The HBCU CHIPS Network: A Path for Creating, Preparing, and Increasing Research, Innovation Capacity and an Inclusive Microelectronics Workforce

The HBCU Chips Network is a collaborative effort, involving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), government agencies, academia, and industry, that will serve as a national resource for semiconductor research and education. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the Network will facilitate research innovations, resolve long-standing disparities in facilities, build domestic capacity, provide shared accessibility across Network stakeholders, and broaden participation in the microelectronics workforce. This project allows for establishment of a sustainable, administrative infrastructure and protocols to 1) support the multi-institutional research effort and 2) address national microelectronics-related research and development and workforce development needs. This project is funded by the NSF Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative to advance the goals of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This project is also funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), which provides awards to strengthen STEM undergraduate education and research at HBCUs. The Network objective is to advance leadership in microelectronics technology by leveraging the collective research expertise, capabilities, infrastructure, and core competencies of HBCUs. Activities address the design and fabrication of chips at various HBCU institutions, including: (1) two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor field-effect transistors and optoelectronic devices (Jackson State University and North Carolina A&T State University); (2) high-efficiency thermoelectric materials and integrated devices for the application of power generation and solid-state cooling (Alabama A&M State University); (3) 2D-3D material development and their integration (Delaware State University); (4) semiconductor packaging using composite materials of polymer and boron nitride nanotube composites (Norfolk State University); (5) the integration of underfill and heat spreader materials for heterogeneous packaging applications (North Carolina A&T State University); and (6) the packaging of HBCU chips into systems (Georgia Institute of Technology). To cultivate a diverse and skilled workforce for the national semiconductor industry, the Network supports student research and the development of specialized curricula in semiconductor design, fabrication, and related fields, along with internship and research opportunities in collaboration with industry partners. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.