The next generation of semiconductors
Located in the heart of the Silicon Forest, Oregon State University is uniquely positioned to offer a full range of options for partners interested in semiconductors and microelectronics: research and development, workforce development, and business growth. As the 7th largest engineering college in the nation, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon State’s College of Engineering can innovate at scale.
Semiconductor research
From communications and artificial intelligence to climate solutions, semiconductors are everywhere. Semiconductor manufacturing is vitally important as demonstrated by total worldwide semiconductor sales of $556 billion in 2021 and an expected increase to $1 trillion in the early 2030s. The U.S. semiconductor industry also directly employs over 277,000 people and results in more than 1,600,000 additional U.S. jobs that support the industry. 15% of these jobs are in Oregon and semiconductors account for nearly half the state’s exports.
The College of Engineering’s combination of top-tier faculty, talented students, and quality facilities, coupled with strong industry partners, and an interdisciplinary approach to research has created a technology hotbed where substantial semiconductor advances are taking place.
Centers and Institutes
Oregon State University is home to state-of-the-art facilities and multi-university collaborations that support our faculty’s research efforts related to semiconductors.
Faculty
Our faculty — including two National Academy of Engineering inductees, two National Academy of Inventors inductees, and 33 NSF CAREER awardees — bring expertise that spans numerous areas related to microelectronics.
NSF Regional Innovation Engine
With funding from the National Science Foundation through its Regional Innovation Engine program, the Advancing Semiconductor Technologies in the Northwest program leverages federal, regional, state, private and public institutions in its vision to develop a regional innovation ecosystem that advances use-inspired semiconductors, invents scalable nanofabrication manufacturing processes, innovates in energy-efficient, memory-centric computing architectures, increases functionality via More than Moore, develops innovative computation tools, expands innovation, entrepreneurship and creates training programs to enable a diverse workforce.
Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex
A clean room and characterization lab will be key components of the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex (CIC), a 150,000-square foot facility expected to open in 2026 that will support research and education at the intersection of materials science, computation, artificial intelligence, engineering, and robotics. These facilities will train bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. students and enable researchers to create advanced new materials and electronic devices for use in society and within the microelectronics, transportation, and health care industries.
Spurring development and fabrication of advanced thin films and nanomaterials, these facilities will be equipped with a wide range of vacuum and atmospheric fabrication equipment, including thin film deposition, lithography, and etching capabilities for use in semiconductor innovation. Characterization tools for atomic, chemical, optical and materials information, as well as microelectronic, optoelectronic and sensor devices will also be included.
Research
We are focused on accelerating collaborative research in advanced AI and semiconductor technologies across four primary research areas:
Areas of Focus
- Advances in analog/digital converters
- Low-cost MIMO transceivers using CMOS technology
- Low-cost phased array atenna in silicon germanium
- Output prediction logic technique
- Modeling and design of integrated circuit protection systems
- Resource-efficient AI accelerators
- Batteryless and power-autonomous electronics [using RF and thermoelectric energy harvesting]
- Side-channel resistance crypto designs
- Advances in amorphous oxide semiconductors that have revolutionized display technologies, including transparent thin-film transistors
- Pioneering research in dielectric, magnetic and piezoelectric materials
- Groundbreaking work in tunneling electronics, sensors, and advanced manufacturing methods
- Nanolithography, high sensitivity resists for extreme ultraviolet patterning
- ALD of 2D semiconductor dichalcogenides and nanolaminates
- Development of semiconductor inks for inkjet-printed thin film transistors and solar cells
- Characterization of processes using operando techniques
- Sustainable solution based processing to improve materials utilization
- Advances in supply chain logistics/life-cycle analysis
- Flexible and stretchable electronics for robotics and wearable devices
- Heterogeneous integration for IC-enabled biosensors at scale
- High-resolution 3D printing for direct-write interconnects and in-package RF devices
- Anti-tamper solutions based on physical unclonable functions
Related Stories
Researchers at Oregon State University and Baylor University have made a breakthrough toward reducing the energy consumption of the photonic chips used in data centers and supercomputers. Learn more
Oregon State University will spearhead a $1 million National Science Foundation project to advance semiconductor technologies in the Pacific Northwest.
Education and workforce development
“Oregon State University is proud to be a founding member of Micron’s Northwest University Semiconductor Network and is committed to work with other regional universities and Micron to fully serve the technical needs and demands of the semiconductor industry and expand STEM access to underrepresented rural and urban students, including women,”
- President of Oregon State University, Jayathi Y. Murthy.
Developing high-skilled technical semiconductor talent is of critical importance in the United States. The College of Engineering, one of the nation’s largest, produces graduates who are highly valued and in demand in the semiconductor sector. Our current students and recent graduates are developing new technologies and improving the performance and efficiency of existing devices. And our alumni, including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, have been shaping the industry for decades.
Oregon State is a founding member of the Northwest University Semiconductor Network, led by Micron Technology, Inc. The network will support research and experiential learning opportunities in the semiconductor industry, with equitable access for underrepresented students, including those in rural and tribal communities.
Related academic degrees
Computer Science
College of Engineering students and alumni working in the semiconductor industry
Callen Votzke, PhD candidate in robotics and electrical and computer engineering, studies circuits for soft robots and other stretchable electronics.
Kingsley Chukwu, PhD chemical engineering ’21, is an electronic design automation tools software engineer at Intel.
Intellectual property
Research at Oregon State leads to novel patents that provide the first step toward commercialization.
Commercialization opportunities
Strong infrastructure for commercializing technology already exists at Oregon State. The OSU Advantage team brings together unparalleled, holistic resources and activities to maximize the university’s impact. The team connects to a wide range of resources supporting innovation and entrepreneurship; develops intellectual property protection strategies; supports the development of high-growth companies through tailored programing and aligned funding; executes research, confidentiality, material transfer, licensing, and other industry agreements; and provides access to unique tooling and development opportunities aligned with advanced technologies and manufacturing.
The College of Engineering has incubated a number of technologies that have spun out into successful entrepreneurial ventures, including Amorphyx (semiconductors), Inpria (semiconductors), NuScale Power(scalable modular reactors), and Agility Robotics (robotics).
Semiconductor @ Oregon State newsletter
Stay up-to-date on advances in semiconductor research, industry partnerships, and the latest developments in the innovation ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest’s “Silicon Forest”. Whether you’re already part of this community, see yourself joining it someday, or just want to learn more about this exciting and constantly evolving field, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to engage with semiconductor experts at Oregon State University.