18-million-to-build-semiconductor-fabrication-facility/

Dr. Alan Mantooth, a distinguished professor in the University of Arkansas' electrical engineering department, said the electric power program's collaborative research has added more than $1 billion to the state's economy.