April 2025
Welcome to the ASU Core Facilities Newsletter. We are ready to support all your research goals. Please follow us a Linkedin for additional resources and community information.
How we support the SWAP Hub
The ASU Core Research Facilities is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, advanced equipment capabilities and staffed with experienced personnel, supporting a wide range of industries.
Our Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core, located at the MacroTechnology Works in the ASU Research Park, specializes on semiconductor and microelectronics research, development and fabrication. The Core regularly partners with the Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub to advance the Hub's initiatives.
Spaceborne Low-Energy AI Computing (SLEAC) Project
Quote from Matthew Marinella,ASU associate professor and SLEAC project lead
"Radiation is particularly problematic for analog memory intensive AI architecture, such as AIMC."
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $5.9 million to Arizona State University's Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub for the Spaceborne Low Energy AI Computing (SLEAC) project. Led by Associate Professor Matthew Marinella of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, SLEAC aims to enhance satellite imaging by integrating radiation-hardened artificial intelligence (AI) chips with focal plane array image sensors.
This integration will enable satellites to detect objects that are currently too faint or fast for existing systems. The project focuses on developing analog in-memory computing (AIMC) using radiation-resistant resistive memory (ReRAM) arrays, targeting energy efficiencies exceeding 10 tera operations per second per watt (TOPS/W) in extreme environments.
The Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core Facility is providing the material stack Marinella needs for this research. To fabricate the material stack, the Core is providing deposition onto wafers via sputtering, then patterning those wafers with their Osiris 1204 Coater/Developer and Heidelberg MLA-300 Maskless Aligner. Finally, they etch the wafers using their Applied Materials Centura AP 300mm Plasma Etcher.
View Osiris 1204 Coater/Developer on YouTube.
View Heidelberg MLA-300 Maskless Aligner on YouTube.
Ultimately this technology will enable demonstration of a radiation hard spaceborne remote sensing systems capable observing phenomena that are currently hidden.
Matthew Marinella ASU associate professor and SLEAC project lead
How SLEAC is transforming satellite imaging performance.
Multi-MHz, High Density, Ultrafast RADAR Power Converter
The Multi-MHz, High-Density, Ultra-Fast RADAR Power Converter project aims to advance radar power systems for critical defense applications. This project will develop a multi-megahertz, multi-kilowatt, high-density radar power converter that serves as the core of advanced radar systems. Using GaN-based switching devices, the converters are expected to achieve six times higher power density, 50% lower losses and ultra-fast response times.
This project has potential to enable increased system power within pre-allocated volume and weight constraints, increasing mission capability.
Raja Ayyanar ASU professor and leader of the RADAR project
The Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core supports this work with specialized equipment, including tools to analyze material properties such as carrier concentration and mobility through Hall effect measurements up to 500°C. The Core also offers automated high-voltage, high-current I-V and C-V measurements using a FormFactor probe station, accommodating sample sizes from small pieces to 300 mm wafers. Another FormFactor probe station supports automated on-wafer RF measurements and small-signal parameter extraction up to 110 GHz.
Substrate-based Heterogeneous Integration Enabling Leadership Demonstration for the USA (SHIELD USA)
SHIELD USA, a collaboration led by ASU and Deca Technologies, is advancing the CHIPS and Science Act’s goal of restoring U.S. semiconductor leadership and strengthening national security. Funded with $100 million over five years through the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, SHIELD USA focuses on developing next-generation microelectronics packaging technologies, particularly molded core organic substrates, through research, testing and qualification of new materials, processes and equipment.
ASU’s Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core Facility plays a key role in advancing SHIELD USA’s commercial viability, supporting 300 mm wafer-level and 600 mm panel-level manufacturing.
Beyond technology development, SHIELD USA is also investing in education, training and workforce development to build the talent needed for a sustainable domestic microelectronics ecosystem.
The Ultrafast Laser Facility supports semiconductor research
The Ultrafast Laser Facility’s advanced methodologies, including pump-probe spectroscopy and time-resolved fluorescence measurements, allow for precise characterization of carrier dynamics, carrier lifetimes and thermalization processes in semiconductors. These techniques are also valuable for assessing the thermal stability of microelectronic materials.
By using our ultrafast laser capabilities, semiconductor researchers and companies can optimize device efficiency, identify material defects and accelerate the development of next-generation materials. These techniques are critical for advancing microelectronics, including solar cells, LEDs, transistors and photonics.
Publication
Tuning Film Stresses for Open-Air Processing of Stable Metal Halide Perovskites
Authors: Muneeza Ahmad, Carsen Cartledge, Gabriel McAndrews, Antonella Giuri, Michael D. McGehee, Aurora Rizzo, Nicholas Rolston
ASU Core Research Facilities are proud to support this research through our Advanced Electronics and Photonics (AEP) Core Facility's Park XE-150 Atomic Force Microscope and the Eyring Materials Center's X-ray Diffractometer equipment.
Abstract
Upscaling metal halide perovskites (MHPs) is challenging due to mechanical film stresses that accelerate degradation and cause delamination or fracture. This study demonstrates that open-air blade coating with polymer additives like gellan gum and corn starch introduces beneficial compression, improving MHP film stability and optoelectronic properties.
Introduction
Perovskite semiconductors are promising for solar cells due to their defect tolerance and high carrier mobility but they face challenges from environmental and mechanical instability. Residual tensile stress can increase defect density, reduce carrier mobility and cause cracking, leading to structural breakdown and reduced efficiency.
Conclusion
Blade coating with polymer additives introduces beneficial compressive stress in perovskite films, improving crystallization, film quality and operational stability. This compressive stress enhances resistance to heat, humidity and thermal cycling while reducing cracking and delamination. The findings highlight stress relaxation as a key factor in perovskite degradation.
Interested in seeing new capital equipment brought to the Core Facilities? Fill out the form to request equipment.