Taking a cue from California's Silicon Valley, a team of Mississippi State engineers is working to see this state become known as the "silicon carbide valley."
The Mississippi Center for Advanced Semiconductor Prototyping is the creation of a university engineering group with a proven record of success in silicon carbide research.
Commonly found in sand, silicon is the basic material in semiconductors, the building blocks for computer chips. The addition of carbon to silicon produces a material superior to common silicon in high-temperature, high-voltage, and high-frequency applications.
"Moving what we've learned in research toward commercial application is the next logical step," said Michael S. Mazzola, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. "We hope the ultimate result will be a silicon carbide semiconductor industry that is a major economic force in Mississippi."
Support from outside the state includes a $1.6 million grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
Industry support for the center has come in the form of an electron microscope donated by IBM Corp. and other highly specialized equipment provided by the Lam Research and Northrop Grumman corporations in California.
"The industry participation is critical for the center's success," Mazzola said. "Lam, for example, is providing plasma etching equipment that is essential for working with silicon carbide, which is almost as hard as diamonds."
With equipment currently being installed on campus, the Mississippi State scientists soon will begin work on prototypes of devices that could be manufactured by startup companies in the emerging silicon carbide industry.
Prototypes will be available for manufacturing licenses through the university's Research and Technology Corp., providing an opportunity for new high-tech businesses in the state.
"The center will have the ability to operate as an incubator for small businesses," Mazzola said. "The combination of a high level of technical support and the availability of engineering graduates should make this area of Mississippi attractive to semiconductor-related companies."
