By Gabriela Cruz Thompson, Senior Director of University Research and Collaboration at Intel Labs
Based on a one-year grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) has collaborated with leading representatives from across the semiconductor ecosystem to create a recently published roadmap on Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT). The MAPT roadmap includes comprehensive feedback from over 100 organizations – private sector, government, and academia – with recommendations for the semiconductor industry including critical mapping activities of challenges, promising technologies, key findings, trends, and the need for foundational capabilities in the semiconductor research and development (R&D) ecosystem.
Intel technologists participated and contributed to the roadmap chapters on Application Drivers and System Requirements, Sustainability and Energy Efficiency, Security and Privacy, Digital Processing, Analog and Mixed Signal Processing, Photonics and MEMS, Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration, and, as a critical enabler, Workforce Development. At Intel, we are passionate about the application of insights gained from the roadmap, particularly for advancing manufacturing technology of semiconductors within our fabrication (fabs) and packaging facilities.
In the past, where the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) and the other road mapping activities only covered semiconductor technology outlooks, MAPT also covers U.S. gaps and future challenges in the country’s workforce. The MAPT document takes workforce development to the next level by issuing a call to action for industry and academia to help address critical needs in the semiconductor workforce, especially for filling critical engineering and research scientist roles by 2030. It also encourages the need to focus on the undergraduate talent pipeline to encourage more students to go into semiconductor-related fields by educating and promoting the semiconductor industry opportunities early on to incoming freshman and transfer students, increasing the number of semiconductor scholarships available to the undergraduate population, and offering and making experiential hands-on opportunities through internships and workshops accessible to populations that haven't had these opportunities in the past. With the emergence of the STEM workforce moving toward computer science fields, this is an attractive counter opportunity to encourage students toward hardware design.
Identifying emerging security and privacy challenges is a priority for any semiconductor technology roadmap, but MAPT differs by emphasizing a manufacturing and supply-chain view, as well as the impact of emerging applications. MAPT includes a threat analysis of heterogeneous integration systems and their supply chain. These systems have a mix of trusted and untrusted parties cooperating in a complex, multi-step process during manufacture and at runtime. MAPT also analyzes motivational threats from emerging applications and the current state of hardware security technologies. This analysis leads to a description of security and privacy research needs and challenges.
MAPT sets the foundation for the next decade of research needs to continue the advancement of Moore’s Law to address the ever-increasing computing energy demands. The necessary methods to enable scaling are continuously evolving, MAPT addresses specific innovation opportunities in transistor architecture, logic, and memory devices, interconnects, materials, patterning, and co-integration of all processes via Design-Technology Co-optimization (DTCO) and System-Technology Co-optimization (STCO).
To meet the future needs of the semiconductor industry and address workforce challenges, Intel pledged to invest $100 million over the next decade to establish semiconductor manufacturing education and research collaborations with universities, community colleges and technical educators across the U.S. Intel is investing $50 million directly in Ohio higher education institutions. An additional $50 million from Intel will be matched by the U.S. National Science Foundation in national funding opportunities. In partnership with local universities and community colleges, we also created the industry’s first stackable, shareable, and transferable one-year semiconductor technician certificate program that prepares students for entry-level technician positions.
On a national scale, Intel’s commitment to accelerating semiconductor education extends to the Quick Start programs in Arizona and Oregon which help accelerate training for entry-level positions where there is a high demand and limited supply of skilled workers such as manufacturing technicians. Separately, we have made substantial investments in 16 universities and community colleges through the Broadening Participation in Science and Engineering Higher Education Program, to grow and strengthen diversity pipelines in semiconductor manufacturing. A key focus of this program is to expand experiential learning opportunities for semiconductor-related disciplines for students at all levels—from community college to undergraduate and graduate education—and to increase participation and retention in semiconductor-related degree programs. One of the universities supported by this program, North Carolina A&T, is the largest historically black college and university in the country, which uniquely positions it to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities in STEM, particularly in semiconductor design and manufacturing fields.
By contributing to the MAPT roadmap, Intel not only emphasizes technological advancements but also addresses critical industry concerns like workforce development and emerging security and privacy challenges. MAPT aims to extend beyond traditional semiconductor technology outlooks to include existing gaps in the U.S. semiconductor industry and lays the foundation for the next generation of research needs. Intel’s investments in various STEM education programs and partnerships also help underscore its dedication to addressing the evolving challenges of the semiconductor industry and creating a robust and inclusive ecosystem that will propel the industry forward.
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