Adam RollinsThe Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) will invest $840 million into the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE) at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin to advance cutting-edge semiconductor microsystems manufacturing. The investment builds on $552 million already provided by the Texas Legislature.
The funds come from the Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) program. The initiative will establish a dedicated center to advance U.S.-based manufacturing and R&D of three-dimensional heterogeneously integrated (3DHI) technologies.
3DHI represents the next stage in microelectronics technology, stacking components manufactured in separate facilities that contain different semiconductors and materials. These components are layered into a single complex package that uses three dimensions to drastically improve performance and function.
TIE will create the first-ever national consortium for microelectronics manufacturing, establishing a national open-access fabrication facility for 3DHI technologies. The center will allow TIE and DARPA to accelerate design innovations and improve microsystem testing, reliability and security.
Technology developed through the center will allow the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop defense systems that are high performance, low power, lightweight and compact. These may include radar, satellite imaging and unmanned aerial vehicles. While mainly intended to support the defense sector, technologies made through the center will be used for a broad array of applications.
The project will be split into two phases, each 2.5 years in length. During Phase 1, TIE will build the center’s infrastructure and fundamental capabilities. Phase 2 will jumpstart engineering of 3DHI hardware prototypes and automate processes.
“DARPA’s vision for the NGMM program includes developing an infrastructure that enables users to efficiently and accurately develop advanced microsystems meeting the defense industry’s stringent quality and reliability standards,” said TIE CEO John Schreck. “With the support of our consortium partners, TIE’s product development infrastructure and services will enable a true open access facility where future microsystems can be developed for a wide range of customers and can be leveraged for other programs well into the future.”
TIE is a UT Austin-supported consortium of state and local government, semiconductor and defense electronics companies, national labs and academic institutions. The institute has spent the past three years developing a strategic vision for the 3DHI fabrication center alongside key semiconductor partners. TIE’s NGMM team is composed of 32 defense electronics and leading commercial semiconductor companies and 18 nationally recognized academic institutions.
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