University of Arkansas opens MUSiC fab
The University of Arkansas has opened its Multi-User SiC Facility (MUSiC), an open-access fab, believed to be the first of its kind in the US.
Funded in part by the US National Science Foundation’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure Program, MUSiC provides an multi-project wafer model enabling collaborative prototyping and research across academia, government and industry. The facility features a state-of-the-art eight-bay cleanroom, expandable to ten bays, within a 22,000-square-foot building.
“MUSiC is a powerful example of our land-grant mission in action,” said chancellor Charles Robinson. “Our responsibility has always been to turn knowledge into progress, and MUSiC does exactly that. This facility will give students hands-on experiences that prepare them for success in a high-tech workforce while helping our researchers push the boundaries of what’s possible in materials science and semiconductor technology. In doing so, it will strengthen Arkansas' economy, improve lives across the nation and help safeguard America’s long-term security and prosperity.”
At the opening, Robinson was joined by US Representative Steve Womack and Arkansas State Attorney General Tim Griffin, as well as Kim Needy, dean of the College of engineering and Alan Mantooth, UA Power Group’s founding director and distinguished professor of engineering. Alumni from Wolfspeed, GlobalFoundries, Onsemi, Microchip, Texas Instruments and others also joined to celebrate the opening.
“The technology that will emerge from the MUSiC fab is foundational to our economic strength and national security,” said Womack. “The University of Arkansas will serve as ground zero for this important work, developing scalable technologies that will bolster our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
“MUSiC will give students from Arkansas and across the US access to world-class SiC fabrication capabilities,” said Mantooth. “That exposure will advance their skills, empower research excellence and feed directly into the nation’s energy and transportation industries.”
Together with the High-Density Electronics centre (HiDEC) and the National centre for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT), the MUSiC Fab now forms part of one of America largest academic clusters in power and energy research.
