Department of Energy funds microelectronics research centers

The US Department of Energy has announced funding of 179 million dollars for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers to transform the energy efficiency of microelectronics and create devices that can operate in extreme environments. According to Harriet Kung, Deputy Director for Science Programs at the DOE’s Office of Science, advancements in microelectronics are critical to furthering scientific discovery and will improve daily lives.

The centers will focus on basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science. The three centers include the Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies, the Co-design and Heterogeneous Integration in Microelectronics for Extreme Environments Center, and the Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center.

Ten national laboratories will lead these centers and will explore new technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensing, and high-performance computing. The funding is part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and will support projects over four years.

Microelectronics Science Research Centers

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $179 million in funding for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs), which will focus on basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science. The primary goal of these centers is to transform the energy efficiency of microelectronics and create microelectronics that can operate in extreme environments. This initiative is part of the DOE’s efforts to advance scientific discovery and drive forward U.S. leadership in science and technology.

The MSRCs were authorized by the Micro Act, passed in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which complements the activities appropriated under the CHIPS and Science Act at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other agencies. The DOE has been involved in microelectronics research for decades, both as a consumer and as an engine of scientific understanding that has enabled many technological advancements adopted by industry. As the demand for more energy-efficient microelectronics and microelectronics designed to operate in extreme environments continues to grow, the need for innovative solutions has become increasingly pressing.

The three MSRCs will perform basic research in areas such as materials science, device design, and system architecture to develop new technologies that can meet the demands of emerging applications. These centers will leverage state-of-the-art methods for synthesis, simulation, and prototyping to accelerate the deployment of novel concepts and enable scalable, sustainable, and data-challenge-ready systems. By advancing the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems, the MSRCs aim to transform the field of microelectronics and drive innovation in various industries.

The selection process for the MSRCs involved a competitive peer review under the DOE Laboratory Announcement “Microelectronics Science Research Center Projects for Energy Efficiency and Extreme Environments.” A total of 16 projects were selected, led by 10 national laboratories, with funding totaling $179 million over four years. The funding will be allocated as follows: $41 million in Fiscal Year 2024 dollars, with outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.

Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies (MEERCAT)

The MEERCAT center is committed to revolutionizing energy-efficient microelectronics by advancing integrated innovations across materials, devices, information-carrying modalities, and systems’ architectures. The center will focus on intelligent sensing, data bandwidth, multiplexing, and advanced computing, exploring transformative solutions that seamlessly bridge sensing, edge processing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. By leveraging end-to-end co-design, spanning nanoscale materials, neuromorphic architectures, in-transit data processing, and heterogeneous integration, MEERCAT will discover new approaches for real-time energy-efficient information handling.

MEERCAT’s research will be driven by the need to develop scalable, sustainable, and data-challenge-ready systems that redefine computing and sensing paradigms. The center will accelerate the deployment of novel concepts by leveraging state-of-the-art methods for synthesis, simulation, and prototyping. By advancing the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems, MEERCAT aims to drive innovation in various industries, including energy, transportation, and healthcare.

The MEERCAT center will also focus on developing robust, high-performance solutions capable of excelling in challenging conditions, including extreme thermal and radiation environments. By harnessing interdisciplinary expertise to optimize technologies from the atomic scale to fully integrated instrumentation, the center will advance rapid prototyping methodologies to accelerate the innovation cycle. This will enable swift iteration and validation of novel concepts, bridging the gap from lab-to-fab and translating groundbreaking research into scalable, manufacturable solutions.

Co-Design and Heterogeneous Integration in Microelectronics for Extreme Environments (CHIME) Center

The CHIME center aims to drive transformative advancements in extreme environment electronics through heterogeneous integration and a seamless fusion of diverse materials, processes, and technologies. The center will create robust, high-performance solutions capable of excelling in the most challenging conditions, including extreme thermal and radiation environments. By co-designing spanning materials, devices, circuits, and systems, the center will harness interdisciplinary expertise to optimize technologies from the atomic scale to fully integrated instrumentation.

The CHIME center’s efforts will advance rapid prototyping methodologies to accelerate the innovation cycle, enabling swift iteration and validation of novel concepts. By bridging the gap from lab-to-fab, the center will translate groundbreaking research into scalable, manufacturable solutions that address critical societal and industrial needs. The center’s research will be driven by the need to develop microelectronics that can operate in extreme environments, such as space exploration, nuclear energy, and defense applications.

The CHIME center will also focus on developing new materials and processes that can enable next-generation systems. By advancing the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems, the center aims to drive innovation in various industries. The center’s research will be informed by a systems-to-physics motivation aimed at long-term impact, ensuring that the developed technologies are scalable, sustainable, and can meet the demands of emerging applications.

Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center (ELMIC)

The ELMIC center aims to advance the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems. The center will focus on key areas such as plasma-based nanofabrication, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photon sources, 2D-material systems, and extreme-scale memory. By advancing the understanding of these areas, ELMIC will drive innovation in various industries, including energy, transportation, and healthcare.

The ELMIC center’s scientific investigations will be informed strongly by a systems-to-physics motivation aimed at long-term impact. The center will leverage state-of-the-art methods for synthesis, simulation, and prototyping to accelerate the deployment of novel concepts and enable scalable, sustainable, and data-challenge-ready systems. By developing new materials and processes that can enable next-generation systems, ELMIC aims to transform the field of microelectronics and drive innovation in various industries.

The ELMIC center will also focus on developing robust, high-performance solutions capable of excelling in challenging conditions, including extreme thermal and radiation environments. By harnessing interdisciplinary expertise to optimize technologies from the atomic scale to fully integrated instrumentation, the center will advance rapid prototyping methodologies to accelerate the innovation cycle. This will enable swift iteration and validation of novel concepts, bridging the gap from lab-to-fab and translating groundbreaking research into scalable, manufacturable solutions.

Conclusion

The establishment of the three MSRCs marks a significant step forward in advancing microelectronics research and driving innovation in various industries. By focusing on energy efficiency, extreme environments, and advanced materials, these centers will develop new technologies that can meet the demands of emerging applications. The $179 million funding allocated to these centers will support research projects led by 10 national laboratories, with a total of 16 projects selected through a competitive peer review process.

The MSRCs will leverage state-of-the-art methods for synthesis, simulation, and prototyping to accelerate the deployment of novel concepts and enable scalable, sustainable, and data-challenge-ready systems. By advancing the fundamental science driving the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems, these centers aim to transform the field of microelectronics and drive innovation in various industries. The research conducted by these centers will have a long-term impact on the development of microelectronics, enabling the creation of more efficient, sustainable, and powerful devices that can meet the demands of emerging applications.