• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Voltaix Extends SiGe Leadership With Support From National Science Foundation

Posted on: Friday, 30 December 2005, 09:00 CST

NORTH BRANCH, N.J., Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Voltaix, Inc., has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR/STTR Program to accelerate the commercialization of breakthrough silicon-germanium (SiGe) technology. The approach deploys new, purpose-built molecules designed by Prof. John Kouvetakis and co-workers at Arizona State University (ASU) to enable new approaches to computer chip design and fabrication that reduce power consumption and increase performance. Further, the technology enables low temperature deposition of high germanium content SiGe films that could revolutionize the production of CMOS-integrated MEMS.

"Our customers need new materials-based solutions to achieve their technology development goals," stated Dr. John de Neufville, President of Voltaix. "The sponsorship of the NSF enables us to bring this solution to our customers more quickly and extends our leadership in SiGe technology."

The SBIR/STTR program was established to accelerate the deployment of cutting edge research into mainstream industrial practice. The program has provided seed capital for several very successful semiconductor industry innovations, including silicon carbide wafers developed by Sterling Semiconductor,(1) and the SDS(R) hazardous gas package developed by ATMI. ATMI's SDS(R) package is reported to have generated hundreds of millions in revenue for the company.(2)

Grants are awarded through a highly competitive process based on peer review by experts. Only 10% of all proposals submitted to the program are awarded funds.

The grant provides support of the project "STTR Phase I: Germyl Silanes - Enabling Precursors for Chemical Vapor Deposition of Advanced CMOS Substrates, CMOS-Integrated MEMS, and Nano-Scale Quantum-Dot Silicon Photonics." The funds will support development efforts at Voltaix and ASU.

Voltaix secured worldwide exclusive rights to the technology through a licensing agreement with Arizona Technology Enterprises, Arizona State University's technology commercialization company. Peter de Neufville, Chairman of Voltaix, noted, "Through strategic partnerships with leading organizations such as AZTE, Voltaix continues to deliver cutting edge technology to our customers."

(1) See http://www.mdatechnology.net/pdf/2001tar.pdf. (2) See http://www.dodsbir.net/SuccessStories/ATMI.htm. SDS(R) is a trademark of ATMI, Inc. Further information about Voltaix is available at http://www.voltaix.com/

Voltaix is recognized worldwide for manufacturing high purity specialty gases and chemicals that enhance the performance of electronic and photonic devices. Its products include germane, silicon tetrafluoride, trimethylsilane (3MS), and Silcore(R). Voltaix deploys proprietary manufacturing technologies to provide highly consistent products tailored to increase manufacturing yields, throughput, and device performance. (Silcore(R) is a trademark of ASM International, N.V.)

Voltaix, Inc.

CONTACT: Justine Falk for Voltaix, Inc., +1-908-231-9060,jfalk@voltaix.com

Web site: http://www.voltaix.com/

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category