University of North Texas 
Semiconductors are the building modern society from artificial intelligence, internet of things, cellphones and computers to medical equipment, autonomous vehicles and systems used for the nation’s defense. In a world increasingly reliant on technology and innovations spurring the need for more advanced components, semiconductors are more important than ever.
To further fuel research on semiconductors, the University of North Texas launched a new research center — the Center for Microelectronics in Extreme Environments (CMEE). A UNT College of Engineering and College of Science collaboration, the center is advancing the development of next-generation semiconductors, supporting regional and state efforts to grow the industry and training the future semiconductor workforce. It brings together expertise from more than a dozen faculty members in materials science, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
“This center aligns UNT’s existing expertise in materials research and will foster more interdisciplinary collaboration and funding opportunities, as well as technology innovation that is critical for our economy,” says Pamela Padilla, UNT’s vice president for research and innovation. “Our efforts will help build a more sustainable semiconductor workforce pipeline in Texas and beyond by ensuring our students have the breadth of expertise and entrepreneurial mindset they’ll need for success in this rapidly changing industry.”
High-power Electronics
The center’s main research emphasis is on creating semiconductors that are needed for high-power electronic devices for commercial use, but also for more specialized applications needed by government agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy and NASA.
“High-power, high-frequency semiconductor materials and devices are needed for a wide variety of applications,” says Nigel Shepherd, associate professor of materials science and engineering, who serves as the center’s director along with co-director Usha Philipose, professor of physics. “In use, they need to function in pretty much every environment you could think of, including conditions such as radiation exposure, high and low temperatures, mechanical shock and high pressures, among others. When materials fail, applications fail — so understanding their performance limits is crucial. The knowledge from our research will lead to devices that can better withstand these extreme operating conditions.”
UNT’s research facilities across campus can simulate extreme conditions for testing materials and devices. For example, the College of Science’s Ion Beam Accelerator Laboratory — the only university facility in the nation capable of performing elemental and ion-induced charge mapping in electronics materials and devices at a sub-micrometer scale — will be used in the research.
At UNT’s 300-acre Discovery Park, the largest research park in the North Texas region, researchers have access to UNT’s Materials Research Facility (MRF) — one of the most advanced university research facilities in the nation for materials analysis, which includes the only 3D atom probe system in the state. The adjoining CMEE Clean Room allows for materials to be synthesized, tested and controlled in close proximity.
Through the individual labs of faculty contributing to the center’s research, UNT has equipment for research including thin-film synthesis, defect and noise analysis and computational materials design.
Varied Expertise
With faculty from across disciplines, the center pulls together expertise covering chemical and physical vapor deposition, 3D characterization of structural and chemical properties, electronic defects and trap analyses, and many other research areas related to semiconductor design and function.
The group has been funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, Army Research Laboratory,
Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA and Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency, as well as private grants from the Semiconductor Research Corporation and
contracts with many industry collaborators such as Texas Instruments, Intel and NXP
Semiconductors.
UNT researchers are active in a variety of areas including the synthesis and characterization of compound semiconductors, dielectric and optical/photonic thin films, electronic and optoelectronic devices, metamaterials and devices, surface and interface science, defect and noise analyses, advanced electronic ceramics for next-generation radio frequency applications, semiconductor cleaning processes, supercritical processing of materials, and nanostructures with novel electronic and photonic properties. Their faculty expertise extends to the fundamental science for microelectronic fabrication and semiconductor processing, patent-pending methods to detect flaws in microchips, and improving anti-corrosive technology for the copper wiring that acts as the interconnect in semiconductor fabrication.
“Copper has a very high conductivity, making it easy for an electric signal to travel through wires using the material, but it is also very susceptible to corrosion,” says Oliver Chyan, professor of chemistry. “So, we invented a selected copper passivation coating that helps prevent some of that corrosion.”
Boosting the Industry
There have been big moves in recent years on the federal and state levels to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry. In 2022, the U.S. passed the CHIPS Act approving $280 billion in new funding to advance domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors.
Texas is the largest semiconductor exporter in the nation and is No. 1 in semiconductor manufacturing capacity, accounting for 36% of the U.S. total capacity. In 2023, it approved its own CHIPS Act, which included the formation of a group of experts to advise the state on its strategic planning to secure Texas’ leadership in semiconductors. In March 2024, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the inaugural members of the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC), which includes UNT’s Shepherd.
“I’m honored to be UNT’s TSIC representative and contribute to the state’s planning to enhance semiconductor research, innovation, manufacturing and secure leadership of the sector,” Shepherd says.
The North Texas region has long been a leader in semiconductor innovation. In 1958, Jack S. Kilby invented the first integrated circuit while working at Dallas-based Texas Instruments. In more recent years, the region, which has been dubbed the “Silicon Prairie,” has continued to expand its presence in the industry with the opening of new manufacturing and design facilities for semiconductors.
The new research center at UNT will work with universities and manufacturers in the region and across the state to foster growth of the industry.
“The center’s capabilities and faculty expertise will not just strengthen semiconductor research and innovation efforts but will train the next generation of scientists and engineers to meet the emerging workforce needs.”
-Usha Philipose, physics professor and CMEE co-director
Building on collaborations with industry, academic institutions and the current research centers at UNT such as the Materials Research Facility, the overall objective is to expand the semiconductor research and development ecosystem at UNT.
A core focus for the center will be recruitment and securing scholarships in support of UNT master’s students interested in semiconductors. Students will receive one-on-one faculty mentorship and training, as well as semiconductor research and learning opportunities. UNT also will work with the semiconductor sector to establish internship opportunities for students.
Philipose says, “The center’s capabilities and faculty expertise will not just strengthen semiconductor research and innovation efforts but will train the next generation of scientists and engineers to meet the emerging workforce needs.”