Research

The Microelectronics Research Center concentrates research in the following major areas:

• New device and integrated circuit structures, including advanced component development and process modeling
• Studies of hot electron transport in small geometry devices and the physics of scaled devices
• Device processing including diffusion, lithography, rapid thermal processing, plasma etching, remote plasma, and thermal chemical vapor deposition of silicon and related film
• Advanced crystal growth of compound semiconductor materials, including III-V multiple heterojunction structures, employing MBE and MOCVD
• New device structures for optoelectronic and photonic applications, and for microwave and millimeter-wave devices
• New approaches to device packaging and interconnects, including optical interconnects.

One of the most active and diversified areas of research in the electrical and computer engineering department is solid-state electronics, which includes semiconductor materials and devices, optoelectronics and photonics, electronic packaging, and interconnects. Our interdisciplinary approach brings together faculty from the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, and Materials Science and Chemical Engineering. Faculty participate in several research groups, such as the Center for Synthesis, Growth, and Analysis of Electronic Materials.

Our location within the electronics community of Austin, Texas, provides MRC with distinct advantages. For example, our solid state electronics faculty has close ties with the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, SEMATECH, and IC2; all are located in Austin, Texas. Support from these consortia, as well as many industry and government laboratories, contribute to MRC’s versatility.