News: Microelectronics
1 May 2024
SUNY Poly receives extra $4m for Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education, and Training Center
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is the recipient of a $4m Empire State Development (ESD) Grant. The new funding — combined with an additional $16m investment in SUNY Poly’s College of Engineering announced by Hochul in November — will support the establishment of a $26.5m Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education, and Training Center in the NY CREATES Quad C building on SUNY Poly’s campus, which is also occupied by Semikron Danfoss.
The center’s goal is to increase the number of graduates across advanced manufacturing disciplines by 10% in the next four years.
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, as well as State and local officials, were on campus to celebrate the announcement, as the center will be a one-stop shop for semiconductor manufacturing. It will also offer highly specialized educational opportunities that align with the needs of the region’s burgeoning tech industries and prepare students for high-demand jobs.
Semiconductor and supply chain companies Wolfspeed, Danfoss, Micron, Indium, Marquardt Switches, Menlo Micro and NoMIS Power, along with NY CREATES, will be collaborating with SUNY Poly, as well as Working Solutions - the Workforce Development Board of Utica, Fulton Montgomery Community College, Mohawk Valley Community College and Onondaga Community College to establish a curriculum with wraparound services for jobs in the industry that includes device processing for power electronics, optoelectronics and clean energy applications, as well as their unique packaging needs.
“Our new Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education, and Training Center will have a transformational impact on individual lives and families, the Mohawk Valley, New York State, and beyond,” reckons SUNY Poly’s president Dr Winston Soboyejo. “We look forward to working with our partners to meet the workforce needs of the rapidly growing semiconductor industry – and to helping students access the education they need to benefit from the opportunities associated with the unprecedented growth and innovation happening here.”
SUNY Poly’s Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education, and Training Center is being established to prepare the future semiconductor workforce by providing deep theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience, ensuring that students develop a full understanding of the packaging, processing and testing workflow, as well as the attention-to-detail needed to produce devices with the required yield and performance functionality. The center will allow for both silicon device processing and packaging as well as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), aluminium nitride (AlN) and their alloys, and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) devices.
In addition to educating and training traditional engineering students, SUNY Poly – through the center – will also provide several workforce development training and upskilling opportunities for industry partners and their employees, as well as those seeking to gain entrance into the semiconductor workforce. Some of these opportunities for career enhancement will include non-credit-bearing professional certificates and micro-credentials along with credit-bearing stackable micro-credentials.
The $4m ESD Capital Grant will be used primarily to fund metrology equipment for the center, which will have 5000ft2 of cleanroom space. The center will also have two classrooms that can seat 30 students each, in addition to office space for scientists, postdocs, and students.
Wolfspeed announces $250,000 gift to SUNY Poly Foundation
