Next-generation chip materials under development at UT Dallas

A research team at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) consisting of Dr. Julia Hsu, Dr. Cormac Toher, Dr. Kevin Brenner, and other collaborators, has received a National Science Foundation grant to support the design and testing of new indium-based materials that could enable more efficient computer chip manufacturing resulting in even smaller, higher performance chips.

The $1.9 million three-year grant will support the work of the research team through the National Science Foundation Future of Semiconductors (FuSe2) program, which announced $42.4 million in funding in September to support the achievement of the goals of the federal Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022.

Indium-based materials will be used to facilitate patterning, or lithography, in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range, which is a vital step in the manufacture of semiconductors. The patterns are used to create pathways for transistors and other components on the surface of a wafer, so moving from deep UV to the EUV range will enable smaller, more precise features that will facilitate greater chip performance and energy efficiency.

Through the research, new materials could enable production of 3D circuits by stacking layers of chips without disrupting existing circuits, which the team believes can be done using indium-containing materials. The efficiency enabled by these materials could eliminate a step in the integrated circuit manufacturing process involving solvents.

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