Binghamton University to buy equipment for nanofabrication lab

Receives $1 million federal grant for the effort

VESTAL — Binghamton University has plans to purchase advanced-packaging equipment for its nanofabrication laboratory (NLAB). The university will use a federal funding award of $1 million to make the purchase. That money will only cover a portion of the cost, the school tells CNYBJ in a May 15 email. The grant seeks to “bolster” workforce training for advanced chip manufacturing in cleanroom environments. The funding is part of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills as a congressionally directed spending request, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced on April 2. The federal-government money will help get students the skills they need for “in-demand” careers in the semiconductor industry, “being spurred by Schumer’s CHIPS & Science Law,” the senator’s office said. “I am proud to deliver this $1 million federal investment to Binghamton University to supercharge the Southern Tier’s semiconductor workforce training with new state-of-the-art equipment that will help replicate real cleanrooms at chip companies,” Schumer said in the announcement. “Together with fantastic institutions like Binghamton University leading the way, we are ensuring the next generation of engineers, scientists, and innovators are trained and work here in Upstate NY.” The senators said the purchase of new, advanced-packaging equipment will allow electronics with sub-micron circuitry to be fabricated, analyzed, and tested by participants from across industry and academia. Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said the project dovetails well with many of the university’s key goals. “As a premier public university, we focus on education as well as access,” Stenger said in the Schumer announcement. “We also recognize our role and responsibility when it comes to workforce development. Equipping our laboratories with the latest tools gives our students and our industry partners an important advantage. I’m grateful for Senator Schumer’s continued partnership, and I look forward to seeing our cleanroom serve as a learning space for our own undergraduates as well as high school and community college students from the region.” The equipment will provide students with hands-on training to prepare them for careers in semiconductor manufacturing. The lab’s participants will be trained in next-generation electronics, including 2.5D and 3D chip packaging, “developing a pipeline of qualified talent” to support the growth of the advanced electronics manufacturing and packaging industry across upstate New York, Schumer’s office said. Binghamton University estimates 100 people will receive training for jobs in industrial cleanrooms each year through short courses, certificate, and micro-credentialing programs. Schumer and Gillibrand said this skilled talent pool will be important in helping attract new startups and supply-chain companies now looking at the region, following new major investments by companies like Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) that will help build a “thriving regional economy with good-paying jobs for future generations.” Binghamton University’s S3IP Center of Excellence, which includes the NLAB, currently has more than 120 companies performing research in electronics packaging as well as areas related to materials, failure analysis, and reliability testing. The enhanced equipment will also benefit about 20 faculty members and 60 graduate-student researchers working on projects directly supported by the facility, “with the number expected to grow, Schumer’s office noted. Efforts to reinvigorate the microelectronics industry in the U.S. rely on a skilled workforce, Bahgat Sammakia, VP for research at Binghamton University and director of the S3IP Center of Excellence, said in the Schumer announcement. “Experience working with this state-of-the-art equipment in a cleanroom environment will give students a big boost when they enter the job market. And manufacturers in New York State and beyond will be able to recruit talented workers who have relevant expertise that can help their companies grow and thrive,” Sammakia said.