S. G. BISHOP, Director
127 Microelectronics Laboratory
208 N. Wright St., Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-3097
The Microelectronics Laboratory is a multidisciplinary facility in the College of Engineering for investigating new concepts in optical and electronic materials, devices, and systems based on gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, and other Group III-V compound semiconductors. Such high-performance systems are necessary for the next generation of integrated optoelectronic circuits for telecommunications and information processing, including high-speed computing. The university is a world leader for research in this area. The laboratory is supported by numerous grants from industry and government, including the NSF-sponsored Engineering Research Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics (CCSM). CCSM focuses on the investigation of optical interconnect technologies to eliminate the bottleneck of metal interconnects in high-speed digital systems, exploiting the speed and light-emitting properties of compound semiconductor materials. Its main mission is to enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. opto electronics industry through research in new semiconductor materials, devices, and systems with the goal of developing new technologies. The laboratory is also supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency Center for Optoelectronics Science and Technology, which is a collaborative effort with the University of Michigan and the University of Texas. It is one of four ARPA-funded optoelectronics centers nationwide. The laboratory and CCSM attract students of exceptional talent and motivation, training them in leading-edge research that is responsive to the needs of the U.S. optoelectronics industry. The educational efforts supplement the large, well-developed graduate and undergraduate programs of the College of Engineering. The Microelectronics Laboratory is committed to effective interactions with industry and has organized working groups that provide a structure for industry and university researchers to collaborate on mutually defined research projects important to future optoelectronic products. The laboratory includes special facilities for: artificially structured materials, including MBE and MOCVD epitaxial growth, and both thermal and electron-beam evaporation; submicron device fabrication, including electron beam and optical lithography, plasma-assisted deposition of oxides and nitrides, sputter etching and deposition, ion milling, reactive ion etching, and plasma etching; ultrahigh-speed optical and electrical measurements; and characterization of ultrahigh-purity semiconductors. The Microelectronics Laboratory is one of this country's largest and most sophisticated university-based III-V semiconductor research facilities. The building contains 8,000 square feet of class 100 and 1000 clean room laboratory space for device processing and crystal growth.
Faculty associated with the laboratory's Engineering Research Center are listed below. Research projects conducted in the College of Engineering are described in the respective departmental sections.