About the Facilities
The University of Maryland’s researchers and modern facilities are well known for experience and innovations in semiconductor chip design and architecture, nanofabrication, hardware security and cybersecurity, neuromorphic chips with capabilities inspired by biology, micro devices, including medical devices, sensors and sensor components, advanced materials for microelectronics, improving the reliability of microelectronics, and microelectronic components in larger systems for energy efficiency and a more electric future.
CALCE: Microelectronics Packaging
CENTER FOR ADVANCED LIFE CYCLE ENGINEERING
CALCE has been serving the electronics industry for more than 35 years as a resource and knowledge base for the development of reliable, safe, and cost effective products. It is supported by more than 300 of the world’s leading companies. CALCE provides test and failure analysis services and conducts fundamental reliability science research. Research areas include: reliability assessment of components, packaging materials, interconnections, and assemblies; testing and simulation-based failure analysis; electronic product development; life cycle cost; technology tradeoff analysis; thermal management; power electronics; accelerated testing; soft capillarity and wetting; micro-nanoscale transport; parts selection and management; uprating; polymers; prognostics and health management; electrical contacts; passive components; counterfeit detection and mitigation; intersections among thermal-fluid sciences, interfacial transport phenomena, and renewable energy; and supply chain policies.
NanoCenter: Chip Design & Manufacturing
The Maryland NanoCenter includes the FabLab (a class 1000 clean room) and the AIM Lab (dedicated to the characterization of structure and composition for a broad spectrum of hard and soft materials and biological systems with nanometer resolution). Additional shared equipment is located in partner labs across campus, covering the gamut of research necessities. NanoCenter facilities are available for use by faculty, students, industry, and government researchers.
Lab: Advanced Chip Manufacturing
SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY
UMD research is advancing semiconductor chip technology in chip design, building chips with new sensing capabilities and addressing challenges in chip manufacturing. Projects take advantage of expertise in hardware architecture, advanced integrated circuits, and biochips. Maryland is active in projects sponsored by the Department of Defense, DARPA (including JUMP 2.0), Intel, Northrop Grumman, SRC, NSF, NIST, AFOSR and ONR (including MURIs), and the Army Research Lab (ArtIAMAS).
MEII: Energy Storage & Materials
MARYLAND ENERGY INNOVATION INSTITUTE
The scientists of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute are actively pursuing materials science advances. Special areas of interest include: chemical energy conversion, electrochemical energy, energy efficiency, power systems, renewables, and energy systems safety and reliability. Research areas include atomic layer deposition and thin films, materials for batteries and energy storage devices, power electronics and microinverters, and renewable and efficient energy.
MEMS: Sensors & Actuators
MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS
Sensors are an important part of many microelectronic devices. UMD researchers have decades of expertise developing sensors for many different purposes, from detecting bio materials and explosives in public spaces, to finding pathogens inside the human body. They also are developing new kinds of sensors with enhanced capabilities based on neuromorphic and biological ideas. Projects include general sensors, medical sensors, andneuromorphic sensors. The MEMS Sensors and Actuators Laboratory was established in January 2000 and focuses on application-driven technology development using micro-nanobio engineering approaches. Its “systems integration” approach provides holistic solutions for real-world use. This lab specializes in in-situ biomedical and clinical applications, specifically toward gastrointestinal diagnostics, biofilm monitoring and inhibition, and platforms for investigating gut-brain interactions. This research is complemented by efforts in energy storage, harvesting, and conversion to provide power for the desired embedded, self-sustaining MEMS sensors and actuators. Devices incorporate system-oriented design elements relying on MEMS materials and fabrication technology, novel biosensing and biofabrication processes, microelectronics integration, and 3D-printed packaging techniques.
Microelectronics Research
Microelectronics domains
Researchers at the University of Maryland work on projects in many domains of microelectronics:
- Semiconductor chip design and architecture
- Hardware security and cybersecurity
- Neuromorphic chips with bio-inspired capabilities
- General and medical micro devices
- Sensors and sensor components
- Advanced materials for microelectronics
- Improving microelectronics reliability
- Energy-efficient microelectronic components in more-electric systems
Research areas
Chips
The University of Maryland’s research is advancing semiconductor chip technology in domains including chip design, building chips with new capabilities (particularly for sensing) and addressing challenges in chip manufacturing. Specific research areas include biochips, hardware architecture, and advanced ICs.
Energy
University of Maryland microelectronics energy research is helping to build a more sustainable, electric future for everything from planes to automobiles to implantable medical devices. Our researchers are improving existing types of batteries and exploring new possibilities for energy storage. They are uncovering ways to harvest energy from the environment and to manage the heat generated by electric devices. Learn about the dynamic work being done by this diverse group of researchers. Specific research areas include batteries, bioscaffolds, and energy storage devices; energy harvesting and thermal management; power electronics and microinverters; renewable and efficient energy.
Materials
Clark School researchers are at the international forefront of materials science research that can greatly benefit the development of ever-more powerful and sophisticated microelectronics devices. The University of Maryland is rightly recognized for its groundbreaking work in battery materials science, thin films, and atomic layer deposition. In particular, the scientists of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute are especially active in materials science advances. Special areas of interest include chemical energy conversion; electrochemical energy; energy efficiency; power systems; renewables; energy systems safety and reliability.
Micro devices
Micro devices bring together and transform microelectronics developments into useful packages designed to fulfill the promises of this research area. They make the benefits of microelectronics possible, both in long-awaited breakthroughs like medical devices, but also in ways never before imagined. The University of Maryland is one of the key institutions active in this area. Research areas include biomedical devices and general micro devices.
Neuromorphic
Understanding how the brain’s neurons connect and process information not only can increase our understanding of this complex and powerful organ, but also can lead to vast improvements in computing and devices in many different domains, including health care, robotics, artificial intelligence, and defense applications. Research areas include cognitive sensors, neuronal learning, bio-inspired flight technologies, sound and speech processing, and building mental health assessing tools based on speech patterns.
Reliability
The University of Maryland is well known for its expertise in reliability engineering for microelectronics. Most activity is associated with the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE). CALCE has been serving the electronics industry for more than 35 years as a resource and knowledge base for the development of reliable, safe, and cost effective products. It is supported by more than 300 of the world’s leading companies. CALCE provides test and failure analysis services and conducts fundamental reliability science research.
Security
The University of Maryland is at the forefront of both hardware security and cybersecurity research related to microelectronics. The combination of engineering expertise and well-established federal and industry partnerships in this area has enabled our faculty to win a number of large hardware security contracts as well as cybersecurity grants. Primary research areas include design obfuscation, side-channel attacks, hardware trojans, embedded devices, wireless incentive compatible and physical layer security, non-black box cryptography and machine learning security and privacy issues.
Sensors
Sensors are an important part of many microelectronic devices. University of Maryland researchers have decades of expertise developing sensors for many different purposes, from detecting pathogens and explosives in public spaces, to finding pathogens inside the human body. They also are developing new kinds of sensors with enhanced capabilities based on neuromorphic and biological ideas. Research areas include general sensors, sensors used in medicine, and neuromorphic sensors.