News

Researchers work inside the clean room area at the MacroTechnology Works facility in the ASU Research Park in Tempe, Arizona. Photo by Deanna Dent/Arizona State University

ASU selected as home and partner for CHIPS and Science Act-funded national facility for semiconductor advanced packaging

January 6, 2025 | ASU News

In a victory for the entire state and a critical step forward for America’s efforts to reclaim its place as the global leader in digital technology, the U.S. Commerce Department and Natcast announced the selection of Arizona as the site of the co-located NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility.   

Located at ASU Research Park in Tempe, adjacent to the university’s MacroTechnology Works building, the new facility will combine semiconductor research and prototyping for front-end manufacturing and packaging capabilities, meeting a unique need for advanced packaging R&D within the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.

From left: Universidad Tecmilenio rector Bruno Zepeda, Ambassador of Mexico to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, ASU President Michael Crow and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California rector Luis Enrique Palafox Maestre photographed with the newly signed addenda to the memorandum of understanding.

ASU and Mexico partner to build the next generation of chipmakers and drive semiconductor innovation

December 20, 2024 | Phoenix Business Journal

Thousands of college students in Mexico will soon have the opportunity to enroll in ASU’s new, free online course to learn the fundamentals of microelectronics and nanoelectronics.

Designed by ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Global Launch, the new course is part of the university’s binational knowledge partnership with Mexico, which aims to advance North American competitiveness and ensure the global semiconductor supply chain meets demands for digital security and transformation worldwide.

David McComas, an undergraduate electrical engineering student in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, deposits a metal mask on a gallium oxide wafer in the ASU NanoFab semiconductor fabrication facility. McComas is working on a Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative, or FURI, project to improve microelectronics sustainability, one of eight FURI projects sponsored by semiconductor manufacturer TSMC in the fall semester. Photo courtesy of David McComas

Student research supports semiconductor sustainability

December 16, 2024 | ASU News

As microelectronics have become an increasingly essential part of modern society, greenhouse gas emissions have increased in tandem. Semiconductor manufacturing contributes 31% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and a U.S. Department of Energy analysis estimates greenhouse gas emissions associated with semiconductors could quadruple by 2030.

But research efforts are underway to reduce the essential field’s environmental impact, thanks to a team of students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU who are exploring ways to make microelectronics manufacturing more eco-friendly. Their research is sponsored by TSMC, which is garnering an increasing presence as part of the semiconductor industry’s rapid expansion in Arizona.

More about ASU microelectronics

Training stellar students to secure semiconductors

In ASU’s STAM Center, Michel Kinsy develops systems to protect vital microelectronics.

Read on Full Circle

Department of State and ASU host Government Leaders Forum to strengthen semiconductor supply chains

The three-day forum convened leaders from Costa Rica, Vietnam and the Philippines to discuss workforce development and strategies for enhancing assembly, testing and packaging.

Read on ASU News

ASU awarded $100 million to improve the way semiconductors are packaged

A team led by ASU and Deca Technologies have qualified for up to $100 million in federal funds to drive innovation in semiconductor packaging.

Read on AZ Central

$7 billion “city within a city” planned in Phoenix surrounding new TSMC fab

“Halo Vista,” as it is now known, will surround a manufacturing complex developed by TSMC—which is already under construction.

Read on Newsweek

ASU gets $2M NSF grant to supercharge the semiconductor industry

Sarma Vrudhula, an ASU professor of computer science and engineering, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the NSF to design a more efficient chip.

Read on ASU News

Honeywell launches ‘innovation hub’ at ASU’s Tempe campus

Honeywell opened its Honeywell Innovation Hub on Sept. 30 — a new space on ASU’s Tempe campus launched in collaboration with Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Read on Tempe Independent