Ohio State gets $20m to expand semiconductor lab
Ohio State University has held a ribbon-cutting to mark a $20m expansion of its semiconductor research and development infrastructure.
Operated by Ohio State’s Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR), the Microelectronics Innovation and Technology Cluster (MITEC) lab connects and enhances existing facilities for semiconductor processing, device prototyping and testing.
MITEC is led by Steven Ringel, adistinguished university professor and senior associate vice president for research at Ohio State. “The new MITEC capabilities will have a significant impact on Ohio State’s semiconductor ecosystem and infrastructure, with the goal to support device development and prototyping for defence and commercial technology transitions working with the consortium,” Ringel said. “We are excited about our partnership with the MMEC as the Midwest’s leading innovation hub for compound semiconductor technologies.”
The expansion will support small and large industry partnerships and national defence technology development through the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC), a Department of War-designated regional innovation hub.
The initiative is supported by approximately $16 million in funding secured through MMEC, along with a roughly $4.5m collaborative infrastructure investment from Ohio State and the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
These investments have funded major equipment additions and facility upgrades, expanding Ohio State’s ability to support university researchers and industry partners as they develop, evaluate and prepare state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies for manufacturing.
“It’s one thing to demonstrate something in a lab,” said John M. Horack, vice president for research at Ohio State. “It’s another thing to do it at scale.”
MITEC supports semiconductor development using wafer sizes and processes compatible with industrial manufacturing beyond the expected scale of academic research. This allows researchers and industry partners to develop materials and prototype devices at a scale closer to commercial production, helping reduce the time needed to move new technologies from the laboratory into manufacturing and commercialisation.
Workforce development and experiential learning initiatives are already underway, with MMEC-sponsored fellowships providing undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on research and prototyping experience in Nanotech West Lab’s cleanroom. Students work with wide bandgap semiconductors, materials used in high-power and high-speed electronics, as well as narrow bandgap semiconductors required for infrared sensing, while receiving training from experienced staff and helping accelerate the development of new technologies.
Pictured above: Steven Ringel, Ohio State senior associate vice president for research and MMEC CEO Matt Casto cut the ribbon at the MITEC lab
