The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking proposals to enhance microelectronics manufacturing efforts.
DARPA’s Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) seeks to create a new, domestic-based center for research and development and 3DHI microsystems production.
“The ability to perform onshore 3DHI R&D and prototyping for silicon-based components is hindered by the lack of integrated design tools and assembly/packaging/testing facilities. There is extremely limited capability for non-silicon-based 3DHI,” Special Assistant to the DARPA Director Carl McCants said. “This program’s emphasis on pre-competitive collaboration across industry, defense, and academic partners should widen the range of stakeholders participating in 3DHI innovation, accelerate design innovations, and enhance testing, reliability, and security for these microsystems.”
The NGMM establishes the first domestic, open-access facility for producing next-generation 3DHI prototypes, launching a national accelerator via a pilot-line manufacturing facility.
The NGMM’s initial phase (Phase 0) involves planning for a domestic 3DHI manufacturing center, with DARPA anticipating proposers will use the approximately six-month period to form teams identifying, defining, analyzing, and making expert recommendations for 3DHI microsystems in addition to equipment, processes, hardware and software tools, and facility requirements to manufacture the microsystems.
Subsequent phases are slated to leverage expertise in establishing the open-access center, qualifying and maturing processes, and operationalizing capabilities, according to DARPA.