A state economic development agency will invest $35.5 million to expand the University of Arizona's semiconductor research and manufacturing facility’s cleanroom.
Researchers working in the University of Arizona's Nanofabrication Core Facility's cleanroom, which will receive a $35.5 million expansion.
The Arizona Commerce Authority will make the investment into the expansion of the cleanroom, which is an essential component in semiconductor research and manufacturing to prevent microscopic contaminants from damaging or destroying highly sensitive microchips.
The facility, called the Nanofabrication Core Facility, is operated by the UA's Office of Research and Partnerships and the Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing.
The university will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, 1230 E. Speedway, to celebrate the expansion. Speakers will include UA President Suresh Garimella, Arizona Commerce Authority CEO and President Sandra Watson, and the UA's Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering, David W. Hahn.
A video message from Gov. Katie Hobbs will be shown at the ceremony.
“We are so thankful for the strategic investment by the Arizona Commerce Authority that allowed us to transform one of our core research facilities,” said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, UA senior vice president for research and partnerships, in a news release.
“By advancing semiconductor innovation, the new Nanofabrication Core Facility will support secure research critical to national security and strengthen Arizona's position as a national leader in one of the most consequential industries of our time,” Díaz de la Rubia said.
The facility “supports manufacturing and research efforts in semiconductors, computer chips, optical devices and quantum computing systems,” the news release said.
Its mission is to “enable rapid advancements in research and innovation at the micro and nano scale by providing access to infrastructure and expertise,” according to its website, and it offers industrial space and facilities, device processing, and characterization equipment to researchers from academia, federal agencies and the private sector.
