October 2025
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SEMICON West in Arizona
With SEMICON West coming to Arizona for the first time in its 55-year history this October, this month’s specialty newsletter highlights Arizona State University’s presence at the premier semiconductor conference and the role of the Core Research Facilities — particularly those under the Semiconductor Device Processing umbrella — in advancing ASU’s semiconductor success.
Representatives from across ASU — including the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, W. P. Carey School of Business, Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub and Core Research Facilities — will be at booth No. 585 to discuss how the university is advancing research and strengthening the semiconductor ecosystem.
ASU at SEMICON West
In addition to ASU representatives at booth No. 585 October 7th - 9th, several ASU faculty members with decades of combined experience in the semiconductor field — many of whom have used the Core Research Facilities to advance their work — will speak at SEMICON West.
Among these speakers are:
- Houqiang Fu, assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, who will join two student researchers from his team to discuss GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors with Novel Dielectrics and Etching for Power Electronics.
- Trevor Thornton, professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, will speak alongside research assistant Ankita Kashyap about Automated Testing of Large-Area Diamond Schottky Diode Arrays for Enhanced Manufacturability.
- Wenlong Zhang, associate professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks (MSN), will join Binil Starly, director of MSN, for a talk on Semantic Digital Twins for Real-Time Inspection and Safety.
Other sessions lead by ASU faculty and more
The ASU Core Facilities Sales and Marketing team will be there as well! If you are interested or have any questions, please reach out to Wendy Crosby at: [email protected]
Semiconductor Device Processing
From housing the Materials-to-Fab Center’s equipment in the Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core at MacroTechnology Works and supporting multiple SWAP Hub projects to affiliating with the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), the ASU Core Research Facilities are deeply integrated into semiconductor research and development across the university.
Through capabilities that include processing molecular and bioelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanofluidics, as well as providing start-to-finish solar cell fabrication, characterization and testing — plus hands-on training with semiconductor fabrication tools for Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering students — the Core Facilities play a major role in advancing ASU’s efforts to help power the revival of American microelectronics.
Advanced Electronics and Photonics
The Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core (AEP) bridges the gap between innovation and product development, offering secure, end-to-end electronics capabilities. It provides 200 mm and 300 mm fanout wafer-level packaging, a-Si thin film transistor processing, photomask design, wafer fabrication and testing, and dedicated pilot line toolsets for technology development and demonstration.
Researchers use AEP for microelectronic prototyping, wafer coating and cleaning, solar cell and diode optimization, and pilot-scale product demonstrations.
NanoFab
The NanoFab is a flexible nanoscale processing and fabrication facility featuring a 3,800-square-foot class 100 cleanroom and eight auxiliary labs. Core strengths include nanofabrication, silicon processing, MEMS, nanofluidics, optoelectronics and device characterization.
Supported by staff with decades of experience, NanoFab enables cross-disciplinary research in bio- and molecular electronics, low-power electronics, materials and process fundamentals, molecular beam epitaxy, and nanostructures and quantum structures.
SolarFab
The Solar Fab provides researchers with start-to-finish capabilities for solar cell fabrication, characterization and testing, along with module production and reliability analysis.
Located in the MacroTechnology Works building at the ASU Research Park, the facility spans 9,073 square feet — including 6,370 square feet of class 100/1000 cleanroom space, 2,097 square feet of H occupancy and 606 square feet of dry lab space — giving users access to advanced tools and expert support for developing and validating next-generation solar technologies.
Clinical Corner
We are thrilled to announce several well-deserved promotions within our Clinical Research Services Core’s team. These individuals have consistently demonstrated dedication, leadership and excellence in their roles, and we are excited to recognize their achievements.
- Margarita Stirk has been promoted to Clinical Services Manager 1.
- Eloise "Ellie" Iwersen has been promoted to Lab and Research Specialist 3.
- Sarah Cannon-Boales has been promoted to Clinical Services Specialist 4.
- Melissa Cabrera-Bernal has been promoted to Lab and Research Manager 2.
Joke of the month
Joke of the month
Person, dressed as a baker, is asking "What do a biscuit maker and a die prep engineer have in common?" Person, dressed in personal protection suit answers "A fear of broken wafers."
Interested in seeing new capital equipment brought to the Core Facilities? Fill out the form to request equipment.